A REPATRIATE'S PLIGHT

Sohooba Keith Smith has been fighting for justice for 24 years. Dr. Willibrod Slaa, Secretary General of CHADEMA, explains the forces hampering his efforts in this 2009 interview.

On May 1,1980, Sohooba, a native of Trinidad & resident of the U.S., took his family & his life's earnings & purchased Ndamakai, a spectacular 1,750-acre coffee estate in the mountains of Arusha, in order to fulfill the dreams of his ancestors. In September, 1994, he left that country under house arrest, his land & assets stolen, having spent the last 7 years in Tanzanian prisons. How could a great grandson of slavery return home, buy back a piece of the land that was stolen from his ancestors, & have that heritage stolen once again by colonial interests in the very heart of Africa, in full view of the entire community & with the tacit approval & complicity of government officials?

Sohooba repatriated to Tanzania at the personal invitation of President Julius Nyerere, a visionary leader who forged a nation built on the principles of unity & collective responsibility. But 12 years after Nyerere's death, Tanzania has strayed far from the principles of its founding father. Sohooba's tenure on his farm was marked by repeated attacks, thefts & arson. Though he pleaded for help from the police & local authorities, the attacks culminated in a tragic confrontation in 1987. Arrested for defending his family from armed intruders, Sohooba's property was stolen 3 weeks later by a German expatriate, Peter Kersten, an African lawyer, E.N.K. Loomu-Ojare, & an East Indian Advocate, Dev Kapoor, in a disturbing re-play of history. He spent 7 years in prison, before being pardoned by President Ali Hassan Mwynyi in 1994. Advised that it would be too dangerous for him to investigate the state of his home & property, he was sent back to Trinidad with nothing but the clothing on his back. His valuable farm & all the assets that he worked for over a lifetime have remained in the hands of illegal occupiers ever since.

In 2005, the Tanzania Legal & Human Rights Centre attempted to open a criminal case for Sohooba in the High Court, but were blocked by corrupt elements within the Arusha Police Department. Urged by his lawyers to seek diplomatic intervention, an investigation was launched by the Trinidad & Tanzanian Foreign Ministries in 2007. Land records confirming Sohooba's legal ownership were quickly discovered & authenticated by the Foreign Ministry's senior lawyer, but in spite of this evidence, Ndamakai Coffee Estates (renamed Acacia Hills Farms), was illegally resold again in late 2007, WHILE THE CASE WAS UNDER ACTIVE GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION.

Dr. Slaa scheduled Sohooba's case for discussion in Tanzania's Parliament in July, 2009, but was thwarted by Foreign Minister Bernard Membe, who manipulated the Parliamentary calendar to avoid the issue on the scheduled date. Despite numerous requests & the advice of the U.S. State Department to re-address the issue at the Commonwealth Meetings (CHOGM) held in Port of Spain, in November 2009, no mention of the case was made by Foreign Minister Gopee-Scoon or Prime Minister Manning. Instead, the 2 countries' Heads of State took a short trip to Cuba together to party & compare notes on the merits of their respective spiritual advisers.

The decadence & indifference of both administrations has lent courage to the property's current occupiers, whose wealth & status have emboldened them to ignore the illegality of their purchase & dismiss Sohooba's claims as a mere annoyance.

Until corrupt elements in the Tanzania Government & police force are exposed. injustice will continue to prevail & ruthless officials will undermine that country's efforts towards democracy & good governance. Recent events in Tanzania, including the rise in popularity of CHADEMA, suggest that the population has woken up, & that the deteriorating rule of the CCM government is rapidly heading towards extinction.

In Trinidad, however, plantation thinking remains alive & well. Despite 24 years of promises, that banana republic's Foreign Minister, Surujrattan Rambachan, declared in January 2011, that there is nothing further the government can do to restore justice. Admitting by default, that the T&T government is as weak & toothless as the Tanzanians perceive them to be, Trinidadians seems content to jump up every February, & establish their crime ridden island as the destination venue of choice for international meetings & conventions.

Sohooba Keith Smith's story is an affront to the memory of those ancestors who survived the Middle Passage to live out their lives on Caribbean & American shores. Viewers are urged to show their support by leaving comments on this page & emailing the T&T & TZ govts in support of immediate administrative assistance for Sohooba c/o TZ Ambassador to the UN, Hon. Ombene Sefue: tzrepny@aol.com & T&T's Foreign Minister Rambachan: minister@foreign.gov.tt.

WE WANT OUR LAND BACK!

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[dianestrong]

This is Sohooba, the repatriate who is still going home. It's now 2012, and many slaves have become trained and accustomed to living in the plantations that our ancestors were forced to build, without payment. The Africans who we so eagerly want to embrace, are trying their best to become like the slave-masters of old. Most of the leaders in the continent forget that they are normal Africans until they are selected and elected by the people.

[dianestrong]

They use the methods of the Europeans and the same colonial laws that enslave the people. to further their greed. My brothers and sisters, I am a man - child and I have prayed to the God of Abraham since my youth. I have tried to repatriate countless times on my own because there are not many human beings left.who yearn to live on and off the land the Most High gave humans to protect. Most Africans now, would rather live in the cities altogether, to escape the lives that make them miserable...

[dianestrong]

whilst we are trying to run from the misery of cities and Babylon living, preferring to rise with the sound of the rooster or the call to prayers. I will not give up the dream of returning  home even if you offer me the presidency of any of the plantations. A man must try to fulfill his dreams and the dreams of his ancestors and resist the training to do otherwise. Never give up, or there is no hope for our children.

[dianestrong]

I have children in Africa but even that hasn't moved hearts of the leaders of Tanzania to redress my plight. The higher the monkey climbs the more he is exposed--this is true of those who think they have risen above their people. Somehow we must come together and occupy our minds; cleanse ourselves of the brainwashing and look toward Africa is our redemption, whether we have the support of those responsible for our enslavement or not. God is great.

[TheMambavenom]

This is a terrible thing to happen to anyone. But lessons must be learned, that Africa is full of uncle tom politicians that are in cahoots and in bed with the enemy.

[bencult]

An African Country called Tanzania,and the majority of the population is Black. For the Tanzania Government to do this to a Caribbean National. You are now classified as POLITICAL GANGSTERS. Until This man gets his property back, TANZANIA will always be known as a place for GANGSTERS.

[dianestrong]

@MrRossT1 The brother in the video was one of several repatriates that year, but you are right one of the problems was that he was trying to operate alone. However, he bestowed many gifts on his new community. It was his generosity that caused the community to take advantage of him. They were accustomed to the estate owners treating them as inferiors, not brothers and sisters. This is one of the tragic ironies of his experience.

[MrRossT1]

@ruapraia

Check your inbox, sent you some links.:)

[ruapraia]

@MrRossT1 I haven't see south of the border, I have been trying to find it free online but no luck as of yet. I'll keep trying now that you have reminded me. Thank you for the kind note.

[MrRossT1]

@ruapraia

You're in Brasil!!! That's an excellent hot spot for tech development.:) Will be easy to hook up with like minded individuals! :) All the best in Brasil! :) Enjoy Carnaval too! :) Have you seen "Oliver Stone's: South of the Border" documentary? :)

[ruapraia]

@MrRossT1 I know the word is "affinity" it was a typo on my part.

[ruapraia]

@MrRossT1 Very wise words, and spoken like a true traveler. What you have described is my experience here in Brazil, I came with a democratic mindset that all people can be treated fair and equitable, but it's not true for the world is full of sharks, and sharks don't like strangers in the water.