Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DARESSALAAM218
2009-04-01 13:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Cable title:  

Tanzanian Press Takes April Fool's Day Seriously:

Tags:  OPRC KPAO KMDR PHUM TZ 
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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #0218 0911318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011318Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8384
INFO RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 0586
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1215
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3373
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1300
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 2851
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000218 

SIPDIS

FOR INR/OPN/MR, INR:FEhrenreich and AF/E:JLiddle

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PHUM TZ
SUBJECT: Tanzanian Press Takes April Fool's Day Seriously:
Front Page Jokes Illustrate Top Issues on Media Minds

REF: 2008 Dar es Salaam 130

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000218

SIPDIS

FOR INR/OPN/MR, INR:FEhrenreich and AF/E:JLiddle

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PHUM TZ
SUBJECT: Tanzanian Press Takes April Fool's Day Seriously:
Front Page Jokes Illustrate Top Issues on Media Minds

REF: 2008 Dar es Salaam 130


1. The April First editions of several Tanzanian dailies allocated
space on their front pages to play April Fool's jokes on their
readership.


2. The Guardian (circulation 25,000) ran an above the fold article
entitled, "Government makes about-turn and buys Dowans plant
secretly." The last several months have seen a debate played out in
the print media between those who advocated for parastatal Tanzania
Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) to purchase used 100MW generators
to alleviate the ongoing power shortage affecting the country,
especially in Dar es Salaam, and those who argue the proposed deal
would have violated procurement law. Moreover, the equipment in
question originally entered Tanzania as part of the Richmond
contract; the scandal over that contract led to the Prime Minister's
resignation in February 2008(reftel). Previous front pages on the
controversy over Dowans (allegedly owned by MP Rostam Aziz, who also
owns several media outlets) have been devoted to intra-party spats
between prominent Members of Parliament (and National Executive
Committee) from the ruling Chama Chama Mapinduzi (CCM) party. Some
vitriol was disparaging enough to provoke other CCM leaders to
intervene in the interest of party cohesion.


3. Swahili daily Majira (circulation 20,000) ran a front page story
headline stating that former president Benjamin Mkapa would address
a public rally today to "boldly defend" himself against allegations
of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure (1995-2005).
Citing immunity for a former head of state, President Kikwete,
joined by a handful of constitutional legal experts, last year
quelled ever present clamoring from the opposition and some public
quarters for Mkapa (and his wife, Anna) to be charged with illegally
operating a private business from State House while in power. Mkapa
has retreated to his compound in the posh Dar suburb of Msasani and,
when seen in public, is more often outside of Tanzania.


4. This Day (circulation 5,000) ran a below the fold story, "Three
ministers out, two transferred in minor reshuffle," reporting the
Finance Minister, Water and Irrigation Minister (and former
presidential aspirant),and Minister for Good Governance (recently
elected head of the CCM party women's wing) had been tossed out of
the cabinet, while two others (one currently involved in a legal
dispute with the media) had been transferred to different
ministries. In fact, the last ministerial shakeup in Tanzania took
place in February 2008, when then-Prime Minister Edward Lowassa and
two ministers stepped down following allegations of corruption in
the Richmond affair, which were made during parliamentary debate
carried live on national television. (Note: separately, former
Attorney General/Minister of Infrastructure and Development Andrew
Chenge, who stepped down in April 2008 over revelations of
unexplained offshore bank accounts, was charged yesterday with
reckless driving after he was in a 4 a.m. accident over the weekend
in which two women in the other vehicle died. End note.)


5. The government-owned Daily News (circulation 10,000) also had
some fun poking regional neighbors by claiming that Tanzania had
withdrawn from the East African Community (EAC). Recently,
Tanzania's tough position on land and labor issues have contributed
to discontent within the EAC, which was exacerbated by a Kenyan
(quickly withdrawn) proposal to relocate the EAC's headquarters from
Arusha.


6. The African (circulation 5,000) ran a below the fold story,
"Mugabe finally agrees to resign," stating Zimbabwe's president
would relinquish his role to Prime Minister Tsvangirai in one
month's time. The faux article included fake Mugabe quotes
supporting his rival.


7. Comment: While the total print media circulation is only a
fraction of the entire Tanzanian population, front page stories are
frequently displayed on the morning television news and read as
radio news bulletins, thereby reaching millions of viewers and
listeners. While one deejay noted it was April Fool's Day, he did
not clarify which news items were meant as a joke. All the stories
above concluded with some form of "April Fool's Day," but most
reveal the true sentiments of some editors about what the media
fraternity, and the wider Tanzanian public, would like to see happen
to improve the standard of living and the level of good governance
in Tanzania. Those editors who do not venture to write about such
things in their daily commentaries--either out of fear of government
disfavor or censorship from media owners (some who are prominent
politicians)--can safely defend April 1st stories by saying, "it was
only a joke!"

ANDRE