SUMMARY OF TRAINING

We started the five week long training on internet on Monday Feb 11, 2013 and as per invitation letter; I hoped to improve my skills in using it so that I may better my daily undertakings.

Today, Feb 15, as we close down the training I’m satisfied that I have increased my knowledge and skills in using the internet and thus my daily activities, whenever I need to search for materials using internet will be a bit easier. Not only searching for materials but other things like paying tickets.

Previously, I used long and cumbersome ways to search for materials using internet but from this training searching for materials, facts and backgrounds will be very simple thing. In fact the training has made me to think of writing more researched features because searching for materials is no longer a torture!

In short I have learned how one can make an internet page to be his/her home page, to make a list of desirable pages, and short steps of searching for materials. This include the use of search tools and advance search tool, apart from better way of writing key words when you you start go-ogling.

Our trainer, Mr Peik Johansson, has given us a list of important web sites when searching for materials which are all important for journalists.

In fact the training has been so enjoyable although I missed it one day. The trainer was always good, entertaining and helpful; food served during the training was always delicious and even the room of training is also good. My colleague trainees are also humble and friendly.

What I may recommend is the improvement of the computers in the room we were using. It seems are slow and need to be improved or they are about to reach the end of their lifespan.  

I will use the knowledge and skills I acquired in this training to help my colleagues in the news room, starting from this coming Monday. I will also be bold whenever I find plagiarism in stories and features we daily publish in our lovely paper, HabariLeo. In fact we were supposed to pay for this training due to its important as journalists or trainers although in the opposite we were being paid. Thanks for the organizers, MISA-TAN and VIKES.

Here is the list of some of the important websites

Useful Media Websites

• Reuters
• IPS Inter Press Service
• IRIN (humanitarian news) Funded by UN
• Bunge (Parliamentary)
• BBC
• DW
• VOA
• RFI
• aLLAfrica
• M&G the Mail &Guardian (SA)
• The Guardian
• (Highway Africa)
• Africa (The good story)
• Hiiraan Online (Somalia)
• Pambazuka News (friends of Fahamu)
• African Election Database
• Failed Features (daily dispatch)
• Africa Literature and writers in Internet (hundred of links)
• African Studies (Columbia University)
• AJOL  (African Journalists Online (African Scientific Journalists)
• Greetings in more tan 2500 languages
• She blossoms
• Savy Kenya
• Qilma
• Kawiria Snippets
• Blessed, amusing and genius
• Plagiarism.org
• Project Gutenberg  (Gutenberg.org)

  

China ni adui ama rafiki wa Afrika

Na Hamisi Kibari

Aliyekuwa rais wa Afrika Kusini, Thabo Mbeki na kiongozi toka China

KATIKA miaka ya karibuni, China imekuwa mwekezaji mkubwa katika bara la Afrika tofauti na miaka baada ya nchi za bara hilo kupata uhuru.  Miongoni mwetu, nikiwemo mimi, nimekuwa nikijua wafadhili na wawekezaji wakubwa barani humu ni nchi za Magharibi na Marekani ambazo mahusiano yetu naweza kusema yalikuwa ya karibu kiasi, hasa kwa kuzingatia kwamba tulikuwwa makoloni ya nchi hizo. Sisi Tanzania, kwa mfano tulikuwa koloni la Uingereza wakati tunapata uhuru.

Uhusiano wa China na Afrika na China ulianza kwa nchi za Afrika Magharibi za Morocco, Algeria, Suddan, Misri na Somalia.   

Uhusiano wa China na Afrika, enzi za vita baridi, wakati huo China ikiwa chini ya utawala wa Mao Tsetung (Zedong), ulisambaa zaidi Afrika lakini kiinini chake ni itikadi zaidi kwa maana ya kwamba ilikuwa rafiki wa nchi zilizokuwa zikiamini katika mfumo wa Kijamaa na kutofungama na nchi zuingine. Tanzania, kwa mantiki hiyo, ilijikutaa ikiwa na ukaribu na China kwa vile ilipigaa vita siasa za kibepari. China chini ya Mao Tsetung ilikuwa nchi ya kijamaa pia. Mahusiano yetu, kwa mantiki hiyo, yalijikita katika masuala kama silaha na mifumo ya kiuchumi kama vijiji vya ujamaa.

