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Lawmakers in plea for promotion of local cultural tourism
2008-07-12 10:01:42
By Hannah Mwandoloma, Dodoma
Legislators stood up in the House yesterday to market cultural tourism that is available in their respective constituencies, including traditional medices and local beers.
Debating budget estimates of the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources, the legislators complained that there were a number of cultural tourism issues that the minister had not mentioned in her budget speech.
Ambassador Getrude Mongella (CCM- Ukerewe) said there was a need for promoting traditional doctors who honestly cured people without using witchcraft.
Mongella declared to have been cured a hand fracture by a traditional doctor, noting that instead of people travelling to India for medical check-ups and treatment they could come to Tanzania and get treated by traditional doctors.
She added that there was a wonder stone in Ukerewe that dances and salutes visitors as residents order it to.
However, Mongella said Ukerewe had more than 15 traditional dances that go together with farming and fishing activities, adding that there were interesting cultures and customs and all ways of transportation.
``You can use water ways, road or even air but our infrastructure is killing the cultural tourism in Ukerewe, our airport is pathetic and we don\'t have any safe boats that we dare to ride tourists on,`` said Amb. Mongella
Riziki Lulida (CCM- Special Sats) also told the House that in Kilwa tourists can get to see hypos which talk to people adding that they can stand up and sit down as they are told.
Speaking of local beers as cultural tourism, legislator Yono Kevela (CCM- Njombe West) said there should be small industries to promote ulanzi (juice from bamboo trees) a traditional beer in Iringa as cultural tourism.
``Tourism includes drinks and food too, if we promote our traditional things tourists would want to travel and feel the taste of our local beers and food,`` said Kevela.
However, Fatma Mikidadi (CCM- Special Seats) said that there are five dinosaurs skeletons in German which belong to Tanzania noting that the government should take an immediate action to bring them back to the country.
``These giant lizards are kept in glass rooms in Germany and people book months before going to see them, I want to know how our country benefits from the revenue that Germany collects from our own lizards,`` she said devastatingly.
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