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December 9, 2011

Tanzania Celebrates 50 Years of Independence

-Miaka 501 300x262 Tanzania Celebrates 50 Years of Independence

Tanzanians are proudly celebrating 50 years of independence today.

After several decades, Tanganyika gained its independence from Britain to become The United Republic of Tanzania. Julius Nyerere, known as Baba wa Taifa (Father of the Nation), was influential in uniting much of the country by advocating for peaceful change, social equality and racial harmony. With the help of his efforts, Tanganyika became a republic on December 9, 1961.  In 1964, Zanzibar followed and the two nations unified to form the United Republic of Tanzania with Nyerere as its first president.

A host of independence day celebrations are planned throughout the country including a weekend-long festival and a grand celebration at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Another celebration, The Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb, kicked off several days ago when 200 climbers, dispersed across four different routes on Kilimanjaro, began their ascent carrying the Uhuru Torch. The climbers converge at the summit today where they will reenact a  symbolic torch lighting from 50 years ago.

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December 7, 2011

FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

before after FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

Focus on Tanzanian Communities (FoTZC), our non-profit arm specializing in community-based projects, recently completed the construction of a kitchen with high-efficiency stoves at Robanda Primary School, which is located just outside Serengeti National Park.

quote FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

Prior to the stove installation, the kitchen staff had to rely on the inefficiency of cooking on an open fire as well as depending on the students to supply bundles of firewood each week.

Yohana Makongo, headmaster at Robanda Primary, told our staff that "thanks to Focus on Tanzanian Communities, the kitchen has been completed and it is wonderful. Our students, teachers, and staff are very excited about using this facility as it will help us very much. Giving students nutritious meals is so critical for learning."

The benefits of the new kitchen and the stoves are three-fold: food preparation is more efficient, the children can focus on their studies instead of gathering wood and the amount of wood culled from the surrounding area is decreased.

Click thumbnails for larger image

- Fotcz newsletterthumb 11 FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School-

Read about this and more in The Focus, the annual FoTZC newsletter, due to arrive in supporter’s mailboxes this week. Find out how you can become of FoTZC supporter or donate online.

Posted at 7:52 pm in Safari | Permalink | Post a comment

November 21, 2011

Can Wildlife and People Live in Harmony?

Over the past decade, lion expert and conservationist, Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld, has researched declining lion populations throughout Africa due to human encroachment. During a recent TEDx conference, she spoke specifically about the conflict between lions and the Maasai of Tanzania.

Livestock is a sacred and valuable commodity to the Maasai but an easy meal for lions.  The loss of a cow has an immediate impact on the personal wealth and prestige of a herdsman. With so much at stake, the Maasai often engage in retaliatory killings of nearby lions.

Dr. Lichtenfeld believes this activity has contributed greatly to the overall decline in lion populations.

Watch the video below to learn about Living Walls, the innovative fencing enclosure developed by Dr. Lichtenfeld. Her on-ground, non-profit organization works with the Maasai to build these enclosures and educate and empower their communities. Dr. Lichtenfeld says this combination of elements has “transformed warriors fighting wildlife into warriors for wildlife.”

0 Can Wildlife and People Live in Harmony?

Posted at 7:35 am in Safari | Permalink | 1 comment

September 15, 2011

From the Field: Leopard with its Kill

Our guest, Alexandre Birguer, was lucky to be in the right place at the right time for this rare, close-range sighting of Tanzania’s most elusive cat – the leopard – with its kill.

0 From the Field: Leopard with its Kill

As you can see, once a leopard has made a successful kill, they must act quickly to protect it from thieving predators. The scent of this impala has likely already caught the attention of nearby predators such as lions, which are significantly larger than leopards, or a clan of hyenas, which would outnumber and overtake this solitary cat. In order to protect their meal, leopards will drag their kill high into tree branches – an amazing feat of strength and coordination when you consider a full grown impala can weigh over 150 lbs.

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September 14, 2011

New Thomson Catalog!

catalogcover 230x300 New Thomson Catalog!

Our new catalog for the 2012-2013 season is hot off the presses!
Call us for your copy today!

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September 6, 2011

Google’s Tribute to Freddie Mercury

freddiemercurygoogledoodle Googles Tribute to Freddie Mercury

In honor of Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday, today’s Google doodle (pictured above) has pulled out all the stops with an animated tribute to the late rock legend (play the animation below). What does this have to do with Tanzania? He was born Faroukh Bulsara on Tanzania’s picturesque archipelago, Zanzibar.

0 Googles Tribute to Freddie Mercury

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