Dear John, I forgive you
Death has robbed us of the leader you might have become if our prayers had been answered.
President John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania died on 17 March 2021, aged 61. Credit: Paul Kagame.
Dear John,
Do you remember the first time I wrote you an open letter addressing you by your given name? Akwilina had just been shot by police dispersing a protest and I used the 21-year-old student’s death to draw your attention to the fact that people were starting to get scared of you. I did my best to advocate on behalf of young Tanzania which had so much faith in you. I invited you to watch the Marvel film Black Panther with me.
It might have sounded quite insane but trust me: that film raises much to discuss for Africans about power, pan-Africanism, vengeance, leadership, resource nationalism, gender and so much more. The best part is that it calls out the colonisers – Mabeberu, as you like to call them – in a most satisfying manner.
I knew the informality of the letter would annoy you, and I apologise for that. Mischief is unfortunately part of my charm. Tanzanian presidents have been known over the years to appreciate a bit of witty cheek from time to time as long as it is not taken too far. But really, in calling you by your first name – rather than the more formal President Magufuli – I wanted to remind you of a very fundamental fact: humility. Humility, John, is one of the ways in which people tempted and tortured by power might escape the worst of its ravages and I was hoping for that for you. Freedom from personal torment.
Well. Here we are today and I am writing you another letter. You are dead, John. Considering how far my opinion of you had plummeted, and given the personal burden of loathing I had developed for you over the course of your reign, I can admit that I thought news of your demise would delight me. That is how damaged my soul had become, John: denatured by fear, a fear that bred hatred.
It turns out I was wrong. My relief that your misogyny and cruelty will no longer weigh upon my mind is real and will remain with me forever. But I did not expect to feel sad. I did not expect to feel a bit bereft, slightly melancholy. I certainly did not expect to be moved when I watched your casket being opened for public viewing as your friends and family, who clearly cared for you, shed tears. I did not expect to attend mass via television not once, but twice, and genuinely pray that your Lord would have mercy on your soul.
Do you know what I blame for this weakness, John? The fact that I am a woman. A foolish, weak, sentimental woman who doesn’t have what it takes to do the courageous work of crushing my humanity under the heel of my boot.
As you lie in state, many Tanzanians and friends of Tanzania are mourning you with great sorrow. Your death is a loss, because of the good you have done and the good you could have done. Oh, did you think that I would neglect to mention at least some of your many successes? Not so, John. You achieved so much that seemed hitherto impossible.
I am most impressed that you made the move to Dodoma as the capital a near-success even though I disagree with the decision. I approve of the resource nationalism for which you advocated, though you left room for improvement. I certainly appreciate the increased access you have brought to social services. And that you fought rampant corruption and ineptitude in our bloated civil service in your own way. As for infrastructure, you were a builder, John. That you lived and breathed Tanzania was amply demonstrated. You loved this country.
And as a woman I know that some people’s love can be toxic. Possessive. Jealous. Angry. Even murderous. The country of your birth and passion slowly became Tanzania ya John Pombe Magufuli over the six years of your rule. So much so that Members of Parliament even dared to suggest that we ignore term limits in your favor. The democratic rights of free-born citizens would have been traded for subjugation to you, John. This was the quiet horror slowly creeping up on us, and the few of us who knew and resisted it paid the price.
As I write this, there are multitudes of people at the National Stadium paying their last respects to you. You cannot imagine the size of the crowds. People have come in from towns and cities overnight to offer you a final act of love. The throngs that line the streets when your body is transported are thick. You are accompanied by bajajs and boda bodas as people lay out a VIP carpet of khangas and clothing to honor your journey. African writers from North and East, South and West have commended you as a true son of Africa, a pan-Africanist, an example to be aspired to.
You will be amused, but unsurprised, that the main media houses of the West – those Beberus you so despised – are obsessed about what killed you. The official statement about your dicky heart finally giving out didn’t cut the mustard. They want, in fact need, confirmation that you died of COVID-19. The irony of a Covid denier dying of Covid would be beyond delicious for them, especially for a president who was vocal about his views on the West.
