Building Stalin’s Cult of Personality Essay Example Essay Example

Building Stalin’s Cult of Personality Essay Example Paper Building Stalin’s Cult of Personality Essay Introduction What is the significance of propaganda throughout history? Why are the great rulers so great? How do rulers like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and many others manage to win people’s approval and support? All these questions can be answered with a single word – propaganda. Propaganda has been helping great rulers to establish great states and it has also brought confidence and stability to these states. During the beginning of the 20th century Russia was suffering a crisis (â€Å"The Stalin Cult: the Cult of Personality†). After World War I and the Civil War, Russia had reached the pick of its downfall, so just when Russia needed someone that could bring back the order, Stalin and his cult of personality gave Russia a way out of the crisis (â€Å"The Stalin Cult: the Cult of Personality†).Using propaganda Stalin managed to unite the whole nation and, thus lead Russia out of the crisis. Soon after Stalin’s death it was Nikita Khrushchev, who in 1956 at th e Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party exposed Stalin’s â€Å"Cult of Personality†, coined the term â€Å"Stalinism† and began calling him â€Å"Vozhd† (meaning Leader) (â€Å"Cult of Personality†). This cult helped the â€Å"Vozhd† maintain control in the USSR, while propaganda and manipulation were massively used to extend and reinforce his cult of personality.Stalinist propaganda dates its beginning in the 1920s when its use was necessary due to the newly arisen power struggle for dominance in the USSR (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). Lenin’s death in January 1924 was a tragedy that affected the nation (â€Å"Why Stalin and Not Trotsky?†). Upon his death a cult was formed, called the Lenin cult, which described him as the â€Å"the greatest leader of all time and all nations† (â€Å"Why Stalin and Not Trotsky?†). When Lenin died he left over a political â€Å"testament†, calling for Stal in’s removal from his position as a secretary of the party. This document was potentially disastrous to Stalin’s career, but his skills and luck gave him the opportunity to discount it (â€Å"Why Stalin and Not Trotsky?†). After Lenin’s death there were five possible candidates for his successor (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). They were all Lenin’s personal choice: Trotsky, Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin (â€Å"Why Stalin and Not Trotsky?†).Actually, it was Trotsky, who was the natural heir to Lenin, since he was the one to organize the October coup to manage the Red Army in the Civil War and was quite popular (â€Å"Why Stalin and Not Trotsky?†). He had also helped Lenin’s rise to power (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). However, his chances of succeeding Lenin were probably more apparent than real. Trotsky was a poor administrator, who joined the Bolshevik party late, and his Jewishness was not an advantage in a country where Jews were widely blamed for the devastations done by communism (â€Å"Stalin and The Lesser Gods†). On the other hand, although far less known, it was more possible for Stalin to inherit Lenin (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). Since he was intellectually plain, a dry speaker and an awful writer, Stalin preferred to control and operate behind the curtains (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). He was a true manipulator, who used all possible, but well thought tactics to make people do obey his commands.Propaganda and manipulation was used in the 1920s to grant Stalin a victory in the ongoing power struggle. By 1922 Stalin was in a unique position to manipulate policies due to the fact that he belonged both to the Politburo (it set policy) and the Secretariat (it managed personnel) (â€Å"Stalin and The Lesser Gods†). To hold back Trotsky, he also entered in an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev, thus forming a â€Å"triu mvirate† (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). The triumvirate dominated in the Politburo and also isolated their common rival (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†).Aware of the power struggle arising and the deep affairs of his successors, Lenin tried to intervene and keep the party discipline, but the triumvirate gave orders and he was left banned from involvement in any government affairs (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). Next, Stalin broke up the triumvirate to obtain â€Å"undisputed personal leadership† (â€Å"Stalin and The Cult of Personality1†). Then, in order achieve full control Stalin had to win the support of the party cadres, so he promised to provide a continued and stable leadership, to repel all of the democratic challenges and to maintain any privileges the country has gained (â€Å"The Stalin Cult: the Cult of Personality†).Not only Stalin concentrated on manipulation of the party, but immediately after Lenin†™s death he also endorsed an extravagant quasi-Byzantine cult of the departed leader in order to start building his own cult of personality and undermine his opponents’ authority (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). He rewrote history in such a way as to make himself appear much closer to Lenin than he was in fact (â€Å"Stalin and The Cult of Personality1†). Since people were vulnerable at that time it was easy for them to be convinced in Stalin’s new reproach that in its own way looked very much like Lenin’s. Stalin indeed loved Lenin and wanted to prove his love not only to other people but to himself as well (â€Å"Stalin and The Cult of Personality1†). He succeeded in doing so because people began putting their names together (â€Å"Stalin and The Cult of Personality1†³).