victor

Is my host family’s son who is 13. He is very bright and loves to talk in English. I usually have a good time chatting with him about lots of different things. I had an interesting conversation with him about Tanzania’s development, or lack thereof, in contrast with other African countries and America. I am surprised at all the opinions a 13 year old can have. And I am also surprised that he knows enough, let alone cares enough, to be able to hold a conversation about the topic. Like I said, he’s very smart. His sentiments were mainly that Tanzania’s leaders have been stupid (his words, not mine) and have kept Tanzania from developing because of their stupidity. He talked about how all of the resources their country has to offer the rest of the world are owned by private white-owned companies. He was frustrated because Tanzanians are not in control of their own land, taking lead in the global market, and making huge steps towards development.

I’m not sure how much of what he said is true, but Tz is definitely still a developing nation with a long road ahead (if being like America or Europe is the goal). It was sad to hear him blame his nation’s leaders for their lack of progress. Of course, I can understand the desire to be developed…but I tried to relay to him the disadvantages to being a developed nation, to capitalism. This all brings up a lot of questions…and I’m realizing how uneducated I am in the arenas of economics, political science, and government. I would love some book suggestions anyone can give me so I can educate myself a bit!