Exactly. I am interested in keeping on discussing the matter.
Right. Let's keep the debate going then.
Mwaka 1985, timu ya mpira wa miguu ya Cameroon ilishinda kwa mara ya kwanza kwenye fainali za mashindano ya nchi za Afrika na zile za Kiasia. Fainali ilifanyika nchini Saudi Arabia. Baada ya Cameroon kushinda mechi, Saudi Arabia ilikataa kuipa Cameroon kombe kwa sababu walimchezesha mchezaji ambaye hakuwa raia wa Cameroon kwenye mechi ya kwanza iliyofanyika Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Mchezaji mwenyewe hakuwa mwingine bali kipenzi cha Waafrika, Roger Milla, who had showed up for the game with his French passport. Serikali ya Cameroon ilidai kuwa pamoja na kuwa na passport ya Ufaransa, Roger Milla bado alikuwa ni bona fide Cameroonian citizen ambaye alikuwa na haki, in fact the obligation, to defend the colours of his native land. Issue ilikuwa resolved baadae through high-level diplomatic exchanges na mediation ya FIFA.
Miaka kumi baadae serikali hiyo hiyo ya Cameroon ilimzuia another Cameroonian icon, the irascible novelist and critic Mongo Beti, from running for the 1997 parliamentary elections on grounds that he was not a Cameroonian. The reason? Wakati Mongo Beti aliporudi kutoka exile miaka michache kabla aliingia Cameroon kwa kutumia passport ya Ufaransa. Mpaka anakufa, serikali ya Cameroon iliendelea kumtambua Mongo Beti kama foreigner who was ceaselessly meddling in the affairs of his host country Cameroon.
Hizi incidents mbili tuu zinaweza kuonyesha how the schizophrenic and arbitrary nature nationality laws zinazotambua uraia mmoja can be. Kwa maana nyingine zinaweza kuonyesha faida ya kuwa na duo nationality kwa sababu the nationality law is generally enforced only when it is in the interest of the regime in power.
Sababu pekee ya Mongo Beti kukataliwa kuwa raia wa nchi yake was because he was a virulent critic of the then President and his regime. Nafikiri hii imeshamtokea pia Keneth Kaunda, pamoja na kwamba he was the first President of independent Zambia and ruled the country for decades. Hata Tanzania, mtu akileta chokochoko dhidi ya watawala cha kwanza wanachoangalia ni uraia wake. Refer cases of Generali Ulimwengu, Bashe na wengine.
Inawezekana kwa Tanzania bado hatujafika stage ya incidents za Cameroon lakini tutafika hasa pale kizazi ambacho kimekulia nje ya nchi kitakapoamua kurudi Tanzania. Possibility, ni kwamba wengi watakataliwa kuwa Watanzania kama wataanza kuwa critics wa watawala. Hata sasa wapo wengi tuu ndani ya CCM ambao wana uraia wa nchi mbili na wanajua wazi kuwa kama wakikihama chama hicho na kujiunga na chama cha upinzani lazima watakiona.
A leading Ugandan dual citizenship proponent pointed out during Uganda's debate on dual citizenship a couple of years ago that "If dual citizenship is easily available in all of Africa, then it would allow expatriates to return and invest in their birthplace, entice foreign investors and promote cross-border cooperation." Hizi ni grounds ambazo zinatumiwa na watu wengi wanaunga hoja ya duo nationality.
Ukiangalia calls nyingi za dual nationality across Africa are also driven by a growing recognition that the African diaspora is making immense contributions kwa uchumi wa nchi zao na kwamba contribution itaongezeka kama nationality laws are liberalized This was the stance taken by Ghana when it finally adopted the Dual Citizenship Regulation Act on July 3, 2002.
Speaking at the time, Dr. Addo-Kufuor, the then acting Minister of the Interior said that "The legislation is a tribute to the great support Ghana has received from her citizens who have been living beyond her shores over the years. This support has been in the areas of economic, technical, social and infrastructural development … The [Diaspora] contribution of 400 million dollars cannot be treated lightly, and so the importance Ghana attaches to [Diaspora] cannot be overemphasized."
