as the elections draw closer

The Tanzanian presidential elections are set to take place October 31. In preparation, there are party flags everywhere, on the back of cars and bicycles, on the roadside, on restaurants. Lately I have seen several people wearing flags, genius idea really, as a flag becomes a jogging jacket. Along with the flags there are political events everywhere, from roadside cafes to the corners of villages, even the chairs boast the colors of the party. But the best advertising tool seems to be the "party truck". It drives up and down every street in Arusha all day long, blasting music and showcasing dancers to promote the candidate. The idea seems to be that the loudest campaign wins, which is easy for Kikwete- the current president to pull off. He is the head of the party which has essentially held power, and therefore money, in Tanzania since the country's independence. Despite the annoyance of the lack of noise regulation regarding the campaign, I am really impressed with one thing: the general peace that comes with it.

To give you an example, Johann and I were driving through a village the other day when we got stuck between a demonstration of the opposing parties. Demonstrating the financial disparity, Kikwete's supporters were on our right side driving and honking a little ditty to cheer the president on, while the opposition group was on foot to our left giving an old-fashioned thumbs-down and a few boos here and there. It struck me how much it was like being outside a stadium before a college ball game. Many other places in Africa, or in the developing world over, political dissent results in violence. Those who are against us are dead. And yet here I am, in a country where the freedom of elections is arguable and people are peaceably demonstrating their views. Kudos to Tanzania. Seriously. Big kudos.

Meanwhile, the US general elections draw closer. Despite the strangeness of receiving and sending my ballot by fax, I have to say that I am quite glad to be missing out on the dirty campaign going on in the states. Its a sad election when you must campaign on the failures of your opponent. In the midst of all our chaos and current problems, the US could stand to learn something from Tanzania in this sense. Lets put some music on (though perhaps respecting the noise ordinances) and remember the joys of life.