Miss TZ 2009: Victory beyond wildest dreams
Miss Tanzania 2009 Mariam Gerald waves, in the company of first runner-up Beatrice Lukindo (2nd right), second runner-up Julieth William (2nd left), fourth winner Sylvia Shally (left) and Sia Ndasoki.
Widespread predictions proved accurate when Miss Lake Zone Miriam Gerald Martin, 20, was crowned Vodacom Miss Tanzania 2009 at Mlimani City Hall in Dar es Salaam on Friday night.
Miriam, who many informal judges amongst the fraternity of beauty pageantry enthusiasts had prematurely pronounced the favourite, becomes the second from the Lake Zone to win the title. Her predecessor was Nasreem Karim.
Miriam, who triumphed over 28 other aspirants for the ultimate prize and acknowledgement in beauty glory, also becomes the second Miss Tanzania to answer a question in Kiswahili since the event was introduced in 1994.
The first one was 1994 victor Aina Maeda in 1994. Subsequent winners in the interim had answered questions in English.
“I am Msukuma by tribe and the first born in the family of three children of Mr and Mrs Gerald Martin. I currently work as customer service officer at Vodacom in Mwanza,” said Miriam, in a brief phone interview yesterday.
The newly crowned beauty queen pursued her A level studies at Sakasa Secondary School before advancing to Taqwa High School — both in Mwanza.
Miriam’s victory automatically thrusts unto her, an ambassadorial role of representing Tanzania in the Miss World to be staged in South Africa later this year.
For starters, however, her economic fortunes have been brightened up considerably, through an award of a Suzuki Vitara worth Sh53m and Sh9m in cash donated by Vodacom Tanzania.
“I am very happy to win this title, which, much as I was earnestly dreaming of, seemed a far-fetched dream. I feared Miss Ilala contestants mostly,” said Miriam who was also awarded Sh1m for winning Redd’s Miss Photogenic Award.
Miss Higher Learning Beatrice (20) and Julieth William (19) of Ilala’s Tabata finished first and second runners-up, respectively.
Miss Ilala Sylvia Shally (19) emerged fourth while Temeke’s Sia Ndasoki (19) was fifth.
Beatrice was awarded Sh6m, Julieth Sh4m Sylvia Sh3m and Sia Sh2m. Others who entered top ten were awarded Sh1.4m each while the rest received Sh700,000 each.
Those who entered in top 10 are Susan Emamanuel (Northern Zone), Ivony Bigirwa (Kinondoni), Gladis Shao (Ilala), Evelyne Gamasa (Ilala) and Sandra Mabakka (Kinondoni).
Sia Ndosaki of Temeke was awarded prizes worth Sh3.3m for winning Miss Domestic Tourism Award while Tory Oscar of Eastern Zone was awarded Sh500,000 for winning Miss Talent.
What impressed fans mostly was when the contestants used songs of the late Michael Jackson in the opening show. They mixed the beats of the songs Smooth Criminal and Bad to make fans crazy.
The event was colured by top local singers such as Wanne Star, Fid Q, Matonya, Mzee Zahir Zorro, Marlow, Ali Kiba, Barnabas and a hip hop group Wissel and Radio from Uganda.
Over 500 Burundi refugees sent home
BY EDWIN AGOLA
5th October 2009
A total of 537 Burundian refugees from Katumba settlement in Mpanda, Rukwa Region were on Friday repatriated to Burundi.
The refugees voluntarily opted to go back home after they lived in Katumba for 37 years. They fled their country in 1972 to escape persecution.
“Home is home, although some of us were born here and have known Tanzania as our first country we have decided to go back home,” said Erisebo Etero, one of the refugees.
It was a somber mood at Katumba departure centre as local residents went to witness the final vetting of Burundian refugees.
Swedish Ambassador to Tanzania Staffan Herrstrom and his Japanese counterpart Hiroshi Nakagawa led the diplomatic corps in witnessing the departure of Burundi refugees.
Briefing journalists shortly after the departure, Swedish envoy said their impression on Tanzania government is commendable and crucial though the durable solutions were implemented by the United Nations High Commission for refugees (UNHCR).