You will, however, be surprised that given the perfect chance to throw you under the bus, I didn’t. I haven’t seen your death certificate, John, and besides as the child of a doctor I know about discretion when it comes to people’s medical struggles and families’ need for privacy. Cause of death? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I do care that you did not die alone. John, I truly hope that someone held your hand with comfort and tenderness to the very end, that you were not afraid, that you were not in pain. Foolish, weak-hearted, stupid woman that I am, I hope you passed on peacefully.
But enough about all of that. Let us talk about the deterioration of your presidency. Nobody knew you quite like we did, John. We, your fellow Tanzanians. Your neighbors in northern Dar es Salaam; the families of the people jailed or disappeared under your watch; the businesses that were extorted; the paternal aunts you promised to beat because the cashew crop had to be done your way or no way at all; the women you insulted innumerable times with inappropriate comments; the girls who got thrown out of school for getting pregnant. We all saw you, John. You looked down upon us, which gave us a unique perspective as we looked upwards into your deceitfully handsome face.
You were a complex and complicated man. The chiaroscuro of your character was breathtaking. You so loved your Lord that you even fundraised to help build a mosque in Chamwino so that Muslims might have a beautiful place of worship. You brought guns and sniffer dogs into St Peter into the Holy of Holies, desecrating our church even as you came to receive holy communion at Sunday Mass.
You were the bulldozer, the rock, the man amongst men who would provide for this nation. You enjoyed publicly humiliating civil servants as you fired them on the spot at will. You wanted Tanzanians to work hard and build a productive economy while you taxed everything to death and built your personal Gbadolite in Chato, including an airport for a defunct national airline that we cannot afford and that your beloved wanyonge will never fly.
You had big international dreams, yet never addressed the UN General Assembly. Or the African Union. For six decades, Tanzanian presidents have taken on a hallowed and historied pan-Africanist mantle and Tanzania has won a reputation of conducting diplomacy and international relations par excellence. You were not confident enough to occupy this position, yet still compared yourself to Mwalimu?
The shield and spear that you hoisted triumphantly during your inauguration, after your sacred oath of office? They are the tools of protection and defence of your people. How does a man turn them against his own family? Womanish, you called those who advocated for peace, diversity and negotiation. Indeed. We let the ones who worship toxic masculinity praise you, John. But I want you to know: we never forget, we never slept. Every misogynistic, conflicted, insecure moment you had, we knew.
It doesn’t matter any longer, so let me wind down now, having vented my grief and anger. In an effort to get help on how to handle your legacy, I turned to Fatma Karume. You remember her? Vocal critic, thorn in your side, honorary Shangazi? She was crying as she spoke of you. We shared our sadness at the loss of what you could have become. You were a human, John, a Tanzanian, one of us. We never gave up hope. Now death has robbed all of us of your potential, the man and leader you might have become if prayers had been answered. Even rocks erode. Water, being soft, can cut mountains down to size.
Shangazi, a weak, sentimental, foolish woman, instructed me to choose the light. We soothed each other and agreed to forgive you, however long it takes. And there is nothing you can do about it now, John. We forgive you.
Yours,
Your fellow Tanzanian, Elsie
I just discovered you recently, Elsie and I am glad I did. Please keep writing.