†Laughter in the village,Voice behind the plow,Lenin and Stalin,And these verses now.† (by Pasternak) (â€Å"Stalin and The Cult of Personality2â € ).Stalin finally managed to mislead the public that he was closer to Lenin than Trotsky was and this made him the ideal choice for the new Leader. After getting rid of Trotsky, Stalin also used propaganda to erase his image from any popular photographs of the time (look at Appendix – Propaganda #1, #2) Thus, because of the most powerful weapon – propaganda and manipulation – the power struggle was ended in favor of Stalin.On assuming full control over the USSR, Stalin began major reforms with the help of propaganda in order to rebuild the country. Stalin’s policy differed from Lenin’s in that he believed that men worked for communism. That is why he instantly ended the New Economic Policy and introduced the First Five Year Plan (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). At the time mobilization was the major desire and for it to be fulfilled a harshly controlled propaganda was engendered (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Among factories, farms and all of the public places appeared vociferous posters in infinite varieties and quantities (â€Å"Revolution by Design†).As Gustav Klutsis said: â€Å"the country was on the attack!† to fulfill the new plan, to exceed the quotas in any possible way, to secure the USSR (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). Klutsis converted the techniques of the 1920s into an illustration of the plan (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Although he used simple colors for his art, many were astonished by the dynamics, which were imposed by newly introduced perspectives and proportions (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). All of this was juxtaposed with bold, florid typography in order to emphasize and stress the heroic age (look at Appendix – Propaganda #3) (â€Å"Revolution by Design†).Right after this wild age, Stalin announced a Second Five Year Plan to start immediately (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). It had to deal with the entire leniency allo wed to writers and artists at the times of Trotsky and Lenin (â€Å"The Long History of Censorship†). Lenin and Trotsky may have introduced this new policy since they have realized how easy intellectuals could convey new ideas in society. As a result, the years of this new order saw a great degree of novelty in both literature and arts, which was harshly contrasting to the general political severity of the regime (â€Å"The Long History of Censorship†). However, upon the annunciation of the Second Five Year Plan all leniency came to its end (â€Å"The Long History of Censorship†). Thus, the censorship and the purging became even more convoluted and ominous (â€Å"The Long History of Censorship†).In the Second Five Year Plan all efforts were directed in another direction – repression (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). In 1934 Stalin embarked first on a purgation of the Party and then of the army (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Those who wer e suspected to disagree or even lack enthusiasm were either sent to labor camps or executed (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Many artists from the earlier period died at that time and one of them is Klutsis, who died in the camps (gulags) (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Still, in art, literature and any form of expressions of that time one theme dominated and that was the role of the infallible â€Å"Vozhd† – Joseph Stalin (â€Å"The Long History of Censorship†). His image appeared anywhere, in any kind of context – he achieved a status of a demi-god in the USSR (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). He believed he was the â€Å"great leader and teacher of the Soviet people† (look at Appendix – Propaganda #4) (â€Å"Stalin Controls His Image†).He wanted more than anything to be represented as people’s closest friend, their comrade and successor of Lenin (â€Å"Stalin Controls His Image†). The end justifi ed the means and it did not matter if a few photos had to be adjusted. Spontaneity and originality were driven out by terror and fear, thus producing the new art – the art of Social Realism (â€Å"The Struggle for Succession†). It dominated in the USSR long after Stalin’s death in 1953 (â€Å"Revolution by Design†). Stalin has made a lot of reforms to rebuilt the USSR, which all differ in methods and tactics, but they all have at least one thing in common – the usage of propaganda and manipulation.Stalin’s cult of personality is not by chance because it succeeded to unify the nation, stabilize the state and therefore bring Russia back to power. Even though his reign was primarily related to terror, horror and slaughter, it also helped Russia gradually get out of the crisis it suffered due do previous wars. To rise to power, he built his own by manipulative tactics and propaganda, which on the other hand built Stalin’s image. His name will be remembered in history, for he will always remain â€Å"the man of steel†. Building Stalin’s Cult of Personality Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!

