MKEKA: Msasani Beach clean up with ANZA & Archipalego

Twitter: @CarolAnande Instagram: @CarolAnande Facebook: @CarolAnande

The beautiful symbolism with the 'mifagio'
at this beach clean up event

Mhmn, hii sio t-shirt kweli du? Mbona imesokotwa na madude dude kibao, sijui ni iache isije kuwa barua ya kuloga hii. Hizi fikra ziliogelea akilini mwangu, jumamosi iliyopita tarehe 12 Septemba.

Wakati gazeti la ANZA na kampuni ya Archipelago waliendesha hafla ya kuhamasisha wakazi wa Msasani na wengineo Dar es Salaam. Kusafisha fukwe ya jamii ya Msasani maarufu kama ‘Beach Mavi’.

At the reception receiving volunteers
who go on to clean the beach

Hafla hii ilikuwa na wadhamini mbalimbali kama Nipe Fagio, Coca Cola, Regent Tanzania, Knight Support, Hugo Domingo, OGS Studios, Impact Printing, Techno Brain na The Recycler. Ikiitisha biashara mbali mbali kuja kuonyesha na kuuza bidhaa zao, wengi wao wakiwa wanatumia rasilimali rejereshi. Kama 'Wonder Workshop' ambao hutumia chupa za mvinyo na takataka za chakula kutengeneza shanga, karatasi n.k.

AfriCraft nao walikuwepo wakionyesha bidhaa zao za pekee kama vioo vya urembo vilivyozungushiwa kondom, glasi za maji kutokana na chupa za soda, vyakuegeshea mishumaa kutokana na vifuu vya nazi n.k. Pia ‘Green Steps’ walikuwemo na bidhaa zao zinazotokana na kandambili zilizotupwa mitaani. Ambazo hugeuzwa kuwa visanamu mbali mbali pamoja na vidubwasha vya sumaku kwa kurembea friji.

The 'VW Kombi TZ' serving it's delectable drinks at this event

Sema hafla hii haikuanzaga na shamra shamra kama hivi. Dada Sarah Scott ambaye ni Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Archipelago kwa muda alikerwa na mazingira ya fukwe ya Msasani ambayo ni karibu nyumbani kwake.Takataka za beach hiyo saa ingine zilipepea mpaka kwenye bustani yake kitu ambacho haki kumfurahisha na vivyo alinza juhudi za kuandaa jinsi ya kuisafisha fukwe hiyo.

Kwa msaada wa shirika la ‘Nipe Fagio’ na chini ya kampuni ya Archipalego tangia miezi saba sasa, kwa jumamosi moja kila mwezi. Sarah aliweza kuongea na serikali za mtaa ya eneo hii na kufanikiwa kuwaita marafiki na wafanyakazi wa Archipalego kujiunga naye, kusafisha taka za ufukwe huu. Na vivyo kupewa cheo cha balozi wa Nipe Fagio kwa fukwe ya Msasani.

Bidhaa za 'AfriCraft' zinazotengenezwa kwa rasilimali
rejereshi kwenye hafla hii ya kusafisha fukwe ya
Msasani Jumamosi iliyopita

Kwenye mbiu hizi za mwanzo kila mtu alikuja na vifaa vyake vya usafi, hapakuwa na jukwaa wala DiJ pembeni ya fukwe penye kivuli ya mirobaini. Kama ilivyokuwa siku hii ambapo yoyote aliyefika, alipatiwa ‘gloves’,‘reflector jacket’ pamoja na gunia la takataka. Akielekezwa ufukweni kusaka na kuokota taka zisizo oza kiasilia kama plastiki, chupa au chuma.

Mimi nilifurahi sana kuweza kujumuika kwenye shughuli hii, kama mpenzi wa mazingira asili na vivyo nilipojikuta nakumbana na takataka za ajabu. Kama nguo yenye makorokoro kede wewe wee, usipime kwa nini nisianze kuwazia zile porojo za wanga na wachawi wanaotupa nuksi baharini. Hata hivyo niliomba ulinzi wa malaika na kuokota ile nguo nzito na kuiweka kwenye gunia langu. Kwani nilijua t-shirt ile ambayo haikuwa na nyuzi za asili pekee; haitooza haraka pale ufukweni.

