Research Paradigms and Methods
This project was conducted as part of the CIS 668 (Social Justice and Inclusion Advocacy) class during fall 2023 that involved collaborating with Bwagamoyo Africulture on establishing a community library and archive. On this page, I describe the environment and setting of Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
Paradigms
Bagamoyo, Tanzania is a village considered a National historic site of Tanzania by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania (Fabian). Recognized as culturally Swahili, this village represents many different cultural influences as a result of being used as a site of major trade for different empires over a few centuries in the region (Rockel). It is located on East Africa’s coastline 47 miles north of Dar-es-Salaam, the country’s capital. According to scholars, there is evidence to support that different ethnic groups including the Shomvi, Omani, Arab, German, and British occupied the region and traded there since the 18th century (Brown).
In 1961, prime minister turned first President, Julius Nyerere marked the nation’s break with British rule. Nyerere established socialist policies in order to lead the country towards a position of independence from a position of dependency on foreign aid. However, the 1980s saw a shift from socialism to capitalism.
According to the Borgen project and 2019 statistical data an estimated 5.1 million children between the ages of 7 and 17 are not in school; adolescent girls in Tanzania are least likely to receive a secondary education; two out of every five girls in Tanzania marry before the age of 18 and 97 percent of that population are not in school. Out of the 3,601 public secondary schools in Tanzania, only 75 schools accommodate children that require special needs education. The Primary School Learning Examination (PSLE) prevents 1.6 million students from entering secondary school each. School fees and transportation costs have also prevented children from advancing in education (Borgen).
In addition to these statistics access to free information and resources are limited. While public libraries exists, there are fees associated with their usage. Membership fees up to 100,000 tsh per year.
In this project, I am attempting to shift thinking around access to information and reading materials in Tanzania. While there are a few agencies and non-governmental organizations that are working to increase literacy and academic success in village communities in Tanzania, graduation rate remains nominal and reading materials are limited to students in schools.
Figure 1. President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere
Figure 2. President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere.
Research Methods
This project uses various different methods to collect and analyze data. First, we conduct a literature review to better familiarize ourselves with the social, political, cultural, and economic environment. Then we identify and interview key subjects and produce oral histories of the region to offer a contemporary perspective. Next, we survey and map points of access to information. This allows us to understand who has access to information and who does not. Then we analyze what kinds of resources are available in the area. Lastly, we work directly with local organizations to establish the resources.
Design Principles
While there is a lot of material supporting claims about the lack of education. I have not found much information about the lack of libraries and public resources. I will continue to do research in this area in various repositories to locate scholarly research material for my literature review.
I will also rely on interviews with locals in and around the Bagamoyo community. I am using my relationship with Bwagamoyo Africulture, a local performing arts group, to identify subjects who could speak on behalf of the community. We will conduct these interviews on the phone and by zoom. I would like to identify key sources of information in these interviews. Lastly, there are two organizations, the regional library located in the community of Bagamoyo and TaSUBA, a famous arts college.
Solutions
The solution is to establish a free library and archive with a local organization, Bwagamoyo Africulture. This place would house the books and other materials that will be freely available and accessible to the public. Africulture will also be responsible for the upkeep and protection of the materials. The archive will support the history making and keeping of the organization and will provide material for the application of funding proposals.
Brittanica. Biography of Julius Nyerere. Accessed January 8, 2023. Julius Nyerere | Biography, Philosophy, & Achievements | Britannica
Brown, W.T. (2016). Bagamoyo: Inquiry into an East African Place Name. Bigon, L. (eds) Place Names in Africa. Springer, Cham.
Fabian, S. (2013). East Africa’s Gorée: slave trade and slave tourism in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Africaines, 47(1), 95–114.
Owens, G. R. (2012). The Kamba War: Foundation Narratives, Ethnogenesis, and the Invention of the Zaramo in Precolonial East Africa. Ethnohistory, 59(2), 353–385.
Rockel, S. J. (2000). “A Nation of Porters”: The Nyamwezi and the Labour Market in Nineteenth-Century Tanzania. The Journal of African History, 41(2), 173–195.