Media Bonanza for scribes in Tanzania

Journalists from all walks of life converged at Msasani Beach Club for the 2012 TBL Media Bonanza. The annual event saw many scribes temporarily abandoning their pens and notebooks, computers, cameras and microphones to participate in the event full of pomp and funfair.

The guest of honour, Cde Samuel Sita delivers a keynote address during the Media Bonanza at Msasani Beach Club recently.

Journalists from most media houses in Dar es Salaam took the opportunity to mix, mingle and share ideas and experience. The Tanzania Breweries Limited sponsored event saw journalists competing in various sports disciplines.

FM Academia 'Wazee wa Ngwasuma', band members entertain the scribes.

The guest of honour, Honourable Samuel Sita, who is an MP and the minister for EA cooperation handed over various prizes to winning teams.

Wazee wa Ngwasuma's dancing girls show what they are made of.



Scribes took time to forget the newsroom hustles and dance their hearts out.




Media Solutions volleyball team readies for a clash with African Media in a game that was won by the latter by 2 -0.



A cross section of journalists following the proceedings.

Man sleeps with dead wife, refuses to bury her

AS the world celebrates women's day, a Vietnam man who due to his great love for his dead wife has stolen headlines the world over after admitting to sleeping beside the bones of his dead wife for seven years despite pressure from authorities to bury her.


IS IT LOVE OR SOMETHING?... Le Van with the remains of his wife

Father of seven Le Van said he dug up the bones of his dead wife in 2005, a year after she died, and has slept beside them ever since, online news site VietnamNet reported.

The case has sparked widespread media coverage, prompting local authorities to urge Van, 57, to bury the corpse. There are no laws banning him from keeping his wife’s remains at home, but officials said the bones were polluting the environment.

Van refused to comply. The picture shown above is of Van posing outside in his bedroom with the life-size casket in which his wife’s bones are. The painted coffin, made of gypsum and clay, is modelled in the shape of a woman and dressed in women’s clothes.

Doctor's strike continues in Tanzania

Medical doctors in Tanzania downed tools yesterday, pressing the government to sack the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Haji Mponda and his deputy Dr Lucy Nkya. The doctors argued that they were only to hold talks with the government after the two have been shown the way.



The Minister for Health, Dr Haji Mponda

Many doctors have heed the call by their leaders to down tools and the situation in hospitals is fast deteriorating. Many people could be seen transferring their relatives from government hospital to unknown destinations.

The government earlier this week defended the two senior health officials saying it wasn't their fault that the situation in hospitals was pathetic. In fact, the government argued that the doctors' concerns were there long before the two were appointed to their posts.

This comes exactly a month after doctors suspended their three-week strike last month on the 9^th of February giving the government one month to look into their grievances.

The strike had caused untold suffering to many ordinary Tanzanians who could not afford the services of private doctors.

Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Lucy Nkya.

Tanzanian doctors threaten another strike

Medical doctors in Tanzania have given the government up to tomorrow to sack the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Haji Mponda and his deputy Dr Lucy Nkya. The doctors argued that they were only to hold talks with the government after the two have been shown the way.



The Minister for Health, Dr Haji Mponda

They also threatened that failure by the government to remove the two, they would resume their strike. The doctors suspended their three-week strike last month on the 9^th of February giving the government one month to look into their grievances.

The strike had caused untold suffering to many ordinary Tanzanians who could not afford the services of private doctors.

Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Lucy Nkya.

The latest threat is a test for President Jakaya Kikwete as he is under pressure to act before the deadline.

Doctors’ demands in summary are as follows:

• Sacking of Heath Minister and his deputy, Dr Lucy Nkya.
• Improvement of working conditions
• Salary increment from the current level of 957,700/- to between 3.5 million/- and 7million/-.
• Signing of negotiation agreement and immediate implementation of what has been agreed.
• Their negotiations should not involve other health workers such as nurses and pharmacists.