ELSIE, TRY TO DO YOUR RESEARCH AND STOP USING PEOPLE LIKE KIGOGO,MARIA,FATMA N THE OPPOSITION AS YOUR SOURCE, YOU TALK ABOUT PREGNANT GIRLS GETTING KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL?HE MADE SURE THERE AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS FOR THEM.DO YOU THINK WE HAVE THE MONEY TO COUNSEL THESE YOUNG WOMEN AFTER THE BULLYING THEY WILL RECEIVE FROM THERE PEERS?”HUJUI LOLOTE WEWE KANYONYESHE”,”WEWE UNATOA TOA TU NDO MANA UNA MTOTO”. KIDS ARE CRUEL,SO FOR A MAN TO GIVE EM AN ALTERNATIVE SO THEY DONT GO THROUGH THIS, YOU LABEL HIM A MONSTER, PRESIDENT MAGUFULI DOES NOT NEED YOUR FORGIVENESS, AND BUILDING CHATO IS SUCH A SIGN, BECAUSE HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO LIVES THERE AND CHATO IS IN ZIMBABWE?AM I RIGHT? CHATO IS TANZANIA, EVERY TANZANIAN TO HAVE ACCESS OF THINGS. YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH AIRPLANES, IF YOU HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH AND ASK WANYONGE(THE PEOPLE),THOSE PLANES GOING TO PLACES LIKE KIGOMA,MBEYA,DODOMA,CHATO,MTWARA,SHINYANGA..HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE BOOST THEIR BUSINESS, EVEN IF ITS SELLING MILK TO HOTELS?THE ABSURD THINKING OF AIRPLANE IS TO BOARD IS CRAZY BECAUSE IT COMES FROM THE SO-CALLED ACTIVISTS.AIRPLANES CAN BE USED TO BOOST THE ECONOMY, AND DO YOUR RESEARCH AND ASK ANY AVIATION COMPANY, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GENERATE PROFITS FROM AIRPLANE BUSINESS?THE GVT OWNS THE PLANES N IT RECEIVING PAYMENT ON TIME,COME DAY,COME NIGHT FROM AIR TANZANIA, BECAUSE GVT RENTED THE PLANES TO THEM, SO THE MONEY RECEIVED IS GOING TO OTHER THINGS LIKE ROADS.PEOPLE SAY THIS MAN TOOK COVID MONEY AND BUILT ROADS, BUT THE SAME WAZUNGU(WHITES), RATHER FLY YOU IN BOTTLES OF WATER TO DRINK, THAT BUILDING YOU A WELL, OR SOMETHING GREAT TO SUSTAIN YOU OR GIFT YOU 200 BICYCLES TO RIDE IN A PLACE WITH NO ROAD.
FRANKLY, THIS PEACE YO WROTE IS LIKE BEING A RAT “UNAUMA NA KUPULIZA”.TO BE NEUTRAL, AND ABSOLUTELY NONSENSE BLAMING IT ON YOUR GENDER, GENDER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, YOU FELT SICK N BAD BECAUSE GOD SPOKE TO YOU AND GAVE YOU THAT FEELING TO UNDERSTAND YOU WERE WRONG.
THIS NEW GENERATION OF PEOPLE, CAN ONLY WATCH 7 SECONDS OF VIDEOS AND CONCLUDE…
TRY TO WATCH ALL MAGUFULI SPEECHES NA ZIARA, FROM WAZIRI(MINISTER TO PRESIDENT) YOU WILL GET THE PICTURE.
LETS ALSO THANK HIM, FOR ALL THE GVT CARS PLATE NUMBERS.
HE FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY AND FOR THAT, I WILL FIGHT FOR HIM NAME NOT TO BE TARNISHED BY A RESOURCELESS, BIASED ,OPINION WRITER.
Did John ask you for the forgiveness madam?
DID YOU GUYS REALLY DELETE THE COMMENT, TO PASS YOUR FALSE NARRATIVES?
Wow, this is beautiful, both the writing, and the content!
Love the poignancy and stark truth telling. No man is perfect, and his eulogy should set many free
Awesome !
My fellow African brothers and sisters of Tanzania, THE GREATNESS OF OUR GREAT AFRICAN LEADERS WILL ALWAYS, AND CONTINUOUSLY, LIVE AFTER THEM, AND NO AMOUNT OF USELESS PROPAGANDA CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF THEIR HISTORIC AND HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS!!!
And, I am writing from EXPERIENCE as a Ghanaian.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the foremost Pan-Africanist, suffered from the same UNDESERVED CRITICISM that we read from ELSIE, whoever she is. But, that was the PAID WORK OF THE ENEMIES OF AFRICA’S PROGRESS.
HAPPILY, discerning Ghanaians have come to recognise and appreciate the GOOD IN THE WORKS OF Dr Kwame Nkrumah which his ENEMIES paid money to some USELESS Ghanaians to denigrate and rubbish.
My dear Tanzanian brothers and sisters, do NOT GIVE IN TO THE UTTERLY USELESS AND DUBIOUS PROPAGANDA THAT THE WEST WILL THROW AT YOU, ABOUT OUR BROTHER President Magufuli……..and, there will be MUCH ANTI-Magufuli MISINFORMATION, too.
