DAR ES SALAAM: AS human beings, we have a love-hate relationship with trees. On the one hand, we see trees as our friend. They give us shade, fruits, medicines, firewood and charcoal, as well as building materials.
They assist supporting rainfall and in fertilising the soil. They help with preserving water sources, preventing soil erosion, cleaning our air, cooling our surroundings and protecting the soil.
They absorb carbon dioxide, give homes to animals, and help us feel less stressed. Being near trees lowers blood pressure and calms the mind. The list of advantages is much longer.
Yet, we seem, at the same time, to hate trees, especially in developing countries. In our urban areas, clearing trees is a noble action when one is allocated a plot for building. In the category of land and natural resources degradation in Africa, trees feature highly.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about 3.45 million to 4 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually in Africa. The “Conservation” asserts that Africa has the highest rate of forest destruction in the world.
It is thus comforting to read about the afforestation programmes going on in many parts of the continent. Ethiopia for example, is reported to be planning millions of trees every year.
This concern and love for trees, made the photograph appearing on page 16 of the Daily Blog of 23 July, very attractive, not just because it is huge and colourful, but also because it shows exemplary action being taken to plant trees. The photograph shows two officials, ladies at that, watering a tree that they had just planted on the grounds of a Primary School, with a number of pupils and their teachers watching; no doubt taking in the importance of tree planting. The caption tells it all:
“Tabora District Commissioner, UW, (left) and Puma Energy Tanzania Managing Director Ms FA plant a tree at Usule Primary School in Tabora ‘Municipal Council’ as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives during the launch of its 100th retail fuel station in Tanzania in Tabora yesterday”.
Was the tree planted in Tabora Municipal Council? Not quite! A Municipal Council is an institution, not an area. It is an elected local government body responsible for governing a town, city, or local district. It makes local laws, manages public services, and represents the community. It has a management on one side, and a representation structure (councillors) on the other.
So, where was the tree planted? My sincere belief if that it was planted in a “Municipality”, which is a defined area of a city, town, or local district that has its own local government and the power to self-govern.
This tasks us to change two key words: “Municipal Council”, into one, that is: “Municipality”; and re-write the caption, introducing a few other changes including punctuations and capitalisation of some words, as follows:
“Tabora District Commissioner, UW, (left) and Puma Energy Tanzania Managing Director Ms FA, plant a tree at Usule Primary School in Tabora ‘Municipality’, as part of the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, during the launch of its 100th retail fuel station in Tanzania in Tabora yesterday”.
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Turning to page 4 of the Custodian, of 23 July, one finds another colourful photograph with the following caption:
“Iringa ‘regional commissioner’ KJ (fore front, R) goes around pavilions shortly before the wrapping up of the Iringa Regional Farmers and Livestock Keepers Exhibition. This photo was run in yesterday’s issue but, owing to a technical hitch, with the wrong caption. We apologise for the oversight. Editor.”
The caption has a problem of syntax, that is, the way words are arranged. The following re-write is proposed:
“Iringa Regional Commissioner KJ (fore front, R) goes around pavilions shortly before the wrapping up of the Iringa Regional Farmers and Livestock Keepers Exhibition. This photo was run in yesterday’s issue but carried a wrong caption due to a technical hitch. We apologise for the oversight. Editor.”
Bye bye July! See you next year!
lusuggakironde@gmail.com.