00:00Hello and welcome back to 77% Street Debate. I am Eman Henrik and today we are here in
00:12Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, diving deep into conversations that are shaping Tanzania
00:17as the country is heading towards elections. Kicking off the discussion, I would love to
00:22start with our youngest panelist, Maureen. You have just finished secondary level of
00:27education. What are you guys talking about issues that concerning young people? The first
00:31one is the increased cost of living in the streets. There has been a lot of increasement
00:36in our cost of living but also there is people are suffering from unemployment. Yeah, but
00:42also people they are worried if whether or not the politicians are going to deliver and
00:47fulfill their promises. Rukaiya, do you think young people are really concerned in the campaigns
00:54and policies that are just giving us? Of course, like part of the experience, all the policies
00:59and everything that has been promised or that they are keeping on promising young people,
01:04they're there and have been promising. The issue is the implementation of what those people are
01:10promising. So if you speak of the young people, you speak of the good education, good health,
01:13you know, shelters, affordable life and all that are kept in those policies are kept in that
01:19manifesto. The issue is the implementers. Will they implement what they're promising right now?
01:24Humphrey, you are the human rights activist. How are we going to choose qualified people
01:31and leaders who will really put young people priorities? What I would emphasize and encourage
01:40is an approach of meritocracy. Meritocracy is an approach of which the government and the system of
01:46leadership actually prioritizes people based on their merits. It's not based on who I know. It's not
01:53based on who is my friend that is in the government position. But what do I have? What do I know? What are
02:00my abilities? What are my potentials? This is all that matters. Despite age, we have young people under 20
02:08who are very smarter than the old people in their 40s. What we really want to see is the smartness of people
02:15and what they can do for their countries. The vision they have, the mission they have, so as to create
02:20such a patriotic and strong country. This is the ideal Humphrey, but what's the reality in our society?
02:29The reality is so bad. It's a bit of challenging because for the past 5-10 years, we have this thing that we
02:38can call it chawakrasi. Chawakrasi, that means I have to flatter, I have to compliment someone,
02:46over compliment actually, so as to get a certain position. So it's no longer a matter of what I can
02:53do for my government, but it is the matter of if I commend a certain political leader.
02:58Chawakrasi, I think I would love to get more views about chawakrasi. What do you have to say, Antipas?
03:04Well, I think it's ridiculous that nowadays this situation called chawakrasi is much more perceived by
03:16certain group of people while the other are left behind. The act of giving compliments to the
03:22leaders on whatever they have done, it becomes a sin when it is done for the people who belongs to
03:30the ruling party. But when it comes to the opposition, it's a different case. But people
03:37are praised, still people are given opportunities, but they don't term it as chawakrasi by the name
03:46called chawakrasi. People are not named so if they come from the opposition party. Thank you so much,
03:52I'll get back to you. Maureen, you are just a young girl, fresh from school. Have you already
03:58experienced the so-called chawakrasi and what has been your experience? Definitely, yes. And I totally
04:04agree with that. In fact, chawakrasi, it is very present because in our community we have, I can say,
04:13we have limited opportunities, especially for us youth. So, in order to take your way forward and get
04:19to the top where you want to be, you must find someone who I can say a big fish who is already
04:25successful. Maybe they already have names and then you get attached into them. And by doing chawakrasi,
04:31of course, they will recommend you, they will endorse you. That's how people are thinking,
04:35especially us, the youth. So, Rukaya, in the streets, people are complaining that those famous people,
04:40influential people, people with the public, in the public eye are the chawakrasi. Do you agree with that?
04:46First, you have to be seen in the TV or heard in the radios. That's the first platform to be a chawakrasi.
04:52So, if you have that platform, then you can use that influence you have by people saying you
04:57influence them to hear or listen to what you want to tell them. We have you, journalists,
05:04where now you have transferred from your... Journalists? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have transferred
05:10from what you're supposed to do to the chawakrasi because you want maybe your medias to go through
05:15and all that. Okay. Moving forward here, we have the student of mass communication. Do you really
05:20think media houses and journalists are really doing enough to make sure that young people are going to
05:26make the right decision just from what they are hearing, what they are watching from the media
05:32houses and journalists producing? Speaking from the media personality perspective,
05:38I think they're trying their best. But to the other perspective, I think there's a limited
05:45information to the society, especially youth, because we now experience a lot of information
05:52through a digital platform. Those which we cannot get to the mainstream media. I see the other hand,
05:58this side. Do you want to contribute about the media role? Yeah. For myself, the media house itself, it's
06:08not enough to make the young people to participate in the election. But it's all about the media house to
06:18teach the citizens how to differentiate between the news, which is true, and those opinions of the
06:28people. I've seen another hand this side. Wow. What do you have to say?
06:37Maria is just saying that she feel like journalists are really capable of doing what they're supposed to
06:45do, but they feel unsafe. And the media houses, them, they do not protect journalists in the media
06:52houses and the newsrooms. I've just seen the hand from the back bencher. Speaking about digital spaces,
06:59now X has been banned out, Clubhouse as well, Telegram as well. Is this also a play like a setback,
07:07as a setback to young people, especially in expressing yourself in social media?
07:12I think so, yes, because X, Clubhouse and other social media like that, they have been banned in
07:17Tanzania because those are the platforms which have the most of the powers to influence the people.
07:25But now we see that those youth and other people, they transformed and come back to Instagram and
07:31social media like TikTok. As you see, TikTok has produced most political content that makes
07:36youth to express their ideas on political issues. Thank you so much. What do you have to say?
07:42The impact of young people to this election. Yes, according to the last censor, it's about 34% of the
07:51Tanzania are the young people ranging from 15 to 35 years old. So simply mean that even the
08:00large number of voters are coming from the young people. So from my point of view, from my standing,
08:06point, I want to encourage also my fellow young people to understand that this is their time.
08:11Power is ability to influence. So this is a time of politicians to try to influence the young
08:18generation. So in the young generation, it's their time to choose between those politicians who influence
08:24them well. So it's their time. We don't want to see young people in the coming five years. They're still
08:31lamenting, blaming to their government. This is their time. Going and vote. Choose your part,
08:38choose your side. And if thing is going well, it's up to you. If thing is going bad, it's up to you.
08:44Because now it's your time. So, Rukaiya, what do you think should be done to make sure that
08:49young people are participating in political space? Currently, let them express whatever they feel
08:55they're supposed to be heard by the ones who are supposed to implement their promises. So let people
09:02express their feelings during this time. And with that, we are going to let those young people
09:07participate in one way or another thing. Thank you so much. And this is the end of our 77%
09:15street debate here in Dar es Salaam. You have heard what are the desires of the young people? What do
09:20they talk about? What are their concerns? But also what they wish to see after the leaders being
09:27elected in October. Thank you so much for watching. This is Imani Henry.
09:37You have heard the story about what I mean.
09:39It is the lead. It is the lead to be followed by a priori.
09:42A true leading to the leader of the young people, which I am fired from the country.
09:48You are a friend of mine before you say that.
09:50You are a friend of mine in my life. What is my first two, Rebecca?
09:53He is a friend of mine in my life when it comes to his brothers, you know what?
09:56Come on. We are a friend of mine.
09:58I am a friend of mine. You are a friend of mine.
10:00I am a friend of mine who is a Shangmaier.
10:01I am a friend of mine who is a friend of mine.
10:03He is who is a friend of mine, so you can be in the name of mine.
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