INTRODUCTION
TO CIVICS:
What is
civics?
Civics: Is the
study of the rights and duties of citizenship. Also civics
refers to the study of
the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its
rights and duties; the duties of citizens to each other as members of a
political body and to the government.
Importance
of civics.
Ø It helps to understand our national
culture
Ø Helps citizen to understand Human
rights
Ø Helps people to know their
responsibilities
Ø Helps people to improve their
cultural practices and morals
Ø Helps people to recognize National
festivals, Example. Union day 26 April.
Ø Helps people to understand their
political systems. example multiply systems
Ø Students become actpartcipant in
their local and nation community
TOPIC ONE: OUR NATION
What is nation?
Nation: Is a large body of people united by common
descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or
territory. A nation is a stable community of
people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life,
ethnicity or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture. A nation is distinct from a people,
and is more abstract, and more overtly political than an ethnic group.
Components that makes up our nation.
Culture: Refers to the total way of living,
or Culture is the
characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing
language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. ... Jazz music,
which originated in the United States, has spread to other cultures.
Nation sovereignty: Sovereignty is the power of a state to do everything
necessary to govern itself, such as making, executing, and applying laws;
imposing and collecting taxes; making war and peace; and forming treaties or
engaging in commerce with foreign nations.
People: Is the members of a particular
nation, community, or ethnic group. the entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe,
nation, or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, religion.
Boundaries: Personal boundaries are
guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify reasonable, safe
and permissible ways for other people to behave towards them and how they will
respond when someone passes those limits.
A festival is
an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some
characteristic aspect of that community and its religion or traditions. It is
often marked as a local or national holiday, meal, or eid. ...
Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are
associated with harvest time.
Nation sovereignty: Sovereignty is the power of a state to do everything
necessary to govern itself, such as making, executing, and applying laws;
imposing and collecting taxes; making war and peace; and forming treaties or
engaging in commerce with foreign nations.
Importance
of National sovereignty
Ø National sovereignty is important
because it maintains good relations with other nations through promoting good
foreign policies on matters concerning other nations.
Ø It helps maintain peace and security
of a nation through execution of national laws, rules and regulations to
prevent civil wars and conflicts with other nations.
Ø It brings about national stability
and encourages investors to invest in a country because a national is free to
establish policies that will encourage local and foreign investors to invest in
the country.
Ø Citizens are free from being
dominated by other nations because of non-interference in the control of the
nation by other countries.
Hindrances to National sovereignty
Ø Poverty. This is the inability to
afford basic needs like food, shelter and clothing which is the main problem
faced in many African countries whereby most are economically poor. This
results in African countries depending on developed countries for help through
grants and aid which create conditions that violate the sovereignty of some
African countries.
Ø Civil wars. The fighting between
ethnic groups within the same nation can affect the freedom of the nation
because when the nation fails to maintain peace and security within the nation,
United Nations will intervene to protect human rights.
Ø Natural hazards. Disasters such as
floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions undermine the economies of poor
countries which in turn hinders national sovereignty since the government
cannot depend on its own capabilities and needs task for assistance from other
countries through aid.
What is a Government:
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized
community, often a state. It is the political control of a country of people by
a governing body, that has as its purpose the provider ship of greater
organized forms for sake of the people, including law, law enforcement, a
military, education, civil ...
A state: A state is a form of
political association, and political association is itself only one form of
human association. Other associations range from clubs to business enterprises
to churches. Human beings relate to one another, however, not only in
associations but also in other collective arrangements. Elements organs of a
state
Ø The Executive. The Executive is the main branch of
the central government and comprises of the president, the cabinet, civil
servants and armed forces. The Executive is responsible for administering
various activities of the government.
Ø Judiciary. This organ functions to interpret
the laws and make rulings over disputes in the state.
Ø Legislature: is the law making body of the
state. It is the state organ whose members are elected to represent different
constituencies. Some of them are appointed. Legislature is also called
parliament and is comprised of the President and the National Assembly. The
President is part of the parliament but not a member of the parliament. This is
because the president does not participate in parliamentary discussions but
participates in the process of making laws by signing the bills to become laws.
The National Symbols
Tanzania's National Symbols
Identify Tanzania's national symbols
What is a national symbol?
A symbol is a sign that represents something. National symbols are signs
which represent a nation. These symbols are very important as they serve as a
reminder of our nationhood to us and to the rest of the world; they promote our
culture and remind us about events that have taken place in our nation.