The one thing that should gladden our hearts, as Pan-Africanists, is that, THE PROGRESSIVE SOCIAL AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES OF Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who was VILLIFIED, and President Magufuli, who The ELSIES OF TANZANIA would villify, HAVE STAYED, AND WILL STAY, FOREVER, for THE BENEFIT OF AFRICA AND AFRICANS!!!
An interesting piece to read. You seem to be pushing an idea that Magu was anti women. That doesn’t square very well with the fact that he chose a woman as a running mate, twice.
Mine has also been deleted. Says a lot about this platform.
It is really sad that you are one of those who speak on the backs of dead persons! If you think John was as you want to display him, look at the people who loved him after he had died! This alone, to a mature and person of integrity, is enough evidence that the people he was leading loved him so much. Your assignment is that being against all of these majority feelings puts you at the edge as a sadistic human being. It seems you did not like how he led the country, however, most Tanzanians did!. Why cant you and of course all of your type let those who serve Tanzanians with integrity do their job?
My message to you is ‘Tanzania is greater than a few persons who keep distracting others from concentrating on building this great nation’.
This is a fantastic piece! Really captures the conflicted legacy of Magufuli and his anti climatic demise.
YOU WERE JUST WRONG ABOUT HIM SIS …
This is the second negative write up I would read of Magafuli, after his death which, rather than diminish his status, I would say, proves he was incredibly successful as president. I used to wonder what it was about him, but I now know better. A man with conviction bent on transforming his country, there’s simply no way to go about it… revolution is the word. Those who link his demise to COVID simply for his stance against the disease simply may not be able to prove such claim. Enough of the gloating as every mortal, need I remind his adversaries, has a date with destiny. It bears repeating that what matters in life is not how long one lived but how well. Magafuli did his best before bowing to fate. What are his adversaries doing with theirs?
Africa needs many more Magafulis at the highest level of leadership. May the good Lord forgive his sins and grant him eternal rest
the article has been written by a person who understands nothing about Tanzania. Activists can speak as they wish, they know why! But for the majority in the country, it is a loss we cannot afford. he steered us in the right direction where everybody will enjoy the cake of this nation not people like you who enjoys the siphoning of the money for your own interest
Wow. I just love the writing style. Wow.
Thanks Elsie. I notice all the negative comments are from men. Here’s one man who agrees with everything you said.
Dear Elsie,
I think we – the educated, well informed people – tend to forget that to a simple mwananchi, democracy, freedom of speech, and such aren’t basic needs. Look at Rwanda, how many outsiders criticize the government saying that it’s a dictatorship? But have they spoken to the Rwandans living in Rwanda? Have they seen how much development and positive transformation Kagame has brought? I have Rwandan friends who love Kagame and no critic can tell them anything about him. Magufuli was not anti-democracy; he just believed that democracy should not be defined by Western standards. In fact, there is no perfect democracy, not even in the West. Do you know how many blacks died under Obama’s watch and are still dying today in the US? And don’t get me started on the deaths due to gun violence. Do you call that a democracy? Does it mean it was Obama’s fault? NO. I love Obama. He had the best interests for his country.
As a woman, I was not happy with the ban on allowing pregnant girls to continue with studies. I despised some of his public comments on women. But calling him a misogynist is an exaggeration. If that was the case, how would he have selected a female Vice President and helped widows get their rights? Widows who are devastated by his death. As a public health professional, I also think we could have handled 2nd wave of covid-19 better. Nonetheless, I supported the use of approved locally available solutions. I was impressed that he did not sit and wait for a solution from abroad. He took measures based on what he believed fit the context. So, do these unorthodox approaches completely erase his good deeds and how he positively transformed the country through his strong work ethic, anti-corruption measures, investment in infrastructure and health facilities, and above all patriotism and pan-Africanism? NO. Magufuli gave us hope. He believed that we, Tanzanians and Africans, are rich and made efforts to prove that. Meanwhile, what do other leaders say to their people? Most tell them what they want to hear; they want to be “politically correct” as Prof. PLO Lumumba would say. What do other leaders do? Most do things so that the west doesn’t bite them. Magufuli was rarely politically correct and did the opposite of what the west, and even some of his fellow Tanzanians, expected. Whatever he did – good or bad – he did not for his own benefit, but for Tanzanians, for Africans. His “WHY” was strong but the “HOW” worked for some but not others.
