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Recent News |
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Tanzanian Prime Minister visits Hanga
On Sept. 6th, Hanga Abbey played host to one of Tanzania’s highest-ranking officials, Prime Minister Edward Lowassa. The reason for the Prime Minster's visit was to lay a foundation stone at the building site of the new Abbey Guest House, but the visit turned out to be much more.
With an entourage of over 200 government officials, the arrival of the Prime Minister was a sight the likes of which Hanga has never seen before. A line of over 50 SUV’s crowded the tiny Abbey Drive as the officials made their way to the Guest House building site. As the officials exited their cars, the monks of Hanga and the sounds of the Seminary Brass Band and the Hanga Choir received them warmly. They then seated themselves at the pavilion for the dedication ceremony. After the short dedication ceremony and viewing of the Guest House construction, Abbot Thadeus presented a speech to the Prime Minister that touched on the history of the Benedictines in Africa and also the importance of the Guest House’s construction. Following the Abbot’s speech, the Prime Minister addressed the crowd of 1,000 villagers that had gathered at the building site.
Apart from praising the Abbey for its dedication to service in Tanzania, the Prime Minster took this opportunity to also address the rising public concern about corn prices in Southwest Tanzania. During his time at the podium , the Prime Minister introduced the government’s new plan to raise the national price of corn and to also begin buying more corn from this region. This plan was met by ecstatic applause from the crowd, and the applause only grew louder as he promised to personally donate 5,000,000 Tsh to the Guest House’s Construction.
After the Prime Minister’s speech, a group of local villagers showed off some of their talents with a demonstration of the region’s traditional dances and songs. The afternoon came to an end with a lunch inside the Abbey. |
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Prime Minister greeting Monks |
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Abbot Thadeus addressing Prime Minister Edward Lowassa |
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School Children waiting for the Prime Minister’s arrival |
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Crowd of villagers before the pavilion |