Prime
The day Tanzania had eight-year-old ‘President Georgina’
Images of eight-year-young Georgina Magesa sitting (‘posing,’ perhaps?) in the Presidential chair on May 18 this year were widely published in assorted mass media organs.
I am ‘talking’ about the official/ceremonial presidential chair – complete with emblem and the words ‘UHURU NA UMOJA:’ roughly ‘Freedom and Unity’ in ki-Swahili – of the Union President-cum-Head of State-cum-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed and Security Forces of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Officially ‘occupying’ that Presidential Trophy currently is Tanzania’s first-ever woman President – the sixth in the respected Presidential series – Honourable Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Perhaps as the proverbial Sisters of Fate would have it, on May 18, 2023, the President made the rare decision to briefly – but very, very briefly – stand up and stepped aside, allowing ‘our Georgina’ to sit in the Presidential Chair! This was when the President was officiating at the launching in Dar es Salaam of a project to install towers for ‘Digital Terrestrial Television’ (DDT).
Apparently, the Azam Media Limited Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tido Mhando, had previously introduced Georgina to Dr Samia, no doubt telling her that young Georgina is only a Standard IV primary school pupil at the Academic International School in Dar es Salaam… Reportedly, Georgina has also had two books published, titled ‘Georgina in Zanzibar,’ and ‘Georgina na Mazingira’ (roughly ‘Georgina and the Environment’ [See ‘Mtoto aeleza sababu za kuutaka Urais;’ MWANANCHI: May 20, 2023].
Boy…! Can you imagine an eight-year girl-child not only having had two books published, but who has also being exuding confidence in her desire to be another female President of the United Republic? If nothing else, these achievements and ambitions by a primary school pupil who is less than ten years old are extraordinary, to say the least.
In the event, President Samia remarked of Georgina: “Ni katoto…kajukuu ka ki-Afrika…ambako kana mtazamo wa mbele – na mtazamo mkubwa.
Kameanza kuandika vitabu kwa umri ule…Mungu amkuze…Mungu amnyooshee afike pale anapotaka…” But, these achievements at a tender age are not particularly unique – or limited to our Georgina! Indeed, there have been an untold number of ‘Georginas’ – child prodigies, if you like – across the world, down the ages.
Take, for example, the Austrian Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) who was “a child prodigy par excellence, playing songs on the harpsichord at four years old – and composing simple music at five…” Widely regarded as the 19th-century equivalent of Mozart is German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) who “was musically-precocious at an early age, taking piano lessons at age six.
He made his first public performance at nine, and wrote his first composition at 11.
By 17 years, he had completed his Overture to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ “one of the Romantic period’s best-known, most-loved works of classical music…” Oh, we also had the American ‘Stevie Wonder’ (born blind as Steveland Judkins Hardaway Morris on May 13, 1950), who became a skilled musician in early childhood, learning to write music, sing and play the piano, organ, harmonica, and drums.
At 12, he began recording music and performing professionally, thus “establishing himself early as a serious musician who combined creative songwriting and mastery of disparate styles of music – including rhythm and blues, soul, funk, rock, and jazz.
In Tanzania, we now have Author and Dreamer Georgina and… and… and…Sorry, I’ve run out of editorial space here…