A friend once told me that as much as we complain that the western media plays a big role in distorting the image of African countries, we, Africans, contribute to that distortion, and it is up to us to write our own story. Indeed, death has robbed us of what Tanzania and Africa might have become.
For people who seem to advocate for freedom of speech and encouraging governments to embrace criticism, the fact that you have chosen to delete/not approve my comment, twice, because I have different views about Magufuli shows how you don’t walk the talk. You first deleted Benjamin Bam’s post. A friend of mine also posted a comment and you deleted it, twice. It makes me wonder how many more you have deleted and what agenda you are trying to push, wanting people to only read your narrative. I won’t be surprised if you don’t approve this one too.
This is a very good piece. Thank you for reminding Africa and the World who John was.
@Benjamin Bam…you are a perfect example of Chauvinism, disrespect and asinine masculinity that the world does not need now..
You subscribe to the character Elsie has written and its deplorable..Please sanitize and purify your though process.. Evryone has a right to be heard to disagreeing to speak but respectfully so
President John Pombe Maguli, had PhD in Chemistry. He was perhaps the most learned president in Tanzania. The son of a peasant farmer who rose in public service to becoming the 5th President of former Tanganyika was an inspiration to his countrymen and people of Chato. But why he strongly believed in concoctions and spiritual world notwithstanding his science background is a debate that will go on for years to come. At 61, he still had lots of life ahead of him both as a president and as a senior citizen. But Magufuli is now dead and lying in the cold. It’s saddening.
On April 12, 1633, the physicists Galileo Galilei was charged of heresy by the Catholic Church for pronouncing that the Earth was spherical. Apparently the church held the orthodox believe that the Earth was the immovable centre of the universe and that the sun instead moved round the Earth. Can you imagine? Years later, Galileo is vindicated and set free. The church had proved that the Earth is indeed round and orbits the sun. The Greek philosophers Pathagoras, Plato and Aristotle were all hated by flat earth society for their convictions that the Earth was sphere-shaped. Plato was even stoned. Today, overwhelming evidence show that the Earth is truly spherical and circles the sun. So why all this hullabaloo?
Methinks, there is something fundamentally wrong with religion. Especially religious fanaticism. And by the away, there are so many religious beliefs from Hindu, to Christianity to Islam. It’s unrealistic to explain the natural world through superstitions/spiritual world when it can be explained through science. Science uses logic, observations and empirical data while religion uses faith. Faith is not knowledge. Yaani Imani sio maarifa. The missionaries who brought Christianity for instance are tired preaching conformist religious doctrines and are now retreating to secular world. The real world. Nonspiritual world. I am certain President Magufuli would be a live today had he embraced science. There are conspiracy theories that Magufuli died of Heart attack or Assassinations by western powers. That is not true. John Pombe Magufuli died of Covid-19. Period. Even in death religion refuses to accept truth. Aiiiiiiiii! But let’s re-examine Magufuli for a moment.
Magufuli was a true African. But not a Pan Africanist. He was patriot who loved Tanzania to death. He spend most of his time with farmers, students and ordinary citizens in his many “visit the people tours”. He spend most of his hours listening to grievances from the poor and oppressed and fixing them instantly. Tanzanians loved calling him Chuma. Meaning he was indestructible.
But besides his courage Magufuli was always sentimental to the underprivileged. In many occasions, he could be seen wiping his tears, as he listened to poor women narrate their pain amidst cries. That was Magufuli. He was a staunch believer in God. He would always encourage his followers to put God first, and in all their plans, and that God will never forsake them. He never stopped praying.