Lakini zama hizi, uhusiano wa Afrika na China umelenga katika uchumi zaidi ambapo kila mwaka uwekezaji wa China katika bara la Afrika umekuwa ukiongezeka siku hadi siku na kuwa tishio kwa nchi za Ulaya na Marekani.

Inawekeza wapi?

Maeneo makuu ambayo China inawekeza ni kwenye mafuta, gesi na madini, lakini pia imekuwa ikiwekeza katika ujenzi wa barabara na majengo barani Afrika. Imenza pia kujiingiza katika ujenzi wa viwanda barani humo.

Je, wengi wanaukubali uwekezaji wa China

Kumekuwapo na mtazamo tofauti kuhusu uwekezaji wa China barani Afrika. Wapo wanaoamini kwamba uwekezaji huu unaleta maendeleo barani humo kwa vile Wanaingiza pesa, wanatengeneza ajira, kukuza uchumi na ujenzi wa barabara na nyumba.

Pia kwa kulinganisha na mataifa ya magharibi na Marekani, imekuwa ikidaiwa kwamba uwekezaji wa China barani Afrika ni wa kindugu zaidi, ukiwa hauna masharti makubwa kulinganisha na uwekezaji wa nchi za Ulaya na Marekani.

Lakini wapo wanaoamini kwamba uwekezaji wa China barani Afrika ni wa kinyonyaji, kwa maana ya kwamba  taifa hilo linalopuiga hatua kubwa kiuchumi na kutishia mataifa mengine kama Marekani limejipanga kunyonya raslimali za Afrika, kadri inavyowezekana sambamba na kuwa soko la bidhaa zao, baadhi zikiwa ni feki kulinganisha na zinazotoka Ulaya.

Kadhalika kumekuwa na hofu ya Wachinga kupunguzia idadi yao katika bara la Afrika. Hii inatokana na baadhi ya Wachina wanaokuja Afrika kujiingiza katika biashara ndogo ndogo ambazo si za kitalaamu kama vile za kuuza mapambo, vinywaji na vitu vidogo vidogo.

Nchini Tanzania, kwa mfano, na hususan katika eneo la biashara la Kariakoo, kumekuwepo na malalamiko kuhusu wingi wa Wachina Tanzania wakifanya shughuli ndogondogo ambazo zinaweza kufanywa na Watanzania.

Kwa wananchi wa kawaida wanaweza wasilalamike sana kuhusu uwekezaji wao lakini kinachowakera wengi ni bidhaa zao zinazoaminika kuwa na kiwango dunia, vitu kama simu, vifaa vya umeme na kadhalika.

   

Forth day of training

YESTERDAY I failed to attend the training as I got some family assignment which required my presence.  However, the summary made by the trainer this morning is enough to make me understand one of key lesson taught yesterday and thus I have added important skills of using short time to search for materials in the Google.

The skills a I have acquired this morning, apart from writing only key words rather than a long sentence when searching for materials in Google,  include to narrow the searching  by using “SEARCH TOOLS’ where it gives some options such as period of your search; is it any time, few hours ago, previous week etc. It also gives options of web or just pages.  

 But more interestingly I have also learned how to use “ADVANCE SEARCH” (located below the Google page) that further narrows down the search.

With these important skills, my searching for materials in Google has made simple.

  

From digital immigrants to digital natives

DUE to the fast changing of the technology that saw many people, particularly youngsters, moving from a culture of waiting to read news papers in the morning to depend much on internet to get news as faster as possible, Rupert Murdoch is telling editors, to know the threat is posing by the wind of change and cope with it.

He tells them also to change mindset from deciding what the reader should read, to what they want to read particularly that affects they daily activities.

Murdoch, a news paper business tycoon, believes that the advent of the new technology, the internet, if taken as a new competitor, can better print media if trained people in news room can decide to cope with the fast moving train as he believes that a blog coined by a street girl, for example, cannot be like that created by a news expert.

