‘TIA: This Is Africa’
Used to describe the laid-back, relaxed African way of living, ‘This is Africa‘ is a common phrase heard around the volunteer compound and in Dar es Salaam in general. Despite working on bongo time (African time), having TIA permanently etched into my brain, and adjusting to a less structured way of living, 5 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—without fail—is the time scheduled for the evening English class. Putting spelling and grammar aside, last Monday’s lesson was a little bit different. I decided to interview one of the students who regularly attends the class, Zabron. You see, I may know that Zabron can identify the subject, verb and object in a sentence, and I know that he can explain the difference between an adjective and an adverb, but I don’t know much about him. So I introduce to you Zabron Anthony…
Q: What is your name, and where do you live?
A: My name is Zabron Anthony. I live in Bagamoyo, Kiharaka Village, and have been residing there for nine years.
Q: And where did you grow up?
A: I was born in Shinyanga, and from there, it’s about 1,000km. My parents were living in poverty so they could not afford to send me to school. I have faced many challenges, but I am truly thankful for and enjoy the English classes.
Q: What is your everyday job?
A: My job is as a security guard in Mbweni. This job helps me pay my school fees, and I have only been working there since 2014 due to my school commitments. I plan to leave this job when I return to school. From my home to Mbweni is 2 hours because I walk but other days I use public transport. I don’t enjoy this job very much because of the low wages.
Q: Do you get a chance to practice what you learn at the English classes in your job?
A: A lot of people at my job only speak Swahili, and that is a challenge I have because they don’t like to learn things that help them to advance. However, at the moment, I prefer to learn from my phone, rather than in English class. I like looking at the lyrics of songs. When I have a chance, I watch the BBC, and when I do not have the opportunity to watch TV, I watch my phone. If I am busy at work, I listen to the radio so that I can learn the pronunciation and I aim to learn English and speak it like you.
Q: And how long have you been coming to the English classes?
A: I have been coming to these classes for a long time. I started with Art in Tanzania in 2014 for four months, but I left due to school commitments. I finished school last year so this year I came to AIT to improve my language because I like to know English.
Q: Is your school/college English speaking?
A: English is spoken at the college, and there is also French, but they favour English when they want people to join the college.
Q: And finally, what do you hope to do with English shortly?
A: In the Near future this English will help me to join the college next year, I am trying to learn good things that will help me in the future. I would like to visit England, but I don’t have the support. If I receive the support, it would be beneficial because I can meet more people who can help me learn. If it happens even for only one month, it will be really good.
“When I learn English, I have the opportunity to do a lot because it is an international language.“
Art in Tanzania volunteers and interns are working to help support and benefit
people within the local community. Providing English classes like these gives locals a chance to improve their understanding and competence within the language, overall
giving them more opportunities. To learn more about the education programmes offered by Art in Tanzania, please visit our website.
Asante sana,
Lily
