Uhuru Torch Celebration Honors Kinesi Village Tree Nursery

The Uhuru torch run is an annual event in Tanzania that involves carrying a lighted torch, like the Olympic torch, through locations all around the country.  Each year, a social message or campaign is promoted, for example, the campaign against HIV/AIDS.  This year, the message is environment protection and its relationship to the national economy.

The origin of the event dates from the pre-independence years of Tanzania (then called Tanganyika) and a speech the father of the nation, Julious Nyerere, made in parliament with these words: “We, the people of Tanganyika, would like to light a candle and put it on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro which would shine beyond our borders giving hope where there was despair, love where there was hate and dignity where there was before only humiliation.”

Global Resource Alliance’s Nyamunga tree nursery and permaculture training center in Kinesi Village was selected as an outstanding example of environmental stewardship and as a venue for the Uhuru torch celebration.
Madaraka Nyerere, son of Julius Nyerere and Executive Director of Global Resource Alliance – Tanzania, gave a short report on GRA projects to approximately 250 peopleattending the event including government officials, students, villagers, police and members of the military.

Obadia Magige, GRA tree planting coordinator, gave a tour of the plot and nursery to the guest of honor, Mr. Amour Hamad Amour, and his colleagues and introduced every specie of tree in the nursery and explained our commitment to environmental protection and education.After the tour, the guest of honor and other dignitaries planted trees in the plot to commemorate GRA’s work and the distribution of half a million trees in the area over the past several years in partnership with WeForest, Belgium. The event was shown on local TV and covered by several local news agencies.