Tanzania’s People
Tanzania is home to about 120 tribal groups, plus relatively small but economically significant numbers of Asians and Arabs, and a tiny European community. Most tribes are very small; almost 100 of them combined account for only one-third of the total population. As a result, none has succeeded in dominating politically or culturally, although groups such as the Chagga and the Haya, who have a long tradition of education, are disproportionately well represented in government and business circles.
About 95% of Tanzanians are of Bantu origin. These include the Sukuma (who live around Mwanza and southern Lake Victoria, and constitute about 16% of the overall population), the Nyamwezi (around Tabora), the Makonde (southeastern Tanzania), the Haya (around Bukoba) and the Chagga (around Mt Kilimanjaro). The Maasai and several smaller groups including the Arusha and the Samburu (all in northern Tanzania) are of Nilo-Hamitic or Nilotic origin. The Iraqw, around Karatu and northwest of Lake Manyara, are Cushitic, as are the northern-central tribes of Gorowa and Burungi. The Sandawe and, more distantly, the seminomadic Hadzabe (around Lake Eyasi), belong to the Khoisan ethnolinguistic family.
Tribal structures, however, range from weak to non-existent – a legacy of Julius Nyerere’s abolition of local chieftaincies following independence.
About 3% of Tanzania’s population lives on the Zanzibar Archipelago, with about one-third of these on Pemba. Most African Zanzibaris belong to one of three groups: the Hadimu, the Tumbatu and the Pemba. Members of the non-African Zanzibari population are primarily Shirazi and consider themselves descendants of immigrants from Shiraz in Persia (Iran).
For a country that was founded by a teacher (Julius Nyerere is still referred to as Mwalimu, or ‘Teacher’), Tanzania ranks near the bottom of the heap when it comes to education. It wasn’t always like this. Nyerere was convinced that success for his philosophy of socialism and self-reliance depended on having an educated populace. He made primary education compulsory and offered government assistance to villagers to build their own schools. By the 1980s the country’s literacy rate had become one of the highest in Africa.
Later, much of the initial momentum was lost. Although over 94% of children enrol at the primary level, about 20% of these drop out before finishing, and less than 15% complete secondary school. The reasons include not enough trained teachers, not enough schools and not enough money. At the secondary level, school fees are a problem, as is language. Primary school instruction is in Swahili, and many students lack sufficient knowledge of English to carry out their secondary-level studies.
The National Psyche
Partly as a result of the large number of smaller tribes in Tanzania, and partly as a result of the ujamaa (familyhood) ideals of Julius Nyerere, which still permeate society, tribal rivalries are almost nonexistent. Religious frictions are also minimal, with Christians and Muslims living side by side in a relatively easy coexistence. Although political differences flare, especially on the Zanzibar Archipelago, they rarely come to the forefront in interpersonal dealings.
Tanzanians place a premium on politeness and courtesy. Greetings are essential, and you’ll probably be given a gentle reminder should you forget this and launch straight into a question without first inquiring as to the well-being of your listener and their family. Tanzanian children are trained to greet their elders with a respectful shikamoo(literally, ‘I hold your feet’), often accompanied in rural areas by a slight curtsy, and strangers are frequently addressed as dada (sister) or mama, in the case of an older woman; kaka (brother); or ndugu(relative or comrade).
Feature: Tanzanian Style
Tanzanians are conservative, and while they are likely to be too polite to tell you so directly, they’ll be privately shaking their heads about travellers doing things such as not wearing enough clothing, sporting tatty clothes or indulging in public displays of affection. Especially along the Muslim coast, cover up the shoulders and legs, and avoid plunging necklines, skin-tight fits and the like.
Another thing to remember is the great importance placed on greetings and pleasantries. Even if just asking directions, Tanzanians always take time to greet the other person and inquire about their well-being and that of their families, and they expect visitors to do the same. Tanzanians often continue to hold hands for several minutes after meeting, or even throughout an entire conversation. Especially in the south, a handshake may be accompanied by touching the left hand to the right elbow as a sign of respect.