Functions of political parties

Functions of political parties Political parties have existed in the United States since its formation. However, the public have been viewing them negatively due to the many ills that they have been associated with.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Functions of political parties specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such disdain goes back to the days of the tenure of George Washington, who warned that parties were filling the U.S. citizens with jealousies that were ill-founded. Despite this negative image that political parties have, they play a vital role in the political system of the U.S. This paper is an investigation of the positive roles that political parties play in the political system of the United States. If political parties were not part of the political system of the U.S., citizens would have to go through cumbersome elections. It is common knowledge that parties are the ones that select candidates for some elective positions. This helps i n making elections less involving because voters would indubitably be overwhelmed by elections if the people vying for elective offices had no party labels. For instance, if parties were not there, citizens would probably have to vote for the vice president and other posts in the government. This would complicate the electoral process. In addition to this, parties usually present voters with policy alternatives. This is especially helpful for voters because they may not know candidates individually. There have been cases of straight tickets being chosen by voters. That is, voters choose party representatives during the elections rather than the candidates themselves. Parties have also played a critical role in checking the excesses of reigning parties. If a party is not the majority party in Congress, then it ensures that the other party does not have complete control. Party leaders have often come out openly against measures implemented by a president elected by the other party. Th is role of parties has been widely criticized by American citizens because many of them view it as self-serving and petty. It is however an important role because it ensures that the reigning party does not change the law or implement contentious policies at will. Members of a given political party share their stands on certain issues of public concern. In general, these stands are not the same for the main political parties, Republicans and Democrats. This therefore implies that when Republicans win the Presidential election, Democrats criticize their points of view on certain issues.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, if Democrats win the Presidential election, Republicans criticize their points of view on certain issues in their turn. For instance, the Republican Party has taken a tough stance on the issue of same sex marriages while Democrats have been l iberal on the issue. The discussions that follow the aforementioned criticisms make citizens well-informed about pertinent issues. The criticizing is also important because it presents the government with alternative problem solving methods. Despite the fact that political parties have been bedeviled in the past, they are important components of the American political system. Among the key functions of political parties is the fact that they help in simplifying elections. Political parties also play an important role in checking the excesses of the government and ensuring that the government does not change the law or implement contentious policies at will. Lastly, political parties criticize the actions of the ruling elite and thereby ensure that members of the public are adequately informed about pertinent issues.

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Research paper - Essay Example They proposed the need for a deception theory that could offer some explanation on how deceivers and detectors interact with each other during deception, how deceivers strategically lie, how deceivers and detectors mutually affect each other’s strategies, and how the situation further shapes the deception exchange (Griffin, 2009, p.99). They called this theory the Interpersonal Deception Theory (IDT), which they developed during the 1990s. IDT has 18 propositions that generally assume that interpersonal communication is interactive, and that strategic deception requires significant mental effort of being aware of unconscious nonverbal cues that may signal their real state of mind (also called leakage) (Griffin, 2009, p.100). The purpose of the paper is to describe and to examine IDT’s theoretical conditions and standards. It employs a number of scholarly articles and Griffin’s (2009) book, A First Look at Communication Theory, to analyze the strengths and limitations of IDT as a communication theory. IDT is socio-psychological theory in objective territory. IDT is a good communication theory because it generally satisfies the six standards of good objective theories, though with some limitations. IDT cannot fully explain underlying mechanisms; it is complex and not parsimonious; and it cannot predict various other deceptive strategies and interactions. The main authors of IDT are David Buller and Judee Burgoon. They are both professors of Communication at the University of Arizona. They defined deception as â€Å"a message knowingly transmitted by a sender to foster a false belief or conclusion by the deceiver† (Griffin, 2009, p.98). They assumed that deception is not a one-way process because detectors’ relationships with deceivers and how they react to the latter during the deception process impact the strategic maneuvering and success of deceivers (Levine et al.,

Sony Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sony Corporation - Essay Example It manufactures CCD, LCD and other semiconductors as well. The electronic components that it makes are optical pickups, batteries, audio/video/data recording media, and data recording systems (SONY CORP, 2012). Two people, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita started the Tokyo Tsushin Kenkyujo or Tokyo Telecommunications Research Institute in 1946 and the main aim of this company was to research and develop new products in their efforts to always bring something new to the customer’s plate and create value for the customer. The company tried to balance innovation with the consumer benefit and convenience because customer satisfaction was its top priority. With its success and expansion the title Sony Corporation came into being in 1958 and has been there since then. The word Sony was a coined by combining two Latin words, sound and sonny. Sonus signifies sound or something that is sonic while sonny means son. Sony is a short word which has the advantage of quick recall and can also be read in any language and is a sign of freedom and open-mindedness. The variety of high quality products that SONY offers makes it one of the market leaders of digital entertainment (Louwel, 2011). It