Tanzania inatumia uzimaji wa mtandao kama silaha. Watanzania wazungumza.

PUBLISHED: 19 December 2020LAST UPDATED: 23 March 2023

Read the English version.

Nchi ya Tanzania imejipata katika orodha ya mataifa zinazotumia ukatizaji wa mtandao kama silaha dhidi ya wananchi wao wakati wa uchaguzi. Katika wakati uliojiri kabla uchaguzi wa kirais Oktoba 28 2020, mashirika yanayohusika na mawasiliano yalichukua hatua mbalimbali kukatiza haki za kidijitali za wananchi wa Tanzania. Shirika la Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), haswa kwa maagizo ya uongozi wa Magufuli liliamrisha mashirika yanayotoa huduma za kusambaza intaneti na mawasiliano kuweka vifaa vya kuchuja mawasiliano katika mtandao kutoka shirika la kiisraeli, Allot, na kisha kasababisha msuosuo wa mitandao ya kijamii Twitter, WhatsApp na Telegram siku moja kabla ya uchaguzi. 

Shirika la TCRA awali liliamrisha watoa huduma za mtandao kukatiza matumizi ya jumbe fupifupi na mawasiliano ya kisauti, Watanzania wakibaki bila njia murua za kuwasilana. Kwa sasa, mashirika haya bado yamezuia mtandao wa kijamii wa Twitter na wananchi hawajaweza kuutumia mtandao huo bila kutumia VPN, ambazo pia uongozi umepiga marufuku. 

Hatua hizi zinadhuru haki za kibinadamu za WaTanzania, zikiwemo uwezo wa kuafikia habari na Uhuru wa kujieleza. Kutumia Shutdown Stories project, Access Now imenakili ripoti mbalimbali utakavyoona ili kuonyesha jinsi ambavyo kuzimwa kwa mtandao kunaadhiri maisha ya wananchi kikazi, kimasomo, kibiashara na katika mahusiano. Imeonekana wazi kwamba kuzimwa kwa mtandao kunaadhiri pakubwa maisha ya wananchi. Uongozi wa Tanzania umekatiza uwezekano wa wananchi kuafikia habari mbalimbali na wa kuhusika kwa uchaguzi, pamoja na kuadhiri maisha ya wananchi ya kila siku na operesheni za kibiashara.

Tupa jicho sasa kwa baadhi ya habari zinazoonyesha jinsi ambayo kuzimwa kwa mtandao unaadhiri maisha ya wananchi wa Tanzania.  Kunazo njia pia ambazo wewe msomaji unaweza kuangazia madhara haya kwa niaba ya walioadhirika. 

Raul Gil ni mwanafunzi katika Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam na pia ni mwandishi wa habari. Anatumia mtandao kawaida kwa kutekeleza kazi zake za kishule na kupata dondoo mbalimbali za habari.Raul vilevile ni mbunifu wa vitu vya urembo na hutumia mitandao ya kijamii kutangaza biashara yake. Shughuli hizi zote ziliadhirika mtandao ulipozimwa.

Shutdowns have greatly affected my ability to communicate, because at times I send messages and they don’t get through to the intended party, and on social media, I cannot send or receive photos. My business is also suffering because I use social media and the internet as a marketing tool.

Kama mwalimu na influencer, Godfrey Abely Magehema alijipata katengwa kutokana na taarifa chungu nzima wakati wa uchaguzi kwa vile mtandao ulizimwa.

I have not had access to reports and information during the elections period. I am a social media influencer. Not having internet access has affected how much I update my feed.

Zainabu Makombe ni mkurugenzi wa shirika linalojishughulisha na haki za watoto. Kuzimwa kwa mtandao kuliadhiri pakubwa shughuli za shirika hilo.

I am the director of an organization that deals with children’s rights. [The internet shutdown] affected the organization’s reporting and communication processes.

Kibiriti Ngoma ni mwanasheria na mjasirimali na hutumia mtandao kama njia mojawapo kupata biashara na wateja. Mtandao ulipozimwa, Kibiriti na wateja wake iliwabidi kutumia VPN ambazo watu wengi hawana uzoefu wa kuzitumia na pia wakati mwigine inalazimu kuzilipia.

Shutdown victim story: I have been greatly affected by the shutdowns. I have missed several work opportunities, for instance, I could not submit my applications within the deadlines issued by recruiters and employers... My business has also been affected as I am an entrepreneur and I primarily market my wares on social media sites. When there was no internet connectivity, I could not send or post photos to my clients; and whenever the photo would send, the recipient was unable to download it without the use of a VPN.

Kigogo alitatizika sana na shida zilizokumba mawasiliano kutokana na amri zilizotolewa na serikali ambazo ziliadhiri mtandao pamoja na SMS.