Tanzania has several symbols; these include tangible things like money, flags
and the coat of arms, as well as intangible things like the national anthem and
language.
The following are the major national symbols in Tanzania:
1.
The
national flag
2.
Presidential
standard
3.
The
coat of arms
4.
National
Anthem
5.
Uhuru
Torch
6.
National
currency
7.
National
Language
8.
The
national Constitution
9.
National
festivals (holidays) in Tanzania
The Significance of each National Symbol
Explain the significance of each national symbol
The national flag
A national flag is a piece of cloth with a special colour design. The
national flag of Tanganyika was hoisted for the first time on the 9th December,
1961 and that of the United Republic of Tanzania was hoisted for the first time
on the 26th April 1964, when Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form Tanzania.
The main function of the national Flag is to show that Tanzania is a completely
independent and sovereign nation. Our Flag has four colors; Green, Yellow,
Black and Blue.
a.
Green
represents the land and vegetation of Tanzania
b.
Blue
represents the ocean and other water bodies found in the country
c.
Black
represents the people of Tanzania
d.
Yellow
represent the natural wealth of Tanzania, like minerals
Tanzanian’s national flag.
Importance of national flag
a.
It
is a symbol of our independence/sovereignty
b.
It
is a symbol of freedom and unity of the people
c.
The
National flag is also a symbol of the nationality and a symbol of Tanzania
culture
Presidential standard
The presidential standard is a flag which is used during official
ceremonies where the president is in attendance. It has a green background with
a blue and the coat of arms in the middle. The coat of arms on the presidential
standard has no crops, human figure or the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Presidential standard
The coat of arms
The coat of arms is an official seal or stamp of the government which
comprises different colors and landmarks of Tanzania. It acts as national badge
and, therefore, all government publications bear this official seal. Our coat
of arms has twelve components. These components represent various national
interests such as state power, economic bases, national culture and history.
Compositions of the coat of arms
The coat of arms comprises of the following things:
1.
Two human figures – The man and the woman represent the people of Tanzania. The two
figures also symbolize the need for cooperation between men and women in order
to bring about development.
2.
Two elephant tusks – These represent our national heritage in terms of wildlife.
Tanzania has beautiful national parks and game reserves in which different
animals and plants are found in their natural habitats.
3.
Shield and spears – They represent weapons that were used by Tanzanians to resist
colonialism. These weapons represent the readiness of the people to defend
their independence
4.
Golden band on the upper part of the shield - This represent the mineral
wealth of the country
5.
Uhuru Torch –
It symbolizes freedom, enlightenment, knowledge and prosperity.
6.
National Flag –It
represent our sovereignty.
7.
Red band on the shield- this represent the fertile red soil found in our country
8.
Crossed Axe and hoe – These represent the tools which Tanzanians use to develop their
country.
9.
Sea waves –
These represent water bodies found in Tanzania. Approximately 62,000Km square
of Tanzanian`s total area is made up of water bodies. This includes the Indian
Ocean, rivers, lakes and swamps.
10.Peak of Mount Kilimanjaro- This is the highest mount in
Tanzania and Africa in general which represents attractive geomorphological
features.
11.Crops (cotton and gloves) – At the feet of the man there
is a branch of a glove tree. At the feet of the women there is the branch of
cotton plant which stands for the cash crops produced in Tanzania.
12.The wards “Uhuru na Umoja” which means freedom
and unity express the belief that, Tanzanian`s strength depends on people`s
solidarity.
Importance of the coat of arms
- a. It is used as the symbol of the authority and official government seal.
- b. It symbolizes our national culture and history.
- c. It symbolizes state power.
- National Anthem
This is the official song which reflects people`s national feelings,
desire, glory and pride in their nationality. The Tanzanian national anthem is
sung during important national occasions such as when a special announcement is
made by the president; when foreign heads of states visit our country; When the
president or the vice president and the prime minister visit another country
officially, and when our national teams are playing against teams of other
countries; before and after the president addresses the nation; and when the
national flag is hoisted.
Importance of the national anthem
Ø It is a symbol of our nationality,
freedom and it unifies Tanzanians
Ø It makes citizens feel proud of their
country
Ø National anthem expresses a sense of
belonging to Tanzania and Africa
Ø It identifies Tanzania outside the
country.