is a company that banks upon the opportunities provided by innovation and new technology. It is a company that is characterized by a forward mentality and a desire to lead and be the first one to introduce something new to the customer. The competitive products and services offered by Sony give it a lasting edge over its competitors. The factors that account for Sony’s growth and success are its strategic thinking, talented people and e-commerce (Louwel, 2011). Sony operates globally in 204 countries in three continents North America, Europe and Asia. Because of its quality and innovation, SONY has achieved brand awareness and recognition over the years. Sony’s sales in 2008 were $88.7 billion and 180,500 people worked under the umbrella of Sony Corp. In the wake of the 2 008-09 economic crunch Sony experienced falling sales, 16000 jobs were lost and 6 production bases were discontinued. The prices of its raw materials and parts also increased due to which it became very difficult for SONY to maintain competitive prices (Giusti, 2009). Methodology Sony’s innovation is not restricted to its products and services only. It has also changed the way that marketing is done globally by international companies. It gives a very participative environment to employees so that they experiment and come up with new ideas, the rich corporate culture provides employees an opportunity to stay focused, and the marketing approaches adopted by the top management have helped the overall organization. The product designers are given the leverage to come up with new products that they think are fit to keep up the good name of the Sony Corporation. There is a lot of cohesion and coordination in the organization. This democratic management style has enabled the compan y to introduce premium, unique and futuristic products and this coupled with the corporate culture at Sony, gives it a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors. Sony has not restricted itself to one marketing approach only as it is a progressive organization and has been changing its

Edgar Linton has more right Essay Example for Free

Edgar Linton has more right Essay The word hero conjures an image in one’s head of a valiant, courageous, strong individual; one who puts the needs of others before their own, a being who defies evil with their handsome charm and fearless nature. However, this stereotypical image does not accurately depict the full extent to which the term hero covers, as there are many different types of hero including the Byronic Hero, Classic Hero, Medieval Hero, and Romantic Hero. Classic Heroes are those in Greek and Roman literature; they are often of royal birth or even like the Titan Prometheus; half mortal, half god. Although Edgar Linton is not of royal descent, he is from a family of the highest social class throughout the country which allows him to fall loosely into this category of noble birth. Heathcliff on the other hand, is from a discernible background and is brought into the household at Wuthering Heights as a ‘gipsy brat’ after Mr. Earnshaw saw, ‘it starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb in the streets of Liverpool.’ Another characteristic of a Classic Hero is that they perform extraordinary feats. Throughout the novel Edgar Linton displays no obvious signs of having done anything extraordinary; he is a calm, weak natured individual who avoids conflict and allows himself to be easily overpowered both by Heathcliff and his wife allowing the latter to mock him, ‘I wish Heathcliff may flog you sick, for daring to think an evil thought of me!’ In contrast to this, Heathcliff performs many extraordinary deeds however, few of which are in any way admirable and for the benefit of anyone but himself for example, after being degraded for years at the abusive hands of Hindley, Heathcliff disappeared for three years and that space of time turned himself into an outwardly respectable and wealthy man. In addition to the former points, a classical hero must be a perfectly ideal individual but for one fatal flaw. One’s opinion of Edgar Linton can be altered to allow him to fit into this category as he is a well-mannered character who is obviously fully devoted to both his wife and his daughter; Nelly Dean observes, ‘I don’t believe he ever did speak a harsh word to her.’ However, his gentle, spoiled upbringing may be his flaw as it has made him subservient character that lacks the confidence and passion Heathcliff possesses and thus lacks the ability to keep hold of Catherine and make her happy. Heathcliff again, does not fit the mould of the Classic Hero as he fails to meet this criterion; he is an abusive, evil, sadistic individual who shows no hint of remorse or of possessing any admirable qualities. Although neither Edgar nor Heathcliff perfectly fit the mould of a Classic hero, Edgar has more right to be called a Classic Hero than Heathcliff does. However, Heathcliff does fully reserve the right to be classed as the Byronic Hero within the novel as he possesses all the characteristics of one of these heroes while Edgar has none of them. These heroes are manipulative, violent and unrepentant. Heathcliff shows his manipulative nature when he allows Isabella Linton to fall in love with him, he tells Nelly, ‘she abandoned them under a delusion’, showing he was fully aware of her feelings and used them to his advantage, employing them as a tool in which he could gain control and ownership over both properties; Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. His displays of violence are prominent throughout the novel, beginning as a young boy and developing into adulthood. As a young child he, ‘seized a tureen of apple sauce’ and threw it over Edgar Linton’s face. As an adult his violence worsens as, ‘he snatched a knife from the table and flung it at’ his wife, Isabella’s head. In addition to this, he comes close to murdering Hindley and even with Catherine, his true love he does not possess the capability to be gentle, ‘so inadequate was his stock of gentleness†¦ I saw four distinct impressions left blue in her colourless skin.’ Heathcliff’s unrepentant nature is evident via the lack of regard he holds toward his victims which stems from his arrogant personality. The height of his arrogance is seen when he tells Catherine in front of Edgar, ‘This lamb of yours threatens like a bull! It is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles. By God, Mr. Linton, Im’ mortally sorry that you are not worth knocking down.’ Arrogance is also a common trait of Byronic Heroes. Despite the fact that both men can be called heroes in their own right to a certain extent, it is because of his amiability and good nature Edgar Linton has the right to claim the title of the respectable hero within the novel. However, in saying this looking at all the characters within the novel, it may be argued that neither man deserve the title but a woman does as the women in the novel are strong, independent and highly feministic characters.

