Arusha — Until recently, both Westerners and Tanzanians used indirect rather than direct words or signs to indicate in public the facilities or voluntary intentions to get rid of major body wastes. This common behaviour between Westerners and Tanzanians concerning the need for privacy of this nature is one of the rare occasions whereby Western and Tanzania cultures meet.

For example, in their efforts to avoid writing the word toilet, Westerners posted representative words such as W. C. (Water Closet) on doors to show toilet facilities. They also display indirect symbols for the purpose.

On the other hand, Tanzanians in many cultures did not post any signs on toilet doors because toilet facilities were supposed to be a hidden agenda even if such facilities were located in premises for public functions.

Westerners often refer to a rest room, loo, men's and women's rooms rather than toilets during conversations. In many Tanzania cultures it has largely been considered a gesture of dignity to whisper or secretly call a host to the side in order to ask for permission to use a toilet facility when visiting an unfamiliar place. Tanzanian children ask their accompanying parents or guardians privately and humbly incase they want to use toilet facilities when they are away from home. Adult male visitors ask their male rather than female hosts and adult females ask their female counterparts about whereabouts of such facilities. In some cultures, women and children are expected to pretend they don't know that adult males go to toilet. By the way, Master of Ceremonies at major public functions like weddings often use household mobile phone labels such as Celtel and Tigo to distinguish between male and female toilet facilities.

In particular, many illusive Swahili words have been coined to represent intentions to use toilet facilities. Such words include 'msala', 'uwani', and 'kuchimba dawa'.

But the tradition of using indirect words for toilets has largely become history in Arusha Municipality. The word TOILET is now posted on doors of most public toilet facilities in the Municipality. Toilets are now called toilets.

There are about 11 public toilet facilities in Arusha Municipality. They are located at Kijenge Roundabout where Njiro Road starts (1), Kijenge Market (1), Main Bus Stand (2), Mini Buses stand along Wachagga street (1), Kilombero Market (2), TFA (near Shopright) Shopping Centre and next to Tanzania Revenue Authority Regional Offices.

The facilities are kept relatively clean and some have reticulating water regularly. But the facilities appear to be sparsely located and inadequate to serve the ever increasing numbers of street vendors who have no access to office or hotel toilet facilities.

Operating public toilets as a business has not been popular in the past partly because of the taboos attached to the facilities. Perceptions aside, public toilet facilities can be operated as profitable businesses. The evidence is that the number of such facilities in the Municipality has been increasing rather than decreasing. It costs T. Shs. 100 to use most of the public toilet facilities in the Municipality.

In addition to profit- making, operating public toilet businesses in the Municipality is by itself a significant contribution to enhance the universal culture of privacy which often symbolizes human dignity. Adequate public toilet facilities are also of great service in enhancing quality of the environment which is, in turn, the basis for civilization.