Blessing Alphonce

Tanzania Competitive Rhetoric Organisation

Before 2015, Tanzania was relatively unknown to the global debate community. Pockets and glimmers of participation were the best way to describe debating movement. That is not to say that there were no debates taking place within the country. However, no Tanzanian schools or teams regularly attended internationally recognized debate competitions such as the World Schools Debate Championship (WSDC), the Pan African Universities Debate Championship (PAUDC) and the World Universities Debate Championship (WUDC). In September 2015, the Tanzania Competitive Rhetoric Organization (TCRO) was established to promote and cultivate the culture of competitive debating. TCRO is a youth-led Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered under the NGO Act No.24/2002 at the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children in Tanzania. TCRO engages the youth in schools and universities in debate and public speaking competitions. The organization is mandated by the ministry under which it's registered to have an outlook that develops the community. In this respect, we debate specific issues that affect the general society and the continent at large. Our vision is to be a distinguished organization that promotes the quality of public discourse and discussion by providing a unique platform for the youth and general public to express themselves. Our mission is to mobilize public and private institutions of learning, civil societies and government organizations to effect change by organizing competitive debating tournaments and forums that recommend positive changes to the society.