He likened the new situation with what appeared in 1990 when the rise of television also posed a threat to newspapers but knowing that threat, people in the industry changed also their mindsets, and re-packaged their news items to suit the new demand and then they excelled well.

“Thinking back to the challenge that television posed to the newspaper business, we can see some similarities. A new technology comes along, and like many new things, it somewhat exciting at first, simply by virtue of being new…” he says.

      

     

Wow! It takes few minutes to create a blog

IT’S Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, another day of Internet training.   Today I have learned a lot including how to make a blog, posting/publishing materials on it, and even editing.

In fact, before this training I have been possessing one but it was made for me by someone else. But from now on I may create another for me or someone else and even teaching him/her on how blogs are being created. Interesting thing is that it only takes few minutes to create one.

From the training I have also managed to see statistics that indicate different usage of internetin the world, down to Africa.

As a journalist in print media, I have also learned how the use of internet as a new media is posing a threat to the survival of newspapers if they fail to cope with the situation. I have noticed that media now, apart from having their own websites and update them frequently, they have to writing more features, stories full/heavy of background  and, entertainment and sports.     

I have also noticed how I can one day open a free radio station through internet as my colleague Tanzanian who lives in Detroit, America, M M Mwanakijiji is doing. 

Finally, I have also see setbacks of using internet such as digital divide and cultural imperialism.

Internet Training for Editors

My Name is Hamisi Kibari, currently working with the Government owned company, Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) as Sub Editor for a Kiswahili daily, HabariLeo.

Before joining HabariLeo, I was an editor of Kulikoni, a Kiswahili weekly,  produced by Media Solutions Limited (MSL) which is one of the IPP’s companies. And before that I was sub editor for another Kiswahili daily, Nipashe also owned by IPP.

On Monday, this week, I started attending training on Internet issues. The training is being conducted by Media Institute of Southern Africa, Tanzania Chapter (MISA-TAN) in collaboration with Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (VIKES).

In my daily assignments internet is one of the essential tool as I depend on it for facts cross-checking and writing backgrounds, apart from reading emails and stories from social media or international news agencies.

With this five day long training I expect that I will add some knowledge on the effective use of the internet to better my daily activities in the newsroom. As my invitation letter reads, I expect that the training will equip me with more skills on fact-finding, news monitoring, communications and publications.

On the first day, February 11, 2013 (Monday), the training was so impressive as I started learning some skills that will enable me to use the internet faster and more effectively than I used to do. Some of the things I learnt include how to make a certain website my home page and how I can make lists of favorite pages/articles. 

From the training I also discovered many tings that have changed the society, things like how I can buy airline tickets through internet, make use of Wikipedia (encyclopaedia) to find facts including editing passages whenever I find it necessary,  using it as global shopping (eBay, Amazon), playing games and internet as a social media (where one can listen music, chatting through Facebook or twitter and meeting new and old friends).

The training was so impressive to me that I found no problem and I expect to learn more as the training enters the next day.

      

TAHRIRI KULIKONI: HakiElimu, Uwezo msikatishwe tamaa

WAKATI wa mjadala wa Hotuba ya Bajeti ya Wizara ya Habari, Utamaduni na Michezo, Mbunge wa Jimbo la Masasi (CCM), Mariam Ruben Kasembe, alizishambulia tafiti mbalimbali zinazofanywa nchini na taasisi kama HakiElimu na kisha kutangazwa kwenye vyombo vya habari kuwa hazina maana yoyote zaidi ya kuidhalilisha serikali.

Mbunge huyo alidai kwamba wananchi hawayapendi matangazo ya HakiElimu, na hivyo akashauri eti ni heri pesa zinazotumika kwenye tafiti, machapisho na matangazo hayo zipelekwe kwenye maeneo husika yenye matatizo.

Mawazo ya mbunge huyu wa CCM hayana tofauti na yale ya wabunge wawili wa chama hicho ambao mwaka 2007 waliitaka serikali kuichukulia hatua HakiElimu kwa maelezo kuwa matangazo yake yamekuwa yakibeza juhudi za kuendeleza elimu nchini zinazofanywa na serikali. 

