We’re not very good at preserving records, are we?

Last week the news of Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce stunned everyone as if those two are our dear uncle and auntie from Planet Paradise. The fact is the American couple are among the top ten wealthiest entrepreneurs on Planet Earth. I was interested with what will happen to their money. What do you do when you have more than a billion dollars?

I remember when I started out as a reporter trainee at Uhuru na Mzalendo newspapers in 1976 we used to be sent to remote rural areas to dig lengthy features. You would be away for around a fortnight. You would be given enough money to book a hotel plus food, plus the odd beer. It was called “imprest”. Getting such assignments was one of the best ways of topping up our meagre ujamaa salaries. So older, experienced reporters would coach us how to manage such “big” money.

I remember the three most humorous, outspoken colleagues. The late Omar Bawazir, Abdi Mushi (who came from Radio Tanzania) and still alive, Salva Rweyemamu. They would suggest stuff like: “If you get all this money (in 1976 we did not have Tembo cards, but hard cash) put it on the table. Stare at it for a few days. Get used to the money. Do not touch it.”

It worked. I mean, I did not literally leave it on my table as it could be seen by my eavesdropping neighbours (in Mwananyamala Kisiwani where I lived in a shared house), but psychologically getting accustomed to thousands of shillings.

So, what did Bill Gates and family do with $130 billion?

Many things.

One fascinating example is paying $30.8 million for the original manuscript of Codex Leicester by famous Italian genius (scientist and artist) Leonardo da Vinci. Also called Codex Hammer, it is a collection of science writings. This (most expensive) payment was for a book penned in the 16th century. Repeat 16th century...

That is known as preservation of things.

And subsequently the theme of our column today.

While researching for something a few years ago, I requested a friend in Dar es Salaam to help find some old newspapers from the 1970s. Back then, the copies were in storage at the basement of the National Library along Bibi Titi Mohammed Road. I don’t know if it is still the same situation. The papers were not just in a bad state, they barely stretched beyond 1982.

Repeat 1982...

This saddened me.

I pondered on something else.

For decades we have been proud of our national treasure – the legendary writer Shaaban Robert. We are told he was a columnist for Mambo Leo newspapers in the 1940s. Would you be able to find his original articles? I doubt it, if all we can reach is 1982.

Is 39 years the farthest we can go?

Preservation of information and knowledge is as precious as the minerals found under our mother earth. The gold and diamonds and silver and what else?

A Saturday edition of the London Daily Mail astonished me. In it were intact copies of stories and news dating 125 years. There is 1899 poem by celebrated author Rudyard Kipling, helping a campaign to raise funds for a war in the “South”- which meant South Africa, I think.

Kipling: “Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine for a gentleman in khaki ordered South?”

In 1910, a headline story of the arrest of a notorious killer, da Crippen, and his wife, who had escaped in a ship.

Then 1922, a story of the finding of the grave and body of the Pharaoh king called Tut- ankh Amen. Throughout the 20th century Daily Mail documented wars and interesting historic episodes. All the way to the killing of black teenager Steven Lawrence by white racist youths in South London in 1993. A poignant story of Stephen’s mother, how she received the news of her son, takes you back 27 years. To this day only two of the accused have been jailed.

Or the 2004 reportage of the Tsunami which caused 230,000 deaths.

In short, Daily Mail, (loathed by the left wing section and immigrant community), managed to preserve and keep memories of life’s permanent journeys. To date, the paper still maintains the same style that was seen in 1899 or 1999...

Here is the lesson.

While interviewing me for his Bongo Celebrity blog in 2008, Jeff Msangi said that one of the best ways to document and keep our stories and life happenings are blogs. He mused that as long as things stay on the internet they wont go away.

Msangi’s generation might be equipped and right about such preservation. However, what happened to Shaaban Robert’s Mambo Leo pieces? Or any other? How much have we stored from our glorious past?