TANZANIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION - OSLO
The Farewell Speech to the Home Returning TASAO Members – 2007
To the Guest of honour, Mrs. Michele Nysæter – Senior Executive Officer and Quota Students Coordinator from the University of Oslo,
Distinguished guests,
Friends and Family and,
Of course, the graduating colleagues of 2007,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Farewell Speech to the Home Returning TASAO Members – 2007
To the Guest of honour, Mrs. Michele Nysæter – Senior Executive Officer and Quota Students Coordinator from the University of Oslo,
Distinguished guests,
Friends and Family and,
Of course, the graduating colleagues of 2007,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to say “habari zenu” (Hello) to every body.
Dear guest of honour
On behalf of the TASAO leadership, the outgoing and the remaining members I would like to say thank you for accepting our request to be the guest of honour today. With one heart, we say Ahsante na Karibu sana! (Thank you and you are very much welcomed) to our First TASAO Farewell Party – 2007.
TASAO is an acronym that stands for Tanzanian Students Association - Oslo was established on 6th of January, 2007. Currently it has 35 members among which some are seated in our midst and soon will be leaving for home – Tanzania after completing their studies from various learning institutions in Oslo. As for now, our organization is not yet registered but we look forward to have it registered as soon as possible.
The motives behind starting our organization among many other were to;
To foster unity and friendship among Tanzanians studying in Oslo
To provide a forum for discussion of issues pertaining to Tanzanian students in Oslo
To promote understanding between TASAO and other organizations
To foster cultural and social ties with all peoples of Tanzanian descent in and around the Oslo community
To promote solidarity of Tanzanians with other foreign students
To help incoming Tanzanian students settle and achieve their educational objectives while in Oslo community
To strengthen and consolidate the existing friendly relationship between Tanzania and Norway
To act on other matters related to the aims and objectives as stated above
Our being here is part of the implementation of those objectives.
To the Guest of honour!
We would like to ask you to convey our sincere thanks to the government of Norway through the QUOTA state fund Office for their support to us. We appreciate of their financial assistance which contributes a lot to our upkeep in this country. These students whom we are gathered here for are some of the beneficiaries of the program. Everybody understands that education and especially higher education in Europe is expensive, and if we were to pay everything from our pocket, very few of us could afford. Thanks to QUOTA that has continued giving us a hand of support to study in Norway. We also request this body to continue supporting students from developing countries as most of these countries are not able to finance their students.
Now let me say something to our colleagues who will soon be returning home – Tanzania.
To the leaving students
First and foremost we would like to congratulate you for your achievements and the levels of education you have attained. We understand that it was not easy for you to climb the ladder of education, but by God’s grace and your personal effort you have made it. Once again we say congratulations.
You have today gathered us here to celebrate with you one of the great days of your lives. You are leaving and you all are commencing—you are beginning. Today is your birthday, the birthday of practicing what you have acquired from school. We participate today in the rite of passage by which you are released from this life of preparation into that life for which you are now as prepared as anyone ever is.
Remember, every life speaks to the power of what can be done. The level of education you have attained should not make you relax and assume that the world is all around you. Your PhD without publications will be useless; your master degree without reasonable output will be a shame to your lectures and wastage of your days that you have spent here in Oslo. Our nation, your family and friends all look up to you with great expectation upon your return. They are expecting to see the good bestowed fruits of Norway coming out of you. Failure to deliver the best is letting down the education offered by the Norwegian academic institutions and the resources that have gone into educating you in these institutions.
As the great writer James Baldwin said: "…Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you have to do is put it on your head…." And so is your education someone, somewhere paid for it, make use of it for the benefits of our nation – Tanzania and the world at large.
Dear outgoing TASAO members!
As you stand at the gate of the future, we would like to share with you a piece of information about the life ahead of you. Turn your wounds into wisdom. You will be wounded many times in your life. You will make mistakes in your new offices and various places of work. Some people will call them failures but get to learn that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just but an experience, just an experience.
Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event over which we have no control and deal with it and then move on with our lives. It helps distinguish us from animals. No matter what hyenas sound like, they are not actually laughing.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are difficulties you are going to meet from here on, one of them is unemployment. But as said before, laugh at it and take action to counteract it. School has taught us to become very self reliant, remember the “Siasa Ya Ujamaa na Kujitegemea” policy. Though it looks like one of the dead policies, still its values hold water. The era of relying on the government for our daily bread are now over, we need to stand on our own feet and cultivate the earth for out of it comes the bread. Make use of your knowledge to earn your bread. We know that some of you are looking forward to be employed by certain organizations, do not be surprised that your dreams of being employed by that organization turns into a nightmare. However, do not give up press on another door will open somewhere.
To the women, Norway has been a good example of how women fight for their rights. We have seen their achievements from school point of view to politics. They are highly impressive. If you were looking for an example, you have got it; Norway is the best example to follow. Understand: every attack on a woman for not knowing her place is an attack on you. Don't underestimate yourself, but come forth and stand for the women’s rights. Do not let men take your positions just because you are not able, who said that?
Lastly but not least we are all aware of the corruption problem in our country. Let us be the watchdog to this problem. To avoid its temptation, we need to learn to be contented. The desire to have in excess is what has made many elite people engage into corruption. We urge you therefore to act like none of them, be good examples where people can learn from the good values of life.
With these words I (We) want to say FAREWELL DEAR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS!!
We will miss you. One way or another, you have had quite an impact on this place and our life in general. And you will leave quite a big gap here. We shall remember you for being responsible. We shall remember you for being supportive and very concerned over fellow students’ / Tanzanians’ affairs. We shall always remember the way you helped us when we got stuck academically and for the orientation you gave us around the Oslo City! Most of all, we will remember you for being great persons to have around. We say thank you so much and wish you a prosperous life and a safe journey back home.
God bless TASAO! God bless Tanzania, AMEN!
The President,
Tanzanian Students Association – Oslo
30thApril, 2007