Daily Life
Family life is central, with weddings, funerals and other events holding centre stage. Celebrations are generally splashed-out affairs aimed at demonstrating status, and frequently go well beyond the means of the host family. It’s expected that family members who have jobs will share what they have, and the extended family (which also encompasses the community) forms an essential support network in the absence of a government social security system.
invisible social hierarchies lend life a sense of order. In the family, the man rules the roost, with the children at the bottom and women just above them. In the larger community, it’s not much different. Child-raising is the expected occupation for women, and bread-winning for men, although a small but steadily growing cadre of professional women is becoming increasingly more visible. Village administrators (called shehe on Zanzibar Island) oversee things, and make important decisions in consultation with other senior community members.
The HIV/AIDS infection rate is about 4.7%. Public awareness has increased, with AIDS-related billboards throughout major cities. However, real public discussion remains limited, and in many circles, AIDS deaths are still often explained away as ‘tuberculosis’.
Religion
All but the smallest villages have a mosque, a church or both; religious festivals are generally celebrated with fervour, at least as far as singing, dancing and family gatherings are concerned; and almost every Tanzanian identifies with some religion.
Muslims, who account for close to 40% of the population, have traditionally been concentrated along the coast, as well as in the inland towns that lined the old caravan routes. There are several sects represented, notably the Sunni (Shafi school). The population of the Zanzibar Archipelago is almost exclusively Sunni Muslim.
Close to 50% of Tanzanians are Christians. Major denominations include Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican, with a small percentage of Tanzanians adherents of other Christian denominations, including Baptist and Pentecostal. One of the areas of highest Christian concentration is in the northeast around Moshi, which has been a centre of missionary activity since the mid-19th century.
The remainder of the population follows traditional religions centred on ancestor worship, the land, and various ritual objects. There are also small but active communities of Hindus, Sikhs and Ismailis.
Historically, the main area of friction has been between Tanzania’s Muslim and Christian populations. Today, tensions, while still simmering, are at a relatively low level, and religion is not a major factor in contemporary Tanzanian politics. An exception to this is on the Zanzibar Archipelago, where increasing incidents of interreligious violence in recent years have cast a shadow.
The Role of Women
Women form the backbone of the economy, with most juggling child-rearing plus work on the family shamba (small plot), or in an office. However, they are frequently marginalized, especially in education. Fewer than 10% of girls complete secondary school, and of these only a handful go on to complete university. While secondary school enrolment levels are low across the board, girls, in particular, are frequently kept home due to a lack of finances, to help with chores or because of pregnancy.
On the positive side, the situation is greatly improving. Since 1996 the government has guaranteed 20% of parliamentary seats for women, and just over one-third of members of the current National Assembly are women. The country's vice president is a woman, as are several cabinet ministers. In education, the ‘gender gap’ has been essentially eliminated at the primary level.
Arts
Music & Dance
Tanzania has an outstanding music and dance scene, mixing influences from its 100-plus tribal groups, from coastal and inland areas and from traditional and modern. Dar es Salaam is the hub, with the greatest variety of groups and styles, but search around anywhere in the country (asking locals is the best bet) to discover some real gems. Two good contacts are Tumaini University Makumira (www.makumiramusic.org) outside Arusha and Bagamoyo College of Arts (www.tasuba.ac.tz).
Traditional
Tanzanian traditional dance (ngoma) creates a living picture, encompassing the entire community in its message and serving as a channel for expressing sentiments such as thanks and praise, and for communicating with the ancestors. The main place for masked dance is in the southeast, where it plays an important role in the initiation ceremonies of the Makonde (who are famous for their mapiko masks) and the Makua.
Feature: Ngoma
The drum is the most essential element in Tanzania’s traditional music. The same word (ngoma) is used for both dance and drumming, illustrating the intimate relationship between the two, and many dances can only be performed to the beat of a particular type of drum. Some dances, notably those of the Sukuma, also make use of other accessories, including live snakes and other animals. The Maasai are famous for their dancing, which is accompanied only by chants and often also by jumping.
Other traditional musical instruments include the kayamba (shakers made with grain kernels); rattles and bells made of wood or iron; xylophones (also sometimes referred to as marimbas); siwa (horns); and tari (tambourines).
Modern
The greatest influence on Tanzania’s modern music scene has been the Congolese bands that began playing in Dar es Salaam in the early 1960s, which brought the styles of rumba and soukous (lingala music) into the East African context. Among the best known is Orchestre Super Matimila, which was propelled to fame by the late Remmy Ongala (Dr Remmy), who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaïre), but gained his fame in Tanzania. Many of his songs (most are in Swahili) are commentaries on contemporary themes such as AIDS, poverty and hunger, and Ongala was a major force in