UHURU TOUCH
This is the touch of freedom which also known as independence touch
introduced by the first president of Tanzania Mwl. J.K. Nyerere as a symbol of
freedom, unity, love, dignity, solidarity and hope among Tanzanians. It was
first lit on top of Mount Kilimanjaro at midnight on 9th December 1961. This
was the day Tanganyika got independence from Britain.
Importance of Uhuru Torch
a.
It
symbolizes freedom and light
b.
It
promotes unity in the country
c.
It
also promotes peace, dignity, respect and hope among Tanzanians
d.
It
promotes co-operation among Tanzanians and development in aspects of life
The Uhuru Torch
National currency
Is the system of money that a
country uses. Our national currency is the Tanzanian shilling. Currency is also
called money. Money is used for measuring value, trading and paying for goods
and services in a country. Tanzania money is the form of notes and coins.
Importance of national currency
Ø It acts as a medium of exchange in
trade transactions that is selling and buying of goods and services in the
country
Ø It is used to measure value and
identify the nationality and freedom of a nation
Ø It is the means of settling debts.
·
National
Language
·
This
is the language spoken by all the people within a country. The national
language of Tanzania is Kiswahili.
·
Importance
of the national language
Ø The national language acts as the
media of communication within a county.
Ø It symbolizes the culture of the
nation concerned which is Tanzania
Ø It unifies people with a common
history.
Ø It also identifies the country
internationally
·
The
National Constitution
·
A
national constitution is the system of laws and principles by which the nation
is governed by. A constitution provides guidelines which society must follow.
Our country Tanzania is ruled according to the constitution that was enacted
1977. Since that time year, it has been undergoing some amendments to suit the
contemporary needs.
·
Importance
of the national constitution
Ø The government rules by the will of
the people through the constitution
Ø The constitution is the basic law
from which all other laws are created.
Ø Under constitution there is
separation of power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
Ø The constitution provides for
elections through which the people elect their representatives in the
government
Ø The constitution gives people the
freedom to enjoy their right.
·
The
constitution provides individuals with the mechanism to claim their rights
before the courts of law.
o
The
cover of the constitution of Tanzania 1977
o
·
Tanzania's
National Festivals and their Significance
·
Identify
Tanzania's national festivals and their significance
·
National
festivals are special public days created by the state which exempt people from
doing any government or official work and therefore people are expected to
rest. In Tanzania these days are called Public holidays.
·
Types
of national days
·
Religious
public days
·
These
days are marked by special religious events or festivals according to the
beliefs and faith of particular group of people. In Tanzania there are two
dominant religious, namely Christianity and Islamic. The public holidays
associated with these religious are;
Ø Christmas day - falls on 25th
December each year
Ø Easter holiday – depends on Christian
calendar
Ø Eid-el-Fitri and Eid –el-Haj – Depend
on Islamic calendar and sighting of the moon
Ø Boxing day – Falls on 26th December
each year
Ø Political public holidays
Ø These are special days that
commemorate events which have profound meaning politically. Sometimes they are
known as civic national festivals and holidays Political public holidays in
Tanzania are;
Ø Independence day – falls on December
9th each year
Ø Union day – fall on 26th April each
year
Ø NaneNane day – Falls on 8th August
each year
Ø Zanzibar Revolution Day – falls on
12th January each year
Ø Nyerere Day – falls on 14th October
each year
Ø Kurume Day – falls on 7th April each
year
Ø Saba Saba Day – falls on 7th July
each year
Ø Universal public days
Ø These are special days for the rest
and celebration for all people in the world. These universal holidays are;
Ø New Year – falls on 1st January each
year
Ø Workers day/ labour day – falls on
1st May each year
Ø Importance of national festivals/
public days
Ø The followings are the Importance of
national festivals/ public days;
Ø These days’ mark important events in
our country
Ø The celebration keeps the history
alive since Tanzania are reminded of what has taken place in their country
Ø During these events leaders pass important
information to the public
Ø Public celebration provides an
opportunity for citizens to meet and share views, experience and knowledge.
Ø Celebrating together enhance the
unity of Tanzanians.
Ø Annual celebrations impart on
Tanzanians the culture of commemorating important national events.
Ø These events helps the leaders to
identify problems in the society as citizens highlight their problems through
speeches, posters, drama or songs.
Work out
questions.
1. What is national symbols?
2. Define national festival with
examples.
3. Explain the following terms, A.
People B. Sovereignty c. Nation D. Goverment
4. Define national flag, Give its colored
diagram.
5. Mention at least five components of
the court of arms.
What are the components of a nation?
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