Going Beyond Pain in Chris Crutchers Stotan Essay -- Crutcher Stotan

Going Beyond Pain in Chris Crutcher's Stotan High school buddies and members of the swim team Walker, Nortie, Lion and Jeff accept the challenge to participate in Stotan week, a week of rigorous swim training that pushes them beyond physical pain and tests their moral fiber, changing their lives forever.   In the novel Stotan   by Chris Crutcher a team of teenagers and best friends brace themselves for what’s going to be the hardest week of their lives mentally, physically, and emotionally.   A â€Å"Stotan† is a cross between a stoic and a Spartan.   Through this time of hardship they learn about friendships, relationships, dealing with cancer, racism, and physical abuse.   Each of the four best friends learn more and more about each other and help each other when they need help.   They come together as a group, team, and family.   Each of them have a tremendous conflict that can not be resolved with just one persons help.   They all help each other repair the emotional scars if one of them were suffering.   They all have one thing in common which was that they all want to be the best they can be and being so determined.   In Stotan By Chris Crutcher four boys Walker, Jeff, Nortie, and Lion experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil with the only way to overcome these barriers is to come together as a team with determination in mind.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the team mates with a conflict that needed to be resolved is Lion.   Lion lives alone in a tiny apartment with a hot plate.   He gets lonely sometimes and the only things that stop him from getting depressed are swimming and being with his best friends Walker, Jeff, and Nortie.   They never talk about Lion’s life but he knows that they life him for who he is not becau... ...cause of this amazing unity of the team Nortie is still alive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Stotan By Chris Crutcher four boys Walker, Jeff, Nortie, and Lion experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil with the only way to overcome these barriers is to come together as a team with determination in mind.   Lion was suffering from depression, Jeff was dying, Nortie was suffering mentally, and walker was suffering emotionally but as a team they all came together and resolved eatch others problems.   The unity the team had was unbelievable and helped save a life and helped solve problems.   Determination also helped the high school seniors by not letting them slip or fall climbing the mountain of success.   The four team members got through a week of grueling pain mentally and physically by coming together as a team with determination in mind to push themselves to maximum.  

Lushoto

Lushoto Helen Kejo Form 1 m 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS TAFORI—————————-pg 3-5 Sakarani Vine yard——————-pg 6 Irente Biodiversity Reserve—————pg 7-8 Irente Biodiversity Reserve’s History—– pg 9-10 Irente children’s home——— pg 11-12 Irente School for the blind——– pg 13-14 Hiking Mount Usambara—– pg 15-19 The experience——- pg 20 In town—– 21-23 Soni falls——–24-25 TAFORI Lushoto Silviculture Research Centre (LSRC)The Centre is in Lushoto District, Tanga Region. It carries out forestry research in four departments namely; Forest Plantation Management and Agro forestry, Forest Ecology, Forest Genetics and Forest Protection. Forest Plantation Management and Agro forestry is responsible for conducting research related to plantat ion forestry and agro forestry. Forest Ecology mainly deals with research in Botany, Herbarium and Natural Forests. The forest Forest Genetics has two sections namely: Seed and Nursery and Tree Breeding.Seed and Nursery section is responsible for seed establishment of trials (species and provenances selection), collection, extraction, storage, and distribution and rising of seedlings while Tree Breeding is responsible for trials maintenance, data collection and evaluation of trials. Forest protection deals with research and consultancies on Entomology, Pathology and Fire Protection. Left: A forest in Lushoto. Right: Tree breeding. The Centre also has established a Desktop publishing unit with the objective of providing services related to typesetting, printing, and binding of documents.The unit provides services to TAFORI itself, Government institutions and other private institutions including individuals. TAFORI’S HISTORY TAFORI- Tanzania Forest Institute. TAFORI started by the Germans in 1902. A number of experimental plots established at that time can be seen today. In 1928, the British renamed the Amani Research Station to the East African Agricultural Research Station. In 1948 the Amani station was moved to Muguga – Kenya, to form the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organization (EAAFRO).The organization catered for research activities common to the three partner states. Research problems unique to the individual countries were attended to a national basis. This led to the establishment of the Silvicultural Research Station in Lushoto in 1951 and the Timber Utilization Research Station in Moshi at the same time. Following the collapse of the East African Community in February 1977, an immediate need to fill the vacuum