Learning outside the classroom at ESRF
Saira Ali worked on the Afya Yako health misinformation project and asked how Tanzania's history shapes its civil society.
School and education are often seen as sources of abundant knowledge and information. Although, I have learned that my enthusiasm for learning is not bounded by the walls of an institution. Interning abroad is more than just a cool thing to put on your resume. It has allowed me to see that while I can sit in lectures learning about the world around me, I’m not fully satisfied with my education if I haven’t driven myself to see it for myself.
I have spent a total of 6 weeks interning for the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Throughout my time, I have learned much about the country’s history, economic and social problems, culture, and way of life. For most of my time, I was engaged with the Afya Yako project on health misinformation. It was interesting to see the project’s supply and demand approach to solving poor health services, from focusing on empowering citizens to keep authorities and providers accountable. It allowed me to reflect on the concept of civil society and how it exists in Tanzania. As I met people, in and out of the office, it was interesting to see how Tanzanian people didn’t use politics as a table conversation. It especially stood out to me as a New Yorker where you are bound to see politics seep its way into the conversation between a pair of friends you happen to eavesdrop on at a cafe. As the protests on taxes in Kenya occurred in the same period range as the protests at the Kariokoo market in Dar’s city center, I started to inquire more about how civil society is shaped by the historical development of Tanzania post-independence. I began to ask questions to project members and other academics in the office, allowing me to puzzle together the observations I made in my day-to-day life in the city. I wanted to know why did I see portraits of Samia Suluhu Hassan at a supermarket, or why did Tanzanians take pride in their Swahili being better than Kenyan’s. While these seem like simple mental notes, they lead up to a bigger picture that paints why Tanzania faces certain issues and overcomes others. The best part of working on a project about Tanzanians in Tanzania was that it encouraged me to be my very own detective. I didn’t just observe, I wanted to inquire on why. And while I had Google, any article I read couldn’t have made me understand it better than hearing and seeing the several answers and perspectives juggled in front of me. It forced me to think, reflect, make conclusions, scratch them, and start all over again.
While my time in Tanzania would be classified as a career development experience. It feels inappropriate for me to say my experience was only a building block for my academic and professional future. From weekend trips to Zanzibar and Bagamoyo, or taking daladalas to Saba Saba, I learned that I enjoy connecting with the very people who are impacted by the issues ESRF works with. From conversations with locals at the beach or at the lunch spot around the corner from the office (if you know, you know), what made this experience meaningful was knowing that projects like Afya Yako couldn’t be without the people I met on this trip. I’m grateful for this internship because it has shown me that while I’m eager to develop my career in international or regional affairs, it is important to me that the work I do makes a difference in the world, even if some call it tiny.