LIGHT patterns of a city seen from above can tell you much about that urban community. Most of you who have arrived to a foreign city at night have no doubt been dumbfounded by the beauty below reflected to them by the hues of its lights describing various parts and locating its different features.
I was no different affected when I arrived in Sudan recently and equally experienced the same feeling when I reached Addis Ababa at night. It was even more awesome as I descended upon Copenhagen after sunset. It was spectacular down there. In all their colours, the city seemed to be welcoming me.
And in all those places I have mentioned, it was the same. More reassuring was presence in those places. Not once did I experience a power blackout. If it did not hit where I was putting up, it did not happen anywhere in the neighbourhood either. My day to return to my homeland arrived and back home I flew.
The arrival back at daytime displayed to sickening disorder down there and I wondered whether at all we had city planning authorities in Dar es Salaam. Did harbour of peace mean to the leaders harbour of disorder?
Twice on my return I arrived at night. I love to take the window seat, which I always ask the airline staff to give me ‘if you will, please!” The lights did not portray that attraction I had observed in other cities. Some parts were in the dark, giving the looker an ominous feeling.
Having landed, I knew I was back home to the land of perennial blackouts. How could that be? Just recently I travelled back home from work. It was late evening at around 9 am. I walked home from the bus-stop. It is quite a distance to the house. On the way I passed by a dark area.
That did not shock me. At night the city of Dar es Salaam experience a couple of dark part because of a blackout. Suddenly, power was back. Its return sparked from children a loud cheer of wahhh..! I live close to a school – St Mary’s Primary School.
Apparently, the school and I are connected on the same line, which means a sectional blackout affects both of us. I was at my computer one evening when I heard a loud cry of the school’s children: “Ohhh…” And immediately there was a blackout.
Nearly thirty minutes later I heard ‘Wahh!” and the power was back. Our children in Dar are the announcer of power departure and its arrival. Power blackouts in Dar are so common that children have learned to spontaneously shout the change. Condemning people to darkness is one of the biggest evils.
Obviously, the ministry responsible for lighting the city has failed in this regard. What is worse is that the problem is stymieing national efforts to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
Several people interviewed by various media outlets have expressed bitterness at how power failures have ruined their business. The most sorry thing about the problem is that it has lasted too long and the relevant authorities do not seem to be doing enough to solve it. The president saw that laxity and expressed discontent toward it.
“Power blackouts have become a common problem, but don’t see enough being done to solve it,” he said recently in the city. But that cannot be said to be reassuring enough. Many would have expected the minister responsible to say that.
Having failed to say it because he is the person who should have done enough to cause positive change, the president should have announced a reshuffle of the cabinet. No doubt the responsible authorities, as the president said, are not doing enough to end power blues because they are looking at the problem on the surface.
Given its sprawling, unplanned presence, at night Dar es Salaam is a dangerous place without light. In fact blackouts are so rampant and frequent at various parts of the city that people are beginning to think they are purposive.
Word is beginning to go round that criminals collude with people who work in the power industry to switch of power in a section of the city to commit a robbery. It may not be true, but Tanesco workers’ irresponsibility or most proper, their failure to provide light are required, is beginning to tarnish the organisation’s image.
The president knows the country and his team better because he is brief on the nation’s state on a daily basis. The fact that he says Tanesco can do better means somebody is not doing their job well and deserves being shown the door.
I was no different affected when I arrived in Sudan recently and equally experienced the same feeling when I reached Addis Ababa at night. It was even more awesome as I descended upon Copenhagen after sunset. It was spectacular down there. In all their colours, the city seemed to be welcoming me.
And in all those places I have mentioned, it was the same. More reassuring was presence in those places. Not once did I experience a power blackout. If it did not hit where I was putting up, it did not happen anywhere in the neighbourhood either. My day to return to my homeland arrived and back home I flew.
The arrival back at daytime displayed to sickening disorder down there and I wondered whether at all we had city planning authorities in Dar es Salaam. Did harbour of peace mean to the leaders harbour of disorder?
Twice on my return I arrived at night. I love to take the window seat, which I always ask the airline staff to give me ‘if you will, please!” The lights did not portray that attraction I had observed in other cities. Some parts were in the dark, giving the looker an ominous feeling.
Having landed, I knew I was back home to the land of perennial blackouts. How could that be? Just recently I travelled back home from work. It was late evening at around 9 am. I walked home from the bus-stop. It is quite a distance to the house. On the way I passed by a dark area.
That did not shock me. At night the city of Dar es Salaam experience a couple of dark part because of a blackout. Suddenly, power was back. Its return sparked from children a loud cheer of wahhh..! I live close to a school – St Mary’s Primary School.
Apparently, the school and I are connected on the same line, which means a sectional blackout affects both of us. I was at my computer one evening when I heard a loud cry of the school’s children: “Ohhh…” And immediately there was a blackout.
Nearly thirty minutes later I heard ‘Wahh!” and the power was back. Our children in Dar are the announcer of power departure and its arrival. Power blackouts in Dar are so common that children have learned to spontaneously shout the change. Condemning people to darkness is one of the biggest evils.
Obviously, the ministry responsible for lighting the city has failed in this regard. What is worse is that the problem is stymieing national efforts to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
Several people interviewed by various media outlets have expressed bitterness at how power failures have ruined their business. The most sorry thing about the problem is that it has lasted too long and the relevant authorities do not seem to be doing enough to solve it. The president saw that laxity and expressed discontent toward it.
“Power blackouts have become a common problem, but don’t see enough being done to solve it,” he said recently in the city. But that cannot be said to be reassuring enough. Many would have expected the minister responsible to say that.
Having failed to say it because he is the person who should have done enough to cause positive change, the president should have announced a reshuffle of the cabinet. No doubt the responsible authorities, as the president said, are not doing enough to end power blues because they are looking at the problem on the surface.
Given its sprawling, unplanned presence, at night Dar es Salaam is a dangerous place without light. In fact blackouts are so rampant and frequent at various parts of the city that people are beginning to think they are purposive.
Word is beginning to go round that criminals collude with people who work in the power industry to switch of power in a section of the city to commit a robbery. It may not be true, but Tanesco workers’ irresponsibility or most proper, their failure to provide light are required, is beginning to tarnish the organisation’s image.
The president knows the country and his team better because he is brief on the nation’s state on a daily basis. The fact that he says Tanesco can do better means somebody is not doing their job well and deserves being shown the door.
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