became the apparent, as the two stations established in the early 1950’s were not well placed to act in EEAFRO’s stand. Sakarani VineyardTropical vineyard This one-acre vineyard is part of the St. Benedict's Religious House Sakarani near Soni in the Usambara Mountains in northern Tanzania. It's one of very few tropical vineyards at approximately 5 degrees south. Problems with growing wine grapes in the tropics include too short days and an unfavorable climate overall (too hot). This being in the mountains, at least the heat hurdle is partially overcome. They grow Chenin Blanc, which is the most commonly used white grape in South Africa, as well as a hybrid grape variety for their â€Å"port†.They plant grapes here and later on the grapes are used for wine. They make both sweet and white wine. Irente Biodiversity Reserve Irente Biodiversity Reserve is a nature reserve with a difference. Owned and managed by North-Eastern Diocese of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania, it incorporates both environmental conservation and sustainable organic agriculture. The Usambaras are one of Conservation International’s World Biodiversity Hotspots – that is, they are recogniz ed as an area with exceptional diversity of species.There is a project here to restore this biodiversity by replanting trees, shrubs and climbers native to the Western Usambaras. This in turn will attract more birds, butterflies, reptiles and small mammals. MORE INFORMATION: | Irente Biodiversity Reserve (former Irente Farm) is situated in the western Usambara Mountains, 5 km from Lushoto. It belongs to the north-eastern diocese of the Lutheran church in Tanzania. On the property there is an orphanage (Irente children’s home), a school for the blind (Irente school for the blind), and Rainbow school (a school for mentally retarded and autistic children). The farm is 200 ha with plantations of pines, eucalyptus, wattle and silver oak, interspersed with pastures and plots of maize and beans. There is a dairy herd, which supplies milk to a small-scale cheese, butter and quark production. Goat cheese is also produced. In addition rye bread, an assortment of jams and juices bring a n income. | The farm has a policy of biodiversity restoration that is to replant the rainforest that once existed here. | The climate is mild since the farm lies at 1400 m with a rainfall between 1000 and 1200 mm. The Irente viewpoint with a view over the Maasai Steppe is only 2 km away. | The foods produced at Irente Biodiversity Reserve IRENTE BIODIVERSITY RESERVE’S HISTORY The origin of the name Irente is obscure. Irente was one of the experimental coffee estates established in 1896 by the German colonial government? s plantation company (Deutsche-Ostafrikanische Plantagengeschellschaft). Other estates established in the same year were Gare, Maweni, Sakharani, and Mazumbai. The aim was to test coffee as a crop, but due to soil infertility, coffee as a plantation crop was abandoned by 1914.The Germans lost the colony to the British in 1918, and it was probably after this that Irente coffee estate came into the hands of a Greek farmer, Mr. W. J. Tame. By all accounts Mr Tame was a diligent farmer; he had 60 acres of coffee trees, a bacon factory and a dairy producing cream. With the coming of independence for Tanganyika in 1961 Mr. Tame sold up to the DKMS (Lutheran Church) for ? 25,000. The Lutheran church of Tanganyika converted the bacon factory into the Irente Mental Hospital and these patients worked on the farm in order to produce food in support of the hospital.Over the years different managers developed the farming infrastructure, and milk production started with the introduction of Fresian-type cows. However, farming never really showed a consistent profit, the excuse being drought or too much rain, diseases of crops and cattle, and low prices for produce. In 2004 all foreign assistance to Irente was stopped, but the reserve (as it is now called) had found its niche relying on four pillars †¢ Nature based tourism †¢ Food processing †¢ Biodiversity protection †¢ Farming The cows at Irente Farm; they are used for dairy produc ts.The enterprise has become more profit-oriented and conservation-centred, as it is indeed an income generating enterprise of the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (Ned ELCT). On the property there are now 3 institutions, Irente School for the Blind, Irente Children? s home, Rainbow school and Irente church. Irente Biodiversity Reserve seeks to integrate conservation, production and rural development by a mix of activities, taking into account the importance of both people and biodiversity. AREA: 200 hectaresHEIGHT: 1450 metres above sea level RAINFALL: 800 to 1280 millimetres (average 1060mm) TEMPERATURES: minimum 10 degrees (July- August) maximum 30 degrees (January-February) Irente Children’s Home Irente Children’s Home (hereafter abbreviated ICH) is an orphanage that has been operating for more than four decades in north eastern Tanzania. The orphanage is run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania; North-Eastern Diocese ( hereafter abbreviated ELCT-NED). ICH is one among nine institutions with a social service orientation run by the ELCT-NED.The diocese is acknowledged for having a long tradition of diaconic work, both