Tragedy and commonality

So by now, most of you have heard about the tragic event in Tanzania where a ferry going between the island of Zanzibar and Pemba capsized killing over 200 people. Most of the victims were small children who were heading back for the start of school. In a country such as Tanzania, almost 11% of children under 5 will die before the age of 5. The children that have died on the ferry incident had past that window. When you combine it with a small community such as Pemba, then you not only lost kids in one family, but you lost their cousins so multiple relatives were affected. The ferry accident was caused by the ferry boat being very much overloaded. Between the rice, vehicles, flour, household goods, and over 1000 people on a boat designed to carry only 500 tops. Combine that with choppy water and winds, the boat capsized at 3 am. In the US, we have a tendency to be quick to rush with our prejudices and think “that’s Africa”. But in a sense, it’s most of the world. Even though the fares on these ferries are very small (about $1), in terms of third world salaries it is a significant amount. Crowding 20 people on a 12 passenger van is not uncommon. Putting 100 people on a 40 passenger bus happens all the time. 1000 people on a 500 person ferry are commonplace. Economies of scale are the only way they can make it. Unfortunately, it often leads to tragedy. Ferry accidents happen all around the world every year. We just seldom hear about them in the US. Attached is a photo of a similar ferry as to the one that sunk from our trip to Zanzibar.


I was talking with a colleague from USAID today who commented, “I’ve worked in several places but I have not been around as much death as I have here in Tanzania.” Within 2 months, one of her colleagues at USAID lost his wife as she was giving birth to their first child. The ferry accident has cost over 200 lives. One or two others in the Embassy have died in the past month with heart attacks. The deaths we are seeing are common place in third world countries. It really does open your eyes to the blessings that we have in the US. Healthcare is exceptional. In the US, there is always, in the back of your mind, the thought that something could happen. Here, it is expected that something WILL happen. Your joy of bringing in a baby is tempered by the worry that you may lose the mother. In Tanzania, 454 out of 100,000 births, the mother will lose her life. Combine that with the 11% child under 5 mortality rate, then you see the greater risk of either losing the mother or the child before the age of 5 is quite high.

"When any calamity has been suffered, the first thing to be remembered is how much has been escaped."

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author.

The easy thing to do is to write off Africa as being corrupt, backwards, and primitive. In the US, all we see are National Geographic specials of naked Africans sitting in the mud houses. We are actually in a major city with successful businesses, doctors, and such. My opinions of Africa have totally changed and it’s given me a thirst to see more of the world. I was speaking with a Tanzanian colleague. He asked me what I expected from Africa. I told him I expected primitive people and lots of animals because that’s what we saw in the US on TV. He said that when he was in the UK, he saw programs on Africa and that’s what they showed as well. He thought to himself, “Where are they in Africa? I have not seen these places.” I challenge everyone to learn more about the cultures and places around the world then what you see on TV. The world is so much more than that.

In the end, life is no different in Tanzania than it is in the US. People want good health, steady work, and peaceful communities. We’re not so different after all.