Friday, 26 September 2014

Summary of the third day and general training on Internet Journalism

The training on day three regarding internet journalism was very interesting especially on the research assignment that required us to write a story from internet sources. However, generally speaking, the whole training was practical and very relevant to us as journalism lecturers

We liked most of the practical parts of the training such as opening blogs, research on internet for story writing and so forth.

What we didn’t like was that time for training was simply too short. We hope next time such kind of training shall be extended longer.

For our research assignment was done by reading various internet sources in the internet about our subject matter. We focused on our most interesting tips of which we extended by using our own words, but also including the relevant links which would help a reader to get more information.

It shall be quite helpful in our teaching activities especially in journalistic research when we assign them to do various tasks via internet sources. Also, by learning how to open blogs may help us to open some that might be used for academic/class purposes.






Kansiime: The Ninja Girl without Karate idea



She has made a history in Uganda for being invited by the United Nation (UN) to participate in a special task of film making. She is a leading celebrity in Uganda with hundreds of followers in social media. That makes another history for her as a comedian to lead musicians in the list of top celebrities. This year, she was crowned an Airtel woman of Substance award. She is not other than Anne Kansiime alias known as ‘Ninja Girl’.

Kansiime is popular not only in Uganda, but also in different countries within Africa and Europe. Her talent in stand-up comedy and hundreds of her video clips uploaded in social networks made her among the most known girls in East Africa.

She was born 27 years ago in a small town of Kabale, Western Uganda and graduated her Bachelor of Social Science from Makerere University in her home country, Uganda. Kansiime started her career in stand-up comedy seven years ago and from there, she concentrated much in comedies and not in what she learnt in Makerere. 

It was early this week when her manager Johnson Mujungu announced that Kansiime has been invited by the United Nations to participate in making a film titled ‘It’s a Girl Thing’. The film will be produced in the United States of America (USA) and it is the part of United Nations Day of a girl.
This is not the first time for Kansiime to be invited into international performances. She had a tour in Malawi (March 2014), Zambia (July 2014), Tanzania (August 2014) and she is expected to have another performance in Botswana in November this year.

Kansiime is nicknamed ‘Ninja Girl’ due to the habit she usually shows in all of her performances. She looks like a rude, naughty, impolite and quarrelsome girl. She owns a comedy show in Kenya’s famous Citizen TV known as ‘Don’t Mess Up With Kansiime”. This show is among the most popular TV shows in East Africa.

‘Ninja Girl’ Kansiime has been honoredseveral awards. It includes Airtel Women Substance award (2014), Best Comedian (BEFFTA 2013), Best actress (Lagos International festival 2013) and African social award winner in Malaysia, 2013.

This is the Ninja girl Anne Kansiime, a Ugandan comedian who will be in the United Nations very soon to take part in the film ‘It’s a Girl Thing’. Uganda has Anne Kansiime, Kenya has Wanjiku ‘The Teacher’, what about Tanzania?

For a Video, Click here: Anne Kansiime Comedy.

Training Day 2





What was learnt on day two:
Tips for journalistic research through internet
Journalism in the age of internet
Practical tasks in our blog



What we liked:
Tips for research through internet

What we didn't like:
There was no kuku in our meal



Examples of what was learnt:
We used different search engines such Goggle to search different locations such as Mtwara Regional Office, Swedish Embassy in Tanzania etc.


Thursday, 25 September 2014

Training for Online Journalism

About the Training: Day One

Lesson Learnt

1. Importance of internet for communication and fact-finding
2.Statistics on World internet users
3.  Opening and managing blogs.

The interesting part
The task of opening blogs was the most interested part during day one

The weak part of the training
We spend a lot of time in some of the lessons

Concrete examples of what we did
-Opening and posting an article in our weblog: Kichuguuchamkoko.blogspot.com
-Some of the examples learned regarding statistics on world internet users are; Worldwide, Asia is the leading country with the highest number of internet users while in Africa, Nigeria is the leading country and Tunisia is the country with the least number of internet users.





Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Umahiri wa Halima Mdee katika Siasa

Halima Mdee atakapokuwa Kiongozi wa Upinzani 


Naam! Haya ninayosema yanaweza kuonekana kama ndoto kwa wengine, lakini kwangu mie ni faraja kubwa na mwanzo wa nuru mpya katika siasa za Tanzania. Itakapofika siku hii, Tanzania itaandika historia nyingine mpya katika kuelekea kwenye demokrasia ya kweli. Ni siku ambayo siasa za Tanzania zitapata wokovu mpya. Naam, hii ni siku Halima Mdee, mbunge mwanamke na kijana toka jimbo la Kawe,  atakapochaguliwa kuwa Kiongozi wa kambi rasmi ya upinzani bungeni.
Naamini kwa baadhi ya wasomaji wangu bado hawajaelewana vema ni nini ninachokimaanisha kwa kauli yangu hii. Bila shaka unaweza kudhani nimetoa fumbo Fulani hapa. Lakini nakuhakikishia hakuna fumbo. Ni nini basi kimenisukuma kuandika haya kwenye ukurasa huu leo? Ngoja nikueleze.
Alhamisi ijayo, yaani Oktoba 27, chama kikuu cha upinzani nchini Afrika Kusini kiitwacho Democratic Alliance (DA), kitafanya uchaguzi wa kiongozi wa kambi rasmi ya upinzani bungeni. Wanaowania nafasi hiyo ni wawili; Bw. Athol Trollip (47) pamoja na Bi. Lindiwe Mazibuko (31).
Bw Trollip ambaye ni mzungu, ndie kiongozi wa sasa wa kambi ya upinzani bungeni anayemaliza muda wake, na amekuwa katika nafasi hiyo tangu mwaka 2009. Pia ni kiongozi wa DA katika jimbo ya Eastern Cape, jimbo ambali linashika nafasi ya pili kwa kukaliwa na wazungu wengi nchini humu. Ni kiongozi anayeheshimika sana ndani ya chama chake na bungeni pia.
Bw. Trollip pia anatajwa kama mtu makini ambaye amekuwa mkosoaji mkubwa wa siasa za Rais Jacob Zuma kwa hoja zenye mantiki na sio bla bla. Amekuwa akichukuliwa  na wafuasi wa DA ambao ni weuzi, kama mtu anayeweza kuleta mabadiliko ndani ya chama. Hizi ndizo sifa kubwa za Bw. Trollip katika safari yake ya kutetea kiti chake cha uongozi wa kambi ya upinzani bungeni hapa Afrika Kusini.
Kwa upande wake Lindiwe ni binti ambaye ni machachari katika siasa za nchini humu. Ameingia bungeni mwaka 2009 akitokea jimbo la Kwa Zulu Natal, jimbo ambalo lina mchanganyiko wa weusi wengi pamoja na weupe katika maeneo ya mijini kama Durban na miji mingine. Lindiwe ni mmoja kati ya wabunge wanne wenye umri mdogo kuliko wabunge wengine wote katika bunge la Afrika Kusini.  
Kwa sasa Lindiwe ndie msemaji mkuu wa chama cha DA. Amepewa nafasi hii ya usemaji wa chama kutokana na upeo wake mkubwa wa kuchanganua mambo kwa hoja zilizojengeka, kujiamini kwake, na umakini mkubwa katika kujieleza. Pamoja na umri wake mdogo, Lindiwe ni msichana anayejiamini na kusimama kidete na bila uoga kuitetea hoja yoyote anayoona ina maslahi kwa taifa na wananchi kwa ujumla.
Katika uchaguzi wa serikali za mitaa uliofanyika Mei 18 mwaka huu, mabango ya chama cha DA nchini kote yalipambwa zaidi na picha za Lindiwe, kiongozi wa DA Bi. Hellen Zille pamoja na Meya wa jiji la Cape Town mwanamama Patricia De Lille. Akinamama hawa watatu ni kama roho ya DA kwa sasa na wana ushawishi mkubwa katika kambi ya upinzani kuliko ushawishi walio nao wanaume.
Wabunge hawa wawili wa chama hiki kikuu cha upinzani (ambacho daima nakifananisha na CHADEMA), ndio watakaokabana koo alhamisi ambapo mmoja wao ndie atachukua jahazi la kuwa kiongozi wa kambi rasmi ya upinzani bungeni. Kampeni kali zinaendelea hivi sasa katika kutafuta ushawishi na uungwaji mkono katika uchaguzi huo.