About 43,771 applicants from Tabora refugee camps applied for citizenship but only 3,568 have been naturalized. In Rukwa there were 117,760 applicants but only 8,698 have been granted citizenship.
UNHCR is implementing imperative pillar in durable solutions by trying to address the short and medium term needs of the newly naturalized Tanzanians thus playing a catalytic role in supporting the efforts of the government in ensuring final socio-economic integration of its new citizens.
Over 45,500 refugees registered for repatriation in 2007 and by September 30, 2009 over 51,000 people were returned to Burundi.
UNHCR expects repatriation from old settlements to be concluded by the end of this month.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN |
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Nyerere`s legacy a treasure-Kikwete
President forced to take unscheduled short rest in Mwanza linked to fatigue
Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
President Jakaya Kikwete has showered Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s legacy with praise and lashed out at people challenging it and ridiculing the relevance and very credibility of Tanzania’s independence.
He made the remarks to that end here on Saturday evening when seeing off ruling CCM youths who were setting on a special Solidarity Walk from Mwanza to Mwalimu Nyerere’s home village of Butiama in Mara Region.
The walk, whose theme this year is Uhuru na Kazi (Freedom and Work), forms part of Nyerere Day – which this year marks the tenth anniversary of the founding President’s death in a London hospital on October 14, 1999. It also revives memories of Mwalimu’s own 1967 historic march of some 200km on the same route in support of the Arusha Declaration, then regarded as the blueprint for Tanzania’s path to socialism.
President Kikwete said the legacy was a treasure that rested on three solid pillars which Mwalimu was instrumental in championing, building and consolidating throughout his leadership - freedom, national unity and national efforts to help Tanzanians lead meaningful lives.
“Independence doesn’t mean protecting country’s boundaries alone. It’s about our respect and dignity as a nation,” he said, adding: “Some people in our midst cheer as foreigners show disrespect to these national assets. We have the duty of ensuring that nobody shows discredits, despises or ridicules our independence.”
Elaborating on the need for Tanzanians to uphold Mwalimu’s legacy, the president said: “Americans have got (their first president) George Washington…We have got Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere…All nations have their founding leaders whom they revere and remember for the values those leaders stood for.”
He said Mwalimu elected to join politics, which was risky and had so many uncertainties those days, “while he could easily have chosen to continue with his white-collar teaching job which was paying him handsomely”.
President Kikwete also recalled how, as Commander-in-Chief, Mwalimu played a pivotal role in leading Tanzanian troops into toppling Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime in 1978/79.
Mwalimu had earlier worked hard for long years to ensure that the country’s political independence gained in 1961 provided a strong foundation for national unity, he added.
He further recalled how Mwalimu kept insisting that Tanzania’s independence would be meaningless if wananchi continued to languish in poverty, diseases and illiteracy and if any part of the rest of Africa remained under foreign rule.
“He (Mwalimu) said independence from colonial rule would mean something to the Tanzanian people only if their well-being improved. That’s why he said fighting poverty, diseases and illiteracy was of paramount importance,” noted the president.
A total of 166 youths from all 21 Mainland and five Zanzibar regions are taking part in the walk, which is scheduled to run for 10 days.
Meanwhile, President Kikwete was yesterday forced to take an unscheduled short rest in CCM Kirumba Stadium’s VIP rooms in Mwanza which a State House press statement said was necessitated by “fatigue”.
He was chief guest at a ceremony that was part of the African Inland Church’s centenary celebrations and took the breather shortly after delivering his speech.
But only moments later, a buoyant President Kikwete was back at the VIP dais amid deafening cheers, declaring: “I have regained my strength…I therefore take this opportunity to launch the fund-raiser for your church by contributing 1,000,000/-.”
The State House explained that the president had just returned from the US, where he attended the UN General Assembly. He had also been to Arusha, where he opened the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference.
In a further note, the president’s private office said it would work on his work schedule as appropriate to relieve him of some duties, despite his being fond of working hard and making frequent “meet the people” tours.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN |
