Tanzania

TANZANIA Brittany Adams

The United Republic of Tanzania, or more commonly known as Tanzania, is a country in central east Africa that shares a border with Kenya and Uganda to the north, and Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to the south. The United Republic of Tanzania was formed out of the union of two sovereign states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Tanganyika became independent on December 9, 1961 while Zanzibar became independent on December 19, 1963. The two united on April 26, 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar that was then renamed United Republic of Tanzania on October 29, 1964.

Lying just south of the equator, Tanzania is East Africa's largest country and a rewarding place to visit. Tanzania has world-famous attractions such as the plains of the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest mountain). There are twenty-one regions that make up Tanzania and it has a population of about 39.5 million people; the population consisting of people from about 120 different tribes, each with its own language. However, Kiswahili is spoken by all tribes and is the national language as well as the main language of official communication while English is the second official language. Christianity and Islam are the main religions practised by more than 90 percent of the population.



**Full name:** United Republic of Tanzania **Capital:** Dodoma (official), Dar es Salaam (commercial) **Largest city:** Dar es Salaam **Area:** 945,087 sq km (364,900 sq miles) **Major languages:** English, Swahili **Major religions:** Christianity, Islam **Main exports:** Cloves, coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals, tobacco

George Lilanga (1934-2005) "The Picasso of Africa"

George Lilanga, also known as the “Picasso of Africa”, was one of Tanzania’s best-known artists. He was born in 1934 in Kikwetu, a village in southern Tanzania and was apart of the Makonde tribe. Like many Makonde children he learned to carve at an early age on soft cassava root and soon advanced to hard black wood. Lilanga later moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and joined a group of carvers to continue his artistic skill.

The major step in George Lilanga’s career came in 1978 when a group showcase in Washington D.C featured 100 pieces of his work. From then on his art has been highly sought after internationally with continuous showcasing in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. Lilanga works in the mediums of sculpture, painting, drawing, and printmaking. His works are derived from the myths of the Makonde culture. The Makonde believe their ancestors, spirits, and the powers of nature play an important role in maintaining them through a turbulent universe and many of his works resemble these ancestral and mythological stories. He expresses this culture through bright colors and striking cartoon-like images. His work is astounding and even after his death in June of 2005, Lilanga leaves his mark as one of the most distinguished representatives of contemporary African art.



Tanzania House of Talent (THT)

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Founded in January of 2006, Tanzania House of Talent (THT) is a platform for talented young people, many of them orphans and vulnerable children. These artists use their talents to improve their futures and their livelihoods through music, dance and theatre.

THT is the only performing arts centre in Tanzania that supports talented youth regardless of their social, economic or educational background. THT has the nation’s best dance group and supports a number of vocalists and musicians including Mwasiti, Marlow, Barnabas & Amini, who are now household names in Tanzania.

Education Overview Tanzania realizes that quality education is the pillar of national development, for it is through education that the nation obtains skilled manpower to serve in various areas within the nation’s economy. It is through quality education Tanzania will be able to create a strong and competitive economy that can effectively cope with the challenges of development and also easily and confidently adapt to the changing market and technological conditions in the region and global economy.

The structure of the formal education and training system in Tanzania consists of 2 years of pre-primary education, 7 years of primary education, 4 years of Junior Secondary (ordinary Level), 2 years of Senior Secondary (Advanced Level) and up to 3 or more years of Tertiary Education. Specifically, the education system has three levels: Basic, Secondary and Tertiary Levels. Basic or first level education includes pre-primary, primary and non-formal adult education. Secondary or second level education has Ordinary and Advanced level of secondary schooling while Tertiary or third level includes programs and courses offered by non-higher and higher education institutions.

Teacher Education Programs __Tanzania Institute of Education__ The Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) is a organization under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MOEVT) charged with the responsibility of ensuring the quality of education in Tanzania at the pre-school, primary, secondary, and teacher training levels.TIE was established in 1964 as part of the University of Dar es Salaam. In 1975 it was established as an independent institution, and was later renamed "Institute of Curriculum Development". In 1993 the name was changed again to Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE).

__School Improvement Programs__ School Improvement Programs (SIP), launched during the 1990s, strengthen the quality of teaching and resources in Tanzania, as well as Kenya and Uganda. Teachers benefit from the training workshops and resource centers set up under these programs. SIPs are helping teachers to teach more creatively and helping children to learn faster through the introduction of “child-centered activities”. They involve working hand in hand with governments while involving parents and communities in management. This in turn makes schools more efficient, effective and sustainable.

Funding

When researching Tanzania there was little information on arts integration let alone funding for arts programs. Art plays a major role in Tanzania and it is an important part of the culture and traditions. Education is also highly valued within Tanzania and the government is keen on enhancing the learning, education, enrollment, and advancement of the students. However, arts integration and funding within the educational system are quite different.

Millions of dollars go into improving the school systems and providing adequate training for teachers. The educational system’s focus is to provide adequate facilities and infrastructure, increase competency, and increase professional development; therefore arts integration falls at the bottom of the list. The main concern is to heighten students in core subjects such as reading, writing, math and science, and art is irrelevant or not a priority. Therefore, arts integration in Tanzania’s educational system is scarce or even non-existent. However, there are schools that specialize in the arts, such as the School of Art Bagamoyo, but these schools are set aside specifically for training and applying the arts.

The School of Art Bagamoyo Founded in 1981, School of Art Bagamoyo is one of the few national art schools in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of the few devoted specifically to preserving traditional cultures. Students who study here, many without artistic training, take courses in traditional music, dance, theater and acrobatics, as well as costume design, lighting, English and Swahili.

Conclusion Tanzania’s educational system is completely different form what I know in the United States. Unlike the K-12 grade levels in the US, Tanzania has Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary learning levels. I am also surprised that there are few arts integration or art programs within the school system. Since the arts plays such a major role in the culture and history of Tanzania, it was unexpected that there is such a lack of it in schools. I also expected some funding to go towards the arts however, funding is mainly towards core academics. In the US there is an immense amount of funding towards the arts, arts integration, and programs within schools and the communities, therefore I was taken back by the scarcity of it in Tanzania. However, in my research I enjoyed learning about the culture and feel of Tanzania. It is an intriguing country with customs, traditions, arts and heritage that are phenomenal.

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