Mwamoyo Hamza
In this Olympic year, Mwamoyo Hamza says the favorite sporting event he’s covered was the 1984 Los Angeles Games. In an email sent from his Tanzanian homeland, Mwamoyo looks back fondly on those Olympics in Los Angeles: “The first time I came to the USA was for reporting the 1984 Summer Olympics. I was a strapping 24-years-old. After having lived in a country with limited information, I was surprised by the USA’s prosperity and freedom.”
Mwamoyo says his first trip to the USA helped inspire him to study in the United States. He 
graduated with double majors in Journalism and Mass Communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Mwamoyo has moved on to become chief of the VOA’s Swahili Service, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ceremony in Washington. “It was a great feeling,” says Mwamoyo. “It was a great honor on behalf of all the good broadcasters who made Swahili Service what it is today.”
In addition to his chief duties, Mwamoyo also broadcasts sports in Swahili. It’s always interesting to get Mwamoyo’s take on the National Basketball Association Playoffs, since basketball is his favorite sport. He’s picking the Miami Heat to win this year’s NBA title.
Miami lost to the Dallas Mavericks, four games to two, in last season’s NBA Finals. Mwamoyo says he wasn’t surprised to see the Mavericks swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-0, in the first round. “All season long, they (the Mavericks) did not play like champions.”