But amidst prayers, he watched his close friends and senior countrymen die one by one due to covid-19. He even went public about his sons’ health who at the time had flu-like symptoms (Corona) but got healed by drinking concoctions. In his last days, Magufuli moved from one hospital to another seeking treatment but it was too late. Covid-19 had eaten Magufuli inside out. Nairobi and India had little to do. His death has torn Tanzanians down the middle. One man asked, “Why did God whom Magufuli prayed from morning to evening, day and night allow him to die?” Why? Why?
Now, let me tell you the truth, nothing explains reality and the natural world like science. Everything you see around you is as a result of science and technology. From phones, to TVs, to laser beam, to x-rays, city scans and MRI machines just to mention but a few. Science has and continuous to shape the progress and survival of mankind. Today you visit the hospital and MRI scan can reveal any fracture however microscopic in your body. Today we have planes in the sky that can connect us to any part of the globe for business, research and emergencies. Today we have satellites helping us to communicate, improve our farming techniques, weather focus, conduct evacuations and observe our wildlife and human activities on our planet. Science has revolutionaries everything. Look at the medical field for instance. Drugs are now extending life opportunities and longevity to people living with terminal illness such as AIDS, cancer and diabetes. Without science we would be nowhere. Think about the internet, it has aided growth of enterprise, communications and regional integrations. Electricity is lighting up our cities, and villages and powering up our factories creating jobs to millions of people around the world. Is this not amazing? The quality of life today has increased than it was four, five decades ago. Millions of people have been uplifted from poverty because of science and technology.
Evidence shows that societies which defy science are poor and backward. China, India and developed countries have driven their economic engines using science and technology. Today they distribute aid to many African counties which are mostly religious. Our planet earth may not satisfactory sustain life due to ballooning human population, climate change and whizzing asteroids. It’s through science that we are exploring the universe to tap available resources in outer space for our common good.
In my view, religion drove Magufuli Mad. Like Okonkwo in things fall apart, it was the worst year in living memory. He had become an extremist. First Magufuli openly rejected the existence of Covid-19 and rebuked nuns who wore masks in church. He freely mingled with Tanzanians both infected and not infected and presided over many corona deaths. He took pawpaw juice, mangoes and all sorts of fruits in the laboratories for Covid-tests when what was expected was blood samples. He stifled democracy in Tanzania, jailing or killing anybody with contrary opinion. On top of his voice he laughed at the East African Nations with lockdowns and wished them to starve or buy Tanzanians products at a higher price. Kenya suffered the most with its trucks not allowed to enter Tanzania. He told the western countries to their faces to leave Tanzanians alone. He (Magufuli) had become a conundrum. Today, he dies from the very diseases he refused to acknowledge.
So what should Tanzanians do? First is to pick the noble things from Magufulis leadership and flatly drop the retrogressive ones. Above all, they should forgive Magufuli for the bad things that happened under his watch. Tanzanians should now wear masks, observe social distance and wash their hands with clean water. Tanzania should open up their country, allow foreign investors and accept that they live in a global society. They should promote internal democracy and create space for divergent views and allow refugees to return back to their country. And most importantly, they need to promote science in all their religious teachings in the morning, in the evening, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Let them appreciate that the earth is spherical and the future can only be shaped by technology.
In closing, religion is not bad. Every individual or group of people subscribe to some form of religious believes. Religion is personal. Just as it is to God. The problem is when religion competes science or when religion wants to explain the physical world using faith, believes and spirits. People should be allowed to believe in anything they chose to, but they should embrace science as the saviour of mankind. There is a lot of space exploration now in the Mars and other planets in our Milky Way galaxy and in a few decade to come, we would have found extra-terrestrial intelligence. At this point, we will put an end to extreme religious cults and uplift millions of people trapped in an ever ending traditional religious believes. It will be freedom at last.
I have proven that you only post comments that support your agenda, except for Benjamin’s which you likely accepted so readers see at least one critic. I bet you have received many comments, which you deleted/didn’t approve because they didn’t support your narrative. You are not true journalists. If you were brave enough, you would at least email with reasons for deleting/not approving comments. Just know that even if you won’t post this one too, my message to you has been delivered. Ciao.
Let him that has no sin throw the first stone….he was human after all with his faults like all of us but had the best in his heart for Tanzania and one could sense a country with a clear direction. Nit picking and rubbing soothing balm to make it look like you are not biased is palpable and does no one any good..
