At times, we look around and see our life set up. We have a job, a circle of friends or a routine, some have a partner, and we tend to revolve our daily lives around this. It’s hard to realize that we are not where we would like to be and, even more so, to be able to break with everything and make a 180-degree turn in your life. This is what Roberto Lomba decided to do.
This Canarian journalist, originally from La Minilla, in Gran Canaria, changed everything. He settled in Tenerife in 2017 with the idea of studying the degree of his dreams. A lover of photography, he saw journalism as a suitable path to start his adventure in the working world. After four years of studying and an internship, he flew to Barcelona to train in International Journalism. A year later, Tenerife welcomed him with a job opportunity.
Television, as wonderful as it can be complicated at times, opened doors for him to grow and become known. At Televisión Canaria, Roberto found a space that, as he states, “gave me many valuable skills as a journalist, from efficiency and creativity to knowing how to perform under pressure”. However, sometimes existential questions start to echo louder in our heads, something that happened to Lomba.
“In my early days, we had a special event around the International Day of the African Child. There, many boys and girls had their first interaction with a mzungu, which is how they call white people here, and the truth is that I experienced something I never expected.”
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“There comes a point where one has to be honest with oneself. Television forced me to leave behind photography, one of my greatest passions which is part of my identity as a journalist and as an author.” This reflection and a call from an acquaintance led him to take the biggest leap of his life: going to work in Tanzania for an NGO altruistically.
[–>A Leap into the Unknown, but with Parallels
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With just over a month’s notice, Roberto left television and decided to embark on a journey that has taken him to the city of Moshi and to TATU Project. This NGO, with a Swahili origin name, works on three very defined pillars: the environment, women’s empowerment, and improving health and development in the African country.
“If Canarians are called “aplatanados” for our way of life, then Tanzanians take the cake. Here, the ‘pole pole’ culture is what would be ‘easy does it’ in the Canaries.”
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Arriving in Tanzania brought forth “a sea of emotions”, yet he found several similarities very close to the Canarian imaginary. Moshi is one of the most touristic places in the country, and it has one of the world’s most important natural parks, the one that is home to Kilimanjaro. This image brings a memory to Lomba’s mind: “You look up and see a mass with the snow-capped peak in the background of the city, and suddenly, the image of sitting at some viewpoint in the north of Tenerife invades your mind irresistibly.”
Banana cultivation is another similarity with our land that the journalist has encountered, as “when you move away from the centre, you find giant fields of banana plants, and bananas are one of the national products par excellence, just like in Canarias“. Despite this, he is clear: “There’s no banana like the ones from Canarias“.
Furthermore, the local culture abides by a Canarian maxim that tends to irritate certain people. Roberto summarises it himself: “If Canarians are called ‘aplatanados’ for our way of life, then Tanzanians take the cake. Here, the ‘pole pole’ culture is what would be ‘easy does it’ in the Canaries.” The attitude in Tanzania is this, so you either embrace the ‘pole pole’ or run the risk of frustrating yourself alone in the astonished gaze of the calm Tanzanian.”
“Thanks to TATU’s actions, they autonomously run a grocery store, a bicycle rental and repair service, and even a fully functional economic lending service.”
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Throughout history, women have played a subordinate role in this area. Therefore, Lomba emphasizes that the NGO works “so that they can be self-sufficient and know how to develop multiple activities.” The path has already been started and, for the moment, “thanks to TATU’s action, they autonomously run a grocery store, a bike rental and repair service, and even a fully functional financial loans service.”
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Working in an NGO in Tanzania has led to a change in mindset: “I arrived with a very ingrained television mentality. Speed, effectiveness, and rush, but here this mentality does not work. The work here is somewhat marked by Tanzanian idiosyncrasy, so the main idea is to focus on the quality of the content and work on it.”
The first encounter with a mzungu
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Many people in the vicinity of Tanzanian cities have had no interaction with anyone outside their community. Therefore, the contact with Roberto Lomba has been the first they have had with a mzungu.
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“During my early days, we had a special event around the International Day of the African Child. It was held in a very remote area of the region, quite isolated and on the shore of a beautiful lake. There, many boys and girls had their first interaction with a mzungu, which is what they call white people here, and the truth is that I experienced something I never expected. The emotions ranged from curiosity to fear, always under the watchful and amused gaze of their respectful mothers,” says Lomba as one of the anecdotes that have marked him the most during his time in Tanzania.
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A stay that will initially last three months altruistically. Then, a book still to be written by Roberto Lomba. A communication nomad who continues to fight for his dreams and passions, even if he has to cross the pond.
