State Rep. Holmquist returns from Africa

Lawmaker part of delegation that visited nation of Tanzania

A 10-day excursion into the heart of Africa ended for state Rep. Janea Holmquist, who returned last week from Tanzania, a nation of 33 million people on the eastern edge of that continent.

"I fell in love with the African people," Holmquist said. "They were very welcoming and they were excited to see us. I am planning on going back to Africa on my own during a holiday."

Holmquist took part on a trip organized by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, a bipartisan non-profit organization from Washington D.C. Six other state legislators and mayors went with her to Africa.

The trip took the delegation throughout the country, from the capital city of Dar es Salaam, to cities such as Mwanza, rural villages and to the island of Zanzibar.

During their visit, Holmquist said the delegation could see the semblance of a nation building a democracy from the ground up after decades of one-party rule.

For Holmquist, Tanzania's nine-year-old democracy has a certain edges to be smoothed out. Allegations of irregularities abounded during the last elections, and a system to make sure future referendums are fair has been set up.

"They are headed in the right direction," she said.

Holmquist described the economy of Tanzania as one of immense potential, with shortcomings to match. She recalls describing central Washington's irrigation systems to the local authorities, and seeing the awed expressions on their faces.

"They eat well when it rains and when it doesn't they starve," Holmquist said. "Developing the infrastructure to irrigate would be key."

The lawmaker made a parallel between the area's irrigation system and the difficulties of the Tanzanian growers. Calling the Basin's systems "amazing," Holmquist said that if it was not for that irrigation system, local growers would be facing the same challenges as their African counterparts.

Many of the municipalities did not have running water or sewer, she said. The building of infrastructure is still a challenge for Tanzanians, despite the country's richness in natural resources, which could translate into dollars if utilized.

Holmquist mentioned metals such as diamonds, silver, tanzanite and cobalt and crops such as rice among the resources waiting to be developed. Another important part of getting the Tanzanian economy off the ground would be to educate and train the work force, she said.

The recipe for future success, Holmquist said, is based on public and private partnerships, given that unless resources are pooled, there will not be enough capital to move projects forward.

That might prove to be a large task, Holmquist said, as the educational system faces daily challenges, from a shortage of books to holding classes in unfinished buildings. A Washington state program donating books to Tanzanian children is in the works, Holmquist said.

Holmquist highlighted the sense of community and the positive attitude of the Tanzanian people when faced with these trials. "The kids walk for miles to school with a smile on their faces," she said, adding that if American children were asked to do the same, smiles would be in short supply.

Villagers come out in large numbers when it is time to come together, Holmquist said. "When a village has something to do or welcome someone, it is the whole village (that does it)" she said.

Though by definition these villages are considered rural, nobody told cellular phone merchants about it, Holmquist said, as most everybody carries one. "They were everywhere," she said, noting the absence of land telephone lines, as well as more basic services, contrasting with the presence of the phones.

Back after a 24-hour trip from Dar es Salaam, Holmquist said Americans should not take for granted the democracy and their rights as citizens of the United States and the state of Washington, as well as the public services seen as the rule here and as the exception in Tanzania.

"We take for granted that we have electricity, water, sewer, and garbage collection," she said.