Hata hivyo, Lindiwe, binti toka kabila la wazulu, anaonekana kuwa na ushawishi mkubwa na kuwa na nafasi kubwa ya kuibuka kidedea katika uchaguzi huo. Hii ni kutokana na ukweli kwamba, hadi sasa majimbo matatu ya Kwa Zulu Natal, Limpopo na Mpumalanga, tayari yametangaza rasmi kumuunga mkono binti huyu katika uchaguzi huo kati ya majimbo tisa yaliyopo nchini humu.
Mbali na kuungwa mkono na wabunge wanaotoka katika majimbo haya, Lindiwe anapigiwa chapuo kubwa na kiongozi mkuu wa DA Helen Zille, na ukaribu wake na kiongozi huyo, unaweza kuwa moja ya kigezo cha kumfanya ashinde kirahisi nafasi hiyo nyeti katika siasa za Afrika Kusini.
Hata hivyo ukaribu wake na Zille pia unatumiwa kama kigezo na wapinzani wake kwamba atakuwa kibaraka wa kiongozi huyo mzungu wa DA katika uongozi wake ndani ya bunge. Mbali na sababu hiyo, umri wake mdogo unatumika pia kumuona kama binti ambaye hajakomaa ipasavyo katika ulingo wa siasa kuweza kupambana na wakongwe waliosheheni ndani ya chama tawala ANC.
Lindiwe amekuwa akipambana na vikwazo hivyo, na bado ushawishi alionao hata kwa wabunge wenzie 82 wa DA, unampa matumaini makubwa ya kutwaa nafasi hiyo. Si yeye tu, bali hata wadadisi wa maswala ya siasa nchini humu, wana matarajio makubwa kuwa Lindiwe ndie atakayetwaa nafasi hiyo na hivyo kuanza kwa mabadiliko ndani ya chama, na kuondoa ile dhana kwamba chama hicho cha upinzani ni cha wazungu, propaganda inayoshabikiana na ile inayodai kuwa CHADEMA ni chama cha watu wa kaskazini.
Ukweli ulio wazi ni kwamba mchuano ni mkali na lolote laweza kutokea. Itakapotokea Lindiwe amechaguliwa kuwa kiongozi wa kambi ya upinzani katika bunge la Afrika Kusini, itakuwa ni historia ya aina yake. Kwanza atakuwa ni kijana mdogo kuwahi kuongoza kambi ya upinzani ndani ya bunge, na pia binti mdogo kuwahi kushika wadhifa huo.
Nimeamua kulinganisha umahiri alionao Lindiwe na ule alionao Halima Mdee, mbunge wa Kawe kupitia CHADEMA. Halima ni mmoja wa wabunge wanawake vijana na wanaojiamini ukilinganisha na wengine iwe ni katika chama tawala ama katika kambi ya upinzani.
Halima Mdee ni mbunge ambaye yuko tayari kutetea hoja yake kwa hali na mali bila kuogopa ama kumuonea mtu haya. Kana kwamba haitoshi, Mdee ni mbunge makini, hakurupuki, hujua namna bora kupanga hoja zake na kuzitetea. Na zaidi ya yote, huyu ni mbunge asiyetegemea kubebwa na ndio maana aliamua kwenda kupigana jimboni kuwania ubunge badala ya kutegemea tena viti maalum.
Kama ilivyo kwa Lindiwe, Halima Mdee ni mbunge msomi pia. Licha ya kuhitimu shahada yake ya kwanza katika Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es salam, Mdee alikuja hapa Afrika Kusini kwa masomo zaidi. Hali hii imempanua mawazo zaidi katika ujengaji na utetezi wa hoja zake, na haikuwa ajabu pale wananchi wa Kawe walipoamua kumpa kura nyingi katika uchaguzi mkuu mwaka jana.
Ni kutokana na sifa hizi, na kutokana na kufanana kwake kwa kiasi kikubwa na Lindiwe Mazibuko wa DA, ndio maana nimeeleza hapo mwanzo kuwa natamani sana kumuona Halima Mdee akiwa kiongozi wa kambi ya upinzani bungeni. Uongozi wake utaleta changamoto za aina mbalimbali katika demokrasia yetu na siasa zetu za Tanzania. Kwanza naamini si mtu wa kubebwa, sio mwoga, sio mbabaishaji, sio mnafiki, ni mjuzi katika kujenga na kutetea hoja, na zaidi ya yote ni mwanadada anayechipukia katika siasa za Tanzania.
Ninachojiuliza sana ni kwamba, je, demokrasia hiyo ya kukubali mtu kama Halima Mdee kuwa kiongozi wa kambi ya upinzani bungeni, na wabunge kama Zitto Kabwe, Tundu Lissu, Freeman Mbowe na wengineo kuwa chini ya uongozi wake tunayo kweli katika vyama vyetu vya siasa? Nauliza tu!