Wabunge walioonekana kukerwa na HakiElimu wakati wakichangia bajeti ya Wizara ya Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi (2007), walikuwa Job Ndugai, Mbunge wa Kongwa ambaye pia kwa sasa ni Naibu Spika na Janet Masaburi (Viti Maalumu).

Wakati Ndugai alidai kuwa matangazo hayo yanaweza kuiangusha serikali, Masaburi, alidai yanajenga chuki miongoni mwa wananchi dhidi ya serikali yao. 

Ikumbukwe pia kwamba serikali iliwahi kupiga marufuku matangazo ya asasi hiyo isiyo ya kiserikali na watu wengi walijitokeza kuitetea HakiElimu wakiishaanga serikali kwa hatua hiyo. Baadaye Serikali iliifungulia taasisi hiyo kuendelea na shughuli zake kama kawaida. 

Balozi Mwapachu

Tumeshindwa kujua kile ambacho kimekuwa kikiwakera wabunge wa CCM na hata serikali kuhusu ukweli unaowekwa wazi kwa njia ya machapisho na matangazo na taasisi ya HakiElimu na zingine za aina hiyo, kama Uwezo ambayo mapema mwaka huu ilitoa taarifa ya utafiti wake unaoonesha kuwa nchi yetu iko nyuma kielimu kulinganisha na wenzetu wa Kenya na Uganda.

Tunachojua sisi, machapisho ama matangazo yanayotolewa kwa njia ya maigizo na taasisi hizi hayaji kwa kukurupuka bali yanatokana na tafiti.  Kwa lugha nyingine, tafiti hizi tunazooneshwa kwa njia ya matangazo na machapisho zinalenga kutufumbua macho na kutuzindua kama taifa kuhusu hali halisi ilivyo ili tuchukue hatua na hivyo wahusika walitakiwa kupongezwa na si kubezwa, kutishwa ama kufungiwa.

Tunaandika haya tukijua kwamba nchi yetu bado ina kiwango kidogo sana cha tafiti na kwamba hatuwezi kuweka mipango yoyote ya maana ya maendeleo bila kusaidiwa na tafiti. 

Tunajua kwamba serikali imekuwa ikijitahidi kufanya maendeleo katika elimu lakini hiyo haimaanishi kwamba mambo kila siku yako shwari isipokuwa tafiti hizi ndizo zinatakiwa kuizindua serikali na jamii kwa ujumla ili kujua namna nzuri ya kutumia raslimali chache zilizopo kwa ajili ya maendeleo yetu.

Na tumeshindwa kujua kwa nini Mbunge Kasembe anawasingizia wananchi kwamba matangazo ya HakiElimu yanawaudhi, jambo ambalo tunaamini hajalifanyia utafiti. Matangazo ya HakiElimu yanaamsha hisia chanya kwa wananchi ili kuwawajibisha viongozi wao kuhusu cha kufanya kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya elimu ya watoto wao.

Wakati akizindua taarifa ya taasisi ya Uwezo kuhusu utafiti wao mapema mwaka huu, Balozi Juma Mwapachu alisema kwamba tafiti hizi zinalenga kuangalia kwa kina matatizo yanayoikabili sekta ya elimu katika nchi yetu na namna ya kuyapatia ufumbuzi kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya watu wetu.

Balozi Mwapachu alikaririwa akisema: “Ifike wakati tuzitumie tafiti hizi kuleta mabadiliko, kama hii ya Uwezo imeonesha hali halisi ya matatizo katika elimu yetu, hivyo lisichukuliwe kisiasa na kuona kama ililenga kuidhalilisha serikali.”

Tunashauri wabunge kama Mariam Kasembe na pia viongozi wa serikali kuzingatia ushauri huo wa Balozi Mwapachu, na hali kadhalika, kwa upande mwingine tunawatia moyo HakiElimu na taasisi nyingine kama Uwezo kutokatishwa tamaa na kauli kama hizi.