Nilipoona gunia langu limefikia uzito ambao ilibidi niombe msaada kuurudisha mule kivulini. Muda ulitimia wa kuanza kupapasa papasa macho na kufurahia walichotuletea ANZA na Archipelago kwa siku hii. Palikuwa na kasri la raba la watoto kuchezea, kahawa asili kutoka kwa ‘Wamama Kahawa’ na mengine mengi yakujiburudisha. Yote haya ili kuhamasisha jamii ya pale na waliofika toka makazi mengine TZ, manufaa ya kuwa na fukwe isiyonuka na kujaa takataka. Nilipenda ujumbe uliokuwa kwenye mabango ya ‘Nipe Fagio’; ulitoa taarifa kama muda gani vitu mbalimbali vikutupwa huchukuwa kuoza, na vivyo kuirudisha ardhi kwenye uasilia wake.

MC Kiche the MC for this event he
also performed some of his tracks

Karatasi za kujifutia-wiki mbili hadi nne; maganda ya ndizi-wiki 3-4; magazeti -mwezi mmoja na nusu; maganda ya chungwa-mwaka 1 hadi 5; nyavu za uvuvi-miaka 600; nepi za kutupa-miaka 550; mabaki ya raba-miaka 50-80; vichwa vya sigara-miaka 10-12; mifuko ya plastiki-miaka 200-1000; chupa za plastiki-miaka 450.

Pia walitoa takwimu zikionyesha Dar es Salaam pekee yazalisha kilo milioni 4.4 za taka kila siku, huku jiji letu likishika namba 12 kwa uchafu duniani. Hizi fununu zilisaidia kutoa mwangaza wa jinsi gani urushaji ovyo ovyo wa takataka unaathiri mazingira yetu.

Hata hivyo cha kusikitisha bado dada Sarah alionekana akiokota takataka mule kivulini kutokana na taka zilizotupwa na waalikwa wa siku hii. Kama mabaki na maboksi ya chakula pia chupa za maji, japo palikuwa na jalala maalumu zilizoonyesha wazi, wapi pa kutupa plastiki, wapi raba n.k..

Lazima tumpongeze Da Sarah na wadhamini wote wa hafla haswa ukizingatia tangu Sarah alivyoanza tukio hili. Fukwe hii imesafishwa mara saba na mabadiliko yanaonekana, sema kama hatua hii itashika mizizi lazima jamii inayoishi pale haswaa Watanzania wenyeji. Wapate elimu ya kutosha ya athari za kutupa taka ovyo na jinisi mbadala ya kurusha taka zao.

Efforts like this need to be hailed however there’s still plenty to be done in terms of awareness. For instance this event was leaning heavy on entertainment forgetting the emphasis on environment. The speakers and MC could have spoken more on effects of hapless littering. Showing the dire effects to the eco system, the destruction of quality time with nature, outlining ways in which to better deal with waste from tips on composting to ways of recycling and possibly making money as a community from the non degradable waste of that area.

Thankfully Sarah does have future sustainable plans for the area “I would like to be able to landscape the public beach area (Msasani Beach) with facilities that the community needs. So after some months of observing what activities take place on our beach front, we're in the planning stage to put in an outdoor gym, a kids playground, a running path, a green waste compost heap and finally the kids football pitch which is a pile of rubble at the moment after the new storm drainpipe installation.

The heaps of garbage collected from Msasani
beach on this day that are non bio degradable

We plan to raise funds for this project through sponsorship and grants. This is the first step in seeing what we can do to give people in Dar es Salaam the Right to their City - so many public spaces are being taken up with grand high rises buildings, and less and less space is allocated to enjoyable public spaces which in turn make Dar es Salaam into a livable city.”

Well I wish her and team all the best meanwhile let’s be inspired by Sarah and take efforts to clean our own communities; the state of our city environment is crying for help lets listen and act!

Some issues of ANZA
architectural magazine on sale at the event


A banner by 'Made Urban' at the event from fine artist Mika of Morogoro Stores in DSM

And the kids got to enjoy some arts and craft
activities from 'Shark Face Gang'

Mswati now turning to spinning as the DJ for
this cool event last Saturday

Mzungu Kichaa spotted with his
daughter 'Olivia' supporting
his neighborhood clean
up at Msasani Beach

Products of 'Green Steps' all recycled from the local
'ndala'-flipflops on sale at the event with most of the
proceeds going to visually impaired children in TZ