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Govt slaps ban on production and circulation of tourism CDs
2008-04-17 10:36:53
By Lydia Shekighenda, Dodoma
The government yesterday suspended production and circulation of tourism discs (CDs) widely blamed for distorting the history of Zanzibar.
The discs, which publicize the country`s tourist attractions, were distributed to the legislators but were later found to have wrong information on the history of Zanzibar.
Natural Resources and Tourism minister Shamsa Mwangunga told the National Assembly that the government had suspended circulation of the CDs, produced by the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), in order to make some corrections on the history of Zanzibar.
In the last Bunge session, MP for Dimani-CCM, Hafidh Ali Tahir, said the CDs were distorting the isles history by indicating that Zanzibar obtained its independence in 1963 and immediately united with Tanganyika.
The MP said the CDs skipped crucial and historical information on the Zanzibar revolution.
He had asked the Speaker of the National Assembly to instruct the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism to remove them from circulation and send them back for correction.
The MPs had also wanted the minister to give detailed explanation in Parliament.
Mwangunga yesterday admitted that they had detected some problems in the CDs, especially in the introductory part which describes the country`s history.
The minister said that the statement, as indicated in the CDs that Tanzania originated from the Union of the two sides-Tanganyika and Zanzibar, in 1964, was incomplete.
``Zanzibar attained independence in 1963, the event which was followed by a revolution in 1964, and then the formation of the United Republic of Tanzania,`` Mwangunga said.
The minister also directed TANAPA to produce new CDs on the country`s tourist attractions, with a true history of Tanzania.
Mwangunga added that she had already directed Tanapa and other tourist institutions to establish a system which would allow for the verification of all adverts.
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