Nakumbuka kipindi kile Marekani ilikuwa inaongoza duniani kwa kuwa na madaktari wengi kutoka Ghana. Wengi walikuwa wanaenda kusoma Marekani lakini baada ya kumaliza shule walikuwa hawarudi Ghana. Mpaka ikatokea complain that the West was stealing African intellectuals na kuziacha nchi za Afrika bila wajuzi. Maana kipindi kile waliokuwa wakiona unafaa wala walikuwa hawasubiri uombe uraia. Walikuwa wanakuletea kila kitu.
Hivi karibuni niliangalia documentary moja ya Waafrika ambao wameishi nje ya nchi zao kwa muda mrefu na baadae kuamua kurudi kwao na ku-invest. Wengi wa walio-feature kwenye hiyo documentary walikuwa ni Waghana na raia wa South Afrika. Kama Waghana waliamua kurudi kwa sababu ya kuanzishwa kwa dual citizenship sijui, lakini it may have played a significant part kwa sababu ali-feature Mkenya mmoja mwenye kampuni Marekani akadai alitaka kurudi Kenya kuanzisha a branch lakini akaamua kusubiri kwanza aone kama Kenya wangeanzisha duo citizenship. Pia how about
The Boss (siyo yule wa JF) Kevin-Prince Boateng? Dual nationality haikusaidia kuchezea Ghana na kusaidia kuiweka Ghana kwenye ramani ya mpira kimataifa?
Others have argued that dual citizenship is embodied in the concept of Pan-Africanism, which promotes the cooperation among and integration of the African people. Pan-African leader Marcus Garvey notably said: "Africa for the Africans – those at home and those abroad." Kama mtu anaunga mkono Pan-Africanism ataji-contradict kama hataunga mkono duo citizenship.
Lakini kwangu mimi naliangalia suala zima la dual citizenship from a moral point of view. Whether kuna faida za kiuchumi nor not, sioni why it should be immoral kuwa na dual citizenship. Ukiangalia dual citizenship debate focuses on first generation immigrants who still have direct ties to their countries of birth. Lakini tukiangalia hili suala kwa mapana zaidi kuna aina mbili za African Diaspora. Kundi la kwanza linahusu wale waliochukuliwa involuntary kutoka Afrika in the slave trade aka historic African Diaspora. Kundi la pili linahusu wale waliondoka Afrika voluntarily to emigrate elsewhere in the world: the modern-day African Diaspora.
With regard to the second group, there is an increasing interest in the children and grandchildren of these immigrants who are born in these foreign countries, and who have only a tenuous link to their parents' countries of birth. In this case, dual citizenship offers an incentive to reconnect with their roots. I believe that there should always be a moral right to return for these people.
Kuhusu kundi la kwanza (historic African Diaspora) naamini pia they should have a moral right to return. Tena hivi karibuni kuna kampuni (African Ancestry) (
African Ancestry - Home: Trace Your DNA. Find Your Roots. Today.) ime-develop a DNA test which can authenticate genetic linkage to African ethnic groups and the country in which that ethnic group now resides. Hiyo test ina-indicate sehemu ambayo ancestors wa mhusika walichukuliwa wakati wa biashara ya utumwa. The test establishes a scientifically verifiable link to a specific African country or countries, since tests often reveal multiple ethnic heritages located in more than one country.
Nchi za Kiafrika ambazo zimekubali kuwapokea hawa watu kama ikidhibitishwa kwa DNA kuwa their ancestors came from those countries include Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, each representing greater than 15% of results). Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Liberia and Senegal represent between 5-10% of results. Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, South Africa and Sudan each represent less than 5% of results.
Inawezekana Tanzania tumekataa kumpokea mtu yoyote ambaye ancestors wake walichukuliwa kama watumwa wakati huo simply because we don't believe in dual citizenship? Do you think that there is a moral right for these people to return to their roots (bila kupoteza their current citizenship) if they wish too? Kama unaona ni sawa wao kurudi kwa ancestors kama wakitaka, what a justification is there kwa wao kuuvua kwanza uraia walio nao sasa ili wapewe uraia wa Tanzania?