in institutional form and in congregations. The first photo shows where the children live. The last photo shows one of the children. Other institutions with a social service orientation include: Irente School for the Blind, Kwemhafa and Hekalungu homes for Lepers, Bangala Lutheran Junior Seminary, Lwandai Secondary School, Bumbuli Hospital, Lutindi Mental Hospital and Agricultural Training at Irente Farm. Moreover, seven parishes within the diocese are running dispensaries. ICH has the capacity of receiving 35 children.They live in a u-shaped building where they are divided in 4 rooms according to age. Other people living at ICH are girls who attend a 2-year pre-nursing course. The ICH staff consists of nurses, nurse attendants, a cook, a laundry man, gardeners, watchmen, a secretary, an accountant and a driver. Often there are girls from abroad (mostly Germany) who stay at the ICH for around 3 months and work as volunteers. IRENTE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND When someone comes in contact with a blind person, many thoughts run through their head as to how blind people get their daily lives. You might be wondering, how that can be true.But the answer to that is that through blindness, people have come to the realization that even though physical eyes don't see, one can still see with eyes of his/her heart. When it comes to the challenges and struggles of being blind, there have been many, but one way or another they have been able to overcome them. All through primary school years people assumed that being blind would hinder from getting a good education, much less going to the Universities. | Irente School for the Blind| There is a growing awareness among communities that the education which blind children are receiving is helping them.They are receiving a quality educa tion which can prepare them to compete in the high demanding techno-economy and society of the 21st Century. Children demonstrate their skills North Eastern Diocese- ELCT through Irente School for the Blind insures that blind children have the opportunity to become capable in the alternative techniques coping with blindness; they should develop constructive attitudes, and be given a quality education. Through efforts undertaken there are some problems which we wished to address as follows to compete successfully.Irente School for the Blind needs, Renovation of Dormitories and Staff houses, cultivation of 10 acres out of the 50 for food crops, computers installed with dolphin pin, Academic books and teaching aids, Boys Dormitory and Secondary for inclusive education from class 1 to class 4. Finally, we were all too aware of the appalling failure of the teacher training programs to sufficiently prepare their students to teach blind children; even more important in preparing student te achers to work with blind children in the classroom.However availability of quality field placements for students in training is a truly serious problem but now Sebastian Kolowa University College (SEKUCo) has such training is available. It will not fate these students to go into the classroom and deliver the same miserable educational services that blind children where receiving. HIKING†¦. Mount Usambara The Usambara Mountains are a mountain range in North-East Tanzania, approximately 70 miles (110  km) long and ranging from 20 to 40 miles (64  km) in width.Mountains in the range rise as high as 8,000  ft (2,440 m). They are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, which stretch from Kenya through Tanzania, and are one of the world’s Biodiversity hotspots. The range is accessible from the towns of Lushoto in the West, and Amani in the East. The Usambaras are commonly split into two sub-ranges, the West Usambara and the East Usambara. The East Usambara is closer to the c oast, receives more rainfall, and is significantly smaller than the West Usambara.The Usambaras Geology and ecology The Usambaras are fairly unique in that, being in East Africa, their unspoiled regions are covered in the tropical forest, which today remains mainly in the West of the continent. The mountain range was formed nearly two billion years ago and due to a lack of glaciations and a relatively consistent climate, the rainforest has gone through a long term and unique evolution resulting in an impressive amount of endemism and an old growth cloud rain forest (Lovett 1993[1]).West and East Usambaras are large ranges of Precambrian metamorphic geologic formations of acid-gneisses, pyroxenes and amphiboles. These mountains were formed by faulting and uplifting creating the drainage system of troughs that form many watersheds, which provide water to a majority of the population of northeast Tanzania (Lundgren 1980). Considered tremendously significant ecologically, there are many protected zones throughout the range, which are being expanded and contributed to by the Tanzanian government, associated NGO's and research teams, and donor countries such as Norway.Several species are endemic to the Usambara forests, including the Usambara Eagle-owl, the Usambara Akalat, the Usambara Weaver and the tree Calodendrum eickii. Human history Historically the Usambara Mountains have been inhabited by the Bantu, Sambaa, and Maasai people who were a mix of agriculturalists and pastoralists. In the late 18th century, German colonialists came to the area bringing with them a mix of cash crops like lumber trees, coffee, tea, and quinine, and also designated forests as reserves for either water conservation or timber use (Rogers 2009).They also brought a slew of new, western ideas which were, in many ways, diametrically opposed to traditional beliefs such as coexistence with the forest versus forest as a â€Å"separate wilderness†. The result of colonialism was a mass ive change in the way forests were perceived in the community, and conversion of traditional agriculture to cultivating cash crops such as quinine, pine trees, bananas, maize, tea, and coffee. The people in Lushoto Development and tourism Today, the population of the Usambaras has one of the highest growth rates (about 4% compared to the national average of 2. %), a staggering amount of poverty and highest densities of people in all of Tanzania. Most of the inhabitants are subsistence farmers who rely heavily on the forests around them for timber, medicinal plants, clearing for agriculture, and fuel wood. Furthermore 70% of the original forests cover of the West and East Usambaras has been lost. Major land and forest degradation remain a pressing issue. However, there are still many places that attract tourists looking for an adventure off the beaten path.These include the bustling trade town of Lushoto, the once popular German resort Amani Nature Reserve and farm, and Mazumbai Univ ersity Forest, which is considered the last example of a pristine forest in the East Usambaras. The experience To say the truth most of were tired on the first few minutes because the hill was steep. I was one of the people in the front but found myself one of the last ones to reach the peak. It was a long walk and very tiring. We stopped like three times to take a rest and we were stopped once by these scary people.They said that they told Fredericka and her other friends but they wouldn’t stop and also something about scaring monkeys off. After the mess was cleared, continued with our walk. We took pictures when we reached our last checkpoint. We finally reached the peak. Some of us engraved our names on the hut’s floor. I wrote: â€Å"Helen was here!!! † The walk down was longer than the walk up, which is not supposed to happen. We walked around the mountain and when we finally reached our destination, we found out that we walked to the football pitch where w e played football a day ago.We were exhausted! Bhoke, Ms. Sandra, Marco and Nancy were the last ones to reach the football pitch. IN TOWN After the hike, we dropped of the boys at the place they were staying (Tumaini) and we girls were dropped off at our hotel (Lawns). We cleaned because we were all so sweaty! Later the bus came with the guys in it and we headed for town. We were going to interview local people about their jobs and what profit they get. Lushoto town When we were in town, we paired ourselves into groups that didn’t exceed three people.I paired myself with Amanda since she talks a lot and she was perfect material for interviewing people†¦ We first interviewed a middle aged woman with a baby who was selling charcoal. She did not look like she was in good state. It was raining and the charcoal was getting wet since it’s not good for charcoal to be wet not any customers wear buying her product. I could see that she had influenza. I asked her how she go t it and she said, â€Å"Mkaa unatimua vumbi tukiwa tunachota. † Meaning: â€Å"Charcoal dust rises when being drawn. †She also told as that she only makes 500 tz shillings in a day, which isn’t enough to support her family. She has five children and no husband. We then proceeded and went to a salon that up a hill. The ladies in there, at first didn’t want to give us information but when we introduced ourselves she felt more secure. I didn’t really feel sorry for her because she made 100,000 tz shillings, which was enough since she had no family to support. After that Amanda, Cynthia, Tracey and I became a group. We went to interview bartenders. They went making any money at all since there has been no customer since they opened.We then went to a bar and met up with four bartenders. We interviewed them and they said that there has not been a customer since morning and they have not made any money. After six interviews we called it a day and went ba ck to our hotels. The lawns hotel SONI FALLS The Soni Falls is a waterfall in the Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania, near the village of Soni, to the northeast of Kitunda. The falls lie at the end of the Mkuzu River where it joins the Bangala River. The falls lie in the southern part of the West Usambaras Lushoto Mountain Reserve.Soni falls is a beautiful and calming place. I enjoyed sitting on the rocks and watching the water pour. Some of the rocks were slippery and at a point Asymwe was stuck because she was scared to move due to the slipperiness of the rocks. We also took pictures here and we even drew the waterfall. It was a pretty way to end the trip but kind of sad because we will never be here again as a class. The boys were dropped off at Tumaini Hostel and we went to Lawns. It was our last day in Lushoto and we partied!!! We ate and drunk and danced and laughed! We had so much fun. BYE -BYE LUSHOTO