A people that cook and eat together stay together

There is an explanation. A close reading of the SoEAR 2008 gives you some pointers. As already noted, Tanzania has the highest percentage of hungry people in the region. Then, 26.2 million hectares of East African forest have been cut down in 15 years (1990-2005).

Tanzania accounts for 90 per cent of this deforested land. Rwanda is the only country in East Africa (indeed, one of the few in the world) that has been able to reforest — they have managed 48,000 hectares so far.

When you aren’t sure about where your dinner will come from tomorrow, you tend to be polite to your neighbours, which Tanzanians are.

However, Tanzania is by far the richest country in resources. For example, East Africa’s total energy potential is 91,000 GWh. Of this 53,700GWh is in Tanzania. The country has 30 per cent more commercial energy than all its partners combined.

Thus, while Ugandans and Kenyans might eat better than Tanzanians, in the decades to come, they will need Tanzania’s electricity to cook. It also has 45 per cent of the region’s renewable water resources. If you add gold and natural gas, Tanzania is East Africa’s resource king.

Now, in Africa, it is the man who has a lush garden of maize who wakes up at night to check that thieves aren’t stealing his crop. The man with no garden can afford to sleep soundly.

Tanzania has good reason to be suspicious of its neighbours — it is the peasant with the rich maize garden. In future, we shall return to our Rwanda and Burundi cousins.