Elsie, wow. Your writing is amazing. This article is so so so good.
It’s weird that I’m afraid to share it in any of the Tanzania / Zanzibar Facebook groups because I will be shredded to pieces by most people who now want to see Magufuli as a saint – it seems to be a Tanzanian tradition not to speak bad about someone deceased.
As for the Wazungu here (in Zanzibar), many came because they believe in conspiracies and think he was killed by the ‘vaccination mafia’, which they suppose is Bill Gates and the WHO and the Rockefellers and whatnot. For them, the most important aspect seems to be that JPM denied Covid and allowed them to enter untested, maskless.
Even I had quite some problems with the recent politics of JPM, especially the freedom of speech, misogyny, adversity to family planning, high taxation.
But even I could not avoid shedding some tears when I saw videos of the funeral processions.
I am a weak, foolish woman too, and he was indeed an icon, this remarkable bulldozer.
But now Mama Samia – a woman! A Zanzibari! A muslima! It is so exciting and I’m curious how she will do in office.
OK, I’m ranting. Most of all, I want to let you know that you are a wonderful writer and thinker, and if your blog should be up and running again, then I want to read more from you. In fact, I just found it and will spend some time with the older entries.
All the best to you, greetings from Kizimkazi,
Jubeljane
Hello there, i am an african and got drawn here by the title of the article. I don’t know much about ex-president Magufuli’s legacy but reading the comments, i would like to encourage Edwin to seek answer on the question: “what does Faith got to do with science?”.
I absolutely recommend that you look up talks on youtube by Oxford Professors John Lennox (Mathematician), Ard Louis (Physicist) and Alister McGrath (Chemistry-background).
I am myself a PhD graduate in the Life Sciences.
Ouhhh wowww! I see alot has been said from Benjamin Bam and Edwin Chemwoiywo and from Elsie the writer and you all make a point…… But all in all despite the faults Magufuli had, he did all he could for our nation Tanzania.. Everyone has flaws and most of The Tanzanians chose him to lead us in believing that he’d move us from a low level to a high development level. The imperfections he had should be corrected by the current president and the perfections he made should also be progressed. Thus we never know the vision he had towards all the decisions that he made… Conclusively all Tanzanians should be grateful for his leadership.
John was a president, and the author of this article, well, is a journalist. Access to WIFI and possession of a computer does not make one qualified in matters of state governance. Just because you can put words next to each other in a coherent manner does not make you equal to a president. He achieved something in his lifetime; he stood up for election and all the headache that come with campaigns and was given the highest office in the land. Have you ever presented yourself for such scrutiny ‘woman’ journalist?
His burial ceremony attracted a score of billions of views worldwide, in all your years of writing have your articles achieved such a feat?
Social media may make it seem that we are all equal, but it is moments such as these that really show us where we belong.
It is too early to say which country has got it right in terms of Covid and lockdown, people are dying of depression and hopelessness, and here was a president stuck with a population majority of who live on daily allowance, are you aware of the plight of your fellow citizens ‘forgiving journalist’?
At best this rant is suited for a Facebook post, nothing to gain from it, you could just as well have gathered your girlfriends for a round of chai and sessions of lamenting.
The guy is dead, incase you missed the then vice-president’s announcement, what else are you going to write about, close shop perhaps?
My giveaway; stop writing, or fire your advisor, whichever works, you are advertising your incompetency to the whole world.
I thank you all for your comments. Go in peace and do good.
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“We attack John, we topicalize what the snoflakes want to hear. We live the world that is far beyond. We hated John, Yes we hated him much. His goods surpass all the nonsense you wrote in your last paragraphs.”
Elsie,
I have to admit, I am fond of your writings…the “John” series had a significant role of connecting us, at least I am pleased with the narration..though I do wish some good writers like you present/prepare a detailed novel backed by open acknowledgements of unheard voices during John’s reign for us to pray and Thanking God for everything.
If your real smart as you have wrote here, you should not ask for forgiveness to The late Magufuli in such a way! The way you addressed this armnesty it show still you have grudge against the bulldozer.
If Democracy to humanity is not important, what’s more important then!!