Milestone as Yanga launch club history book

Dar es Salaam. Mainland Tanzania Champions, Young Africans (Yanga), have reached another milestone by launching a history book that showcases the entire history of the club since its establishment.

The book, titled "Klabu Yetu, Historia Yetu" (Our Club, Our History), was launched over the weekend by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Doto Biteko, who represented President Samia Suluhu Hassan, initially named as the chief guest of honour.

In addition to the Deputy Prime Minister, the event was also attended by Deputy Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Hamis “Mwana FA” Mwinjuma, National Sports Council (NSC) chairman, Leodgar Tenga, and Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) president, Wallace Karia.

Speaking at the occasion, Biteko commended the club for the achievement, saying the move will allow different generations to learn about the club's history and other related aspects. The book contains 251 pages.“This is a milestone as the book will be in the National Library and allow various generations to learn about its history. I call on others to follow what Yanga has done,” said Biteko.

Biteko also congratulated Yanga’s management for trusting local writers to prepare the book. The local writers were chaired by Mudhihir Mudhihir who is the former Deputy Minister of Sports.

Other writers were Theophil Makunga, James Mhende, William Shao, Joseph Kulangwa, and Amir Mhando.

“I am very pleased to see this committee includes experienced writers. Personally, I love reading, and from now on, I will set aside time to read this book,” said Biteko.

Yanga’s president, Hersi Said, thanked the committee chairman, Mudhihir, and other members for their excellent work in preparing this historical book.

He said their leaders trusted them with this responsibility, and history will continue to remember them.

"Apart from hard copies, the book will also be available on our digital platforms, including the Yanga App, where you can read it on your phone or computer."

For his part, TFF’s president, Wallace Karia, commended the club for preparing the book and said their organization plans to do the same.

In other development, NMB Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruth Zaipuna said that Yanga’s continuous success are a result of the leadership’s creativity in applying President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 4R Philosophy to sports.

Zaipuna said the 4R Philosophy, initiated and employed by President Samia as a guiding framework for achieving sustainable national success, has been adopted and adapted by Yanga’s leadership, leading to exemplary achievements on and off the field.

Zaipuna praised the Tanzanian government for its substantial contributions and significant transformations across various sectors, including sports, where the nation has excelled.

“In this period, as a nation, we have witnessed significant successes in football, where the Taifa Stars have once again qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023), becoming one of the few teams from the CECAFA region. At the club level, we have seen our clubs gaining great respect.

“Honorable guest of honor, when you speak of President Samia’s 4R Philosophy, such as Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms, and Rebuilding, I believe Yanga is a prime example of how to effectively utilize these 4Rs.

“The application of this philosophy has succeeded in making Yanga a top-tier club, strong both on and off the field, guided by principles of Good Governance and unity among members, fans, leadership, and football stakeholders in Tanzania,” said Zaipuna.

She explained that Yanga have gone through reconciliation, bringing about unity.

She said Yanga had also endured tough times requiring resilience to overcome various challenges, recognizing that such challenges are part of human life or the institutions we lead.