Introducing UAVs to Zanzibaris

Written by Tanzania Flying Labs coordinator Yussuf Said Yussuf.

Scroll down for the English translation.

Tanzania ni Nchi inayopatika katika bara la Afrika, ni miongoni mwa nchi zinazotambulikana kama nchi za Afrika Mashariki.
Tanzania ni muungano wa nchi mbili Tofauti ambazo ni Tanganyika na Zanzibar (Visiwa vya Unguja na Pemba).

Hapana shaka, baadhi ya watu wake wamezoeya sana kuona ndege zinazotumika kusafirishia watu kutoka sehemu moja kwenda nyengine, na pia ndege ambao ni wanyama warukao angani.

Tukizungumzia suala la ndege zisizo na rubani, hazikuwa kwenye macho ya watu mnamo miaka miwili au mitatu nyuma, kwa sababu hazikuwa zikitumika sana katika mazingira ya wnaajamii wengi. Ila watu waishio pembezoni mwa bahari hasa maeneo ambayo shughuli za utalii zinafanyika, alau hupata fursa ya kuona ndege zisizo na rubani, ila si wote wanaotambua ni nini hasa wanachokiona, hubakia kwenye mshangao na kustaajabu sana.

Ndege hizi zisizo na rubani, katika masikio ya wengi basi zimekua katika sauti isiyo nzuri, kwa sababu ni matukio ya kivita tu ndio zimekua zikitajika kwa huku nchini kwetu, hasa katika mazingira niliyokulia hapa Zanzibar.

Mnamo mwaka 2015 mwishoni, Zanzibar ilianza kupata fursa adhim sana ambayo imekua chachu ya baadhi ya jamii kupata uwelewa kuhusiana na ndege sizizo na rubani na jinsi gani zinaweza kutumika katika kuleta faida ndani ya jamii ya watu, au taifa kwa ujumla, kwani tulipanga kupiga picha za anga katika visiwa vyote vya nchi ya Zanzibar.

kazi hiyo ilitufanya tupate fursa ya kutembea maeneo mengi ya visiwa vyetu, sehemu ambazo hata sisi wakaazi hatukuwahi kufika, tulipata fursa pia ya kupata marafiki na kufahamiana na watu wengi katika maeneo hayo, na wao pia walipata fursa adhim ya kujua yale ambayo wengine walipata kuyasikia tu katika masikio yao na wengine walipata kuona katika televisheni zao.

kwa kweli tulipata kazi ya kuwaelimisha watu ambao tulikutana nao katika mazingira yao kuhusiana na ndege zisizo na rubani na namna zinavyofanya kazi.

Haikua ajabu kukutana na watu wazima ambao walihofia hata kushika, kwa sababu ya fikra ya kupata madhara au kuhofia kuharibu ndege hizo, ila hatimae wapo ambao walifurahia hata kujifunza kwa uchache namna ya kurusha ndege hizo.
Kwa watoto ni hadithi nyengine kabisa, kwani kuna wakati huwa ni mshikemshike kila mmoja hataki kumpatia mwenzake fursa na yeye aweze kukamata ndege hizo.

Ulipita wakati ambao wengine walihisi ni ndege tu wa kawaida warukao angani, ila wengine walihisi ni kitu cha hatari kabisa mithili ya BOMU.

Kwa kweli tulipata bahati ya sisi kujifunza mengi kuhusiana na ndege zisizo na rubani na sisi kuwaelimisha jamii yetu japo kwa uchache kuhusiana na dege zisizo na rubani, na sasa watu za Zanzibar ambao walipata fursa ya kukutana na timu zetu wakati zipo kwenye zoezi la upigaji picha hizo basi hawatoshangaa tena wanapokutana na ndege zisizo na rubani.

PONGEZI KWA TIMU ZILIYOJITOLEA KUSHIRIKI ZOEZI LA UPIGAJI PICHA ZANZIBAR.

English:

Tanzania is a country within the African Continent, among those known as East African Nations, and is a union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (the Islands of Unguja and Pemba). Without any doubt, some of its people have seen airplanes before, and certainly plenty of birds in the sky.

When it comes to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) however, they were not in the eyes of people for the past two or three years, because they have not been used that much within society. Those who live in coastal areas, where tourist activities are ongoing, would witness UAVs from time to time, although they would usually not really know what they’re seeing and could only remain to wonder.

In most people’s ears UAVs do not sound good, because often they are mentioned in relation to a military point of view, especially in the environment where I grew up here in Zanzibar.

Late in 2015 however Zanzibar started to have the precious opportunity for its people to get a better understanding of UAVs, and how they can be used in a beneficial way for individuals, communities, and the nation as whole. A goal was set to map the entirety of the Zanzibar Islands using drone imagery.

This work gave us volunteers the opportunity to travel around different areas within Zanzibar, places where most of us have never even been before. We made new friends and got to know a lot of people, giving them a chance to learn and understand what UAVs are. Prior to this, most of these people had only heard of or seen UAVs on television.

Truthfully, the mapping teams had to set aside time specifically for the local people to teach them about UAVs, whenever we were mapping in their community.

It was not surprising to meet elders who were afraid to even touch the drones, fearing to break them or being harmed by them. Eventually however some of them were happy to learn even how launch an eBee drone. To the children however, the story is different. There were times when we had to use extra effort because children didn’t want to share the opportunity to touch or hold the UAV with their peers.

There was others who thought our UAV was a bird, and even others who thought it was something dangerous, like a bomb.

We’re lucky to have had a chance for ourself to learn many things about UAVs, and to be now passing these bits of knowledge to local communities. Those people who have had an opportunity to meet our teams while we were in the field, mapping our beautiful island, got chances to learn from our team directly about UAVs, and their many benefits to society.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAMS WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME MAPPING ZANZIBAR ISLAND!

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