Shutdown victim story: I could not connect to Twitter and several other sites. [I could not send] SMSs with certain words, such as Tundu Lissu, Election, Protests, etc. Personally, I need telecommunication channels to remain open so as to carry out my business. Surely when they curtail internet connectivity and block news reports, one cannot send more than ten SMSs per day… it’s a huge problem! It feels like we are living in 2002 instead of 2020!

Idd Ninga anafanya kazi za jamii Arusha, Tanzania. Kuzimwa kwa mtandao kuliadhiri uwezo wake na haki yake  kupata habari mbalimbali katikati ya wakati muhimu wa uchaguzi. Alishangaa sana kuwa wananchi hawakupata taarifa kabla ya mtandao kuzimwa.

Shutdown victim story: The act of shutting down internet services has violated my right as a Tanzanian citizen to the access of information, especially during an election period; it has been extremely difficult to stay apprised of what is happening, especially because not everyone has access to traditional media forms—such as television and radio—at all times. Some of us also do a lot of work online and [internet] shutdowns made it very difficult to perform our duties, affecting even our turnaround times. Work that would normally take a couple of days would end up taking two weeks to complete.

Zaituni Njovu,anayefanya kazi za jamii aliadhirika kisaikolojia kwa vile kuzimwa kwa mtandao kuliadhiri kila kipengele cha maisha yake

Shutdown victim story: I was not able to communicate and I also did not finish my training practicals. I have not had access to the news/information relating to the election period and my right to communicate with other people has been taken away from me. The democratic exercise was ignored during the election period and my economic wellbeing was put at risk as I was not able to complete assignments on time.

Katika kazi zake kama Community Coordinator Dodoma, Tanzania, Maria kawaida hutumia simu na tarakilishi kuendeleza kazi zake. Mtandao ulipozimwa alishindwa kuendeleza kazi zake. 

My work has been greatly affected as we mostly work online; we have been unable to reach our audience on time, we have suffered huge losses.

Kuzimwa kwa mtandao kulimsikitisha Florah Amon, mwanahabari ambaye kazi yake hutegemea mtandao.

I have had to shut down my business because I carry out my sales online. I also experienced problems with my work as I had to be in the office physically while I would ordinarily write reports on my mobile phone and send them to the office as I do other things.

Christina Gauluhanga ni mwandishi Tanzania. Uzimaji wa mtandao uliwaadhiri kikazi yeye na waandishi wenzake.

The internet shutdowns have caused a breakdown in our office communication due to the fact that writers [depend heavily on] the internet to communicate amongst ourselves. I have not been able to send stories and browse the internet.

Kidawa Mwakaseko ni mwanaharakati wa maswala ya usalama mtandaoni. Aliwafunza jamaa na marafiki wake kutumia VPN.

My communications via social media and email have been affected. For about a month, I have not been able to receive important work related information from my family, friends, and colleagues. I have been urging my friends and family to use VPNs at all times so as to remedy lack of services from various programs and websites.

Unavyoweza kusaidia

Mwaka wa 2020 pekee uongozi wa Togo, Burundi, Guinea, Belarus na Myanmar umesababisha msuosuo wa mtandao na mawasiliano wakati wa uchaguzi. Hatua hizi zinaathiri haki za wananchi husika za kujieleza, kuafikia habari na za kuhusika katika uchaguzi- unaweza kusaidia kukomesha matukio ya aina hii.

Saidia  kuupa sauti ushauri wa  #KeepItOn coalition kwa uongozi mbalimbali duniani kusitisha matumizi ya uzimaji wa mtandao kukiuka haki za wananchi vifuatavyo;

Sambaza makala haya katika mitandao ya kijamii kutumia hashtag #KeepItOn na #InternetShutdown kuangazia madhara ya kuzimwa kwa mtandao kwa maisha ya wananchi husika. Unaweza pia kuretweet @AccessNow hapa.

Sambaza fomu ya hadithi za kuzimwa kwa mtandao kwa jamaa na marafiki zako ili kutusaidia kupata ushuhuda zaidi; ili kuendeleza harakati zetu; ambazo zaweza kutumika kama ushahidi wa madhara kortini na barazani mbalimbali kimataifa.

Jielimishe

#KeepItOn ni kampeni ya kimataifa inayohusisha zaidi ya mashirika 220 duniani ambayo yameungana kupiga vita uzimaji wa mtandao kupitia maelimisho, msaada wa kiteknolojia, msaada wakisheria na kadhalika.

Iwapo una maswali zaidi yanayohusu kuzimwa kwa mtandao, sikiliza podcast yetu wa KillSwitch.