Saying Mpox ‘disease’ is to entertain tautology like saying cancer ‘disease’

Something quite adverse is happening to our human minds, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) that many among us, including scribblers, are letting it perform certain intellectual tasks for them. I understand you can even use it through an app called ChatGPT to pen an opinion piece for you—and append your byline to it and get paid. God have mercy on the human race!

We’ve stopped writing letters or even messages of love and affection to our cherished ones and instead, we search the Internet to provide us with something sweet messages and WhatsApp it. Few people want to spare a couple of minutes and key in something from their heart and convey it to those they love, respect or cherish. We’re too lazy to write even an expression as simple as Good morning; Ijumaa Kareem; Allow me to wish a Happy Idd or May I wish you a Happy Easter.

Call me old school if you like, but let me say this: I personally treat with disdain artificial, copycat, nay, pirated, unimaginative and—at times, forwarded—forms of salaam. I normally delete them immediately without bothering to respond. A greetings card is okay because, at least, it’ll address me at the top and at the bottom, bear the handwritten name or signature of the sender.

Having thus lectured (bah!), I’ll now proceed with doing what this column is all about, i.e. delivering to readers linguistic gems collected over the week. Here we go…

Page 5 of Thursday, March 20 edition of Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet has a story with a headline that reads, ‘Minister urges schools to launch digital math clubs.’ In this one, the scribbler purports to quote a public official as saying: “The University of Dar es Salaam…launched a six-month internship programme…to increase the number of science teachers in TANZANIA and ZANZIBAR.”

In Tanzania and Zanzibar? No, Siree! Why, the name Tanzania, short for United Republic of Tanzania, incorporates Zanzibar. However, if you’re keen on invoking the side of this Republic, formerly known as Tanganyika, then call it MAINLAND Tanzania. It means, the scribbler would have escaped criticism if he quoted his source as saying: “…to increase the number of science teachers in Tanzania,” or “…increase the number of science teachers in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar…”

On the same page, there’s another story entitled, ‘Kagera rejects proposed division of two constituencies, accepts renaming one.’ The scribbler writes in Para 4: “Kagera RC Fatma Mwasa called for a vote, with 98 percent rejecting the division….Meanwhile, 100 percent of the members agreed to rename Nkenge Constituency AS Misenyi.”

Hello! Rename Nkenge Constituency “as” Misenyi? That’s ungrammatical. Our scribbling colleague ought to have written: “…rename Nkenge Constituency Misenyi.”

And now, let’s deliver a couple gems from Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet of Saturday, March 22, whose Page 4 has a story entitled, ‘Villagers contribute 49.2m/= to build school,’ and therein, the scribbler writes in Para 3: “Coast Regional Administrative Secretary…expressed his appreciation during a recent visit to the village to inspect projects that will be highlighted during the upcoming National Uhuru Torch RACES next month.”

Hang on, Siree! The Uhuru Torch annual event in which the burning torch is carried by a select group of young people and cover all the 26 regions of Tanzania is just ONE (long) race. Which is to say, we can only talk of, say, this year’s National Uhuru RACE (not races).

Another story on the same page, is entitled, ‘Sumbawanga DC calls for public awareness campaign on Mpox DISEASE.’

To say Mpox (short for monkey pox) disease is engaging tautology, because Mpox is nothing else other than a disease. Just like it would nonsensical to say, “malaria disease!”

Ah, this treacherous language called English!