Information, Youth, Culture and Sports minister Emmanuel Nchimbi
The Ministry for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, has extended the time in which the committee that was appointed to oversee the process of getting the official national dress, would accomplish the task.
The eight people committee, appointed December last year, was tasked with collecting public views and available proposals on the national dress that will act as one of the identities of Tanzania. The committee was given 75 days to conclude the process and submit its proposal to the ministry.
The time elapsed last Tuesday (February 28). But the Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi said in a statement on Thursday that he has extended the time for a month so as to enable the committee conclude the process which started way back in 2004.
The committee now has until March 28 to submit its report and proposal to the minister, revealed Dr Nchimbi. The minister revealed that he reached the decision after the committee had asked for more time to accomplish its tasks, citing among other obstacles the vast size of the country.
“Because of the vast size of the country, I have approved the committee’s request, also considering that the aim is to include as many Tanzanians as possible in the process,” said the minister. He said the process to get the national dress was going on well, revealing that the committee has so far conducted debates in two zones with a view to collect public opinion on the national dress.
Dr Nchimbi named the zones as northern zone which includes Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara regions and the lake zone which comprises Mwanza, Shinyanga, Mara and Kagera regions. The minister insisted that the aim to have a national dress for both men and women was to reinforce the national identity as it is for other countries.
The dress will also add up to other national identities such as the court of arm, national flag, the Uhuru torch, Kiswahili language, Kilimanjaro Mountain and the national anthem. The government through the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports started the process to get a national dress in 2004.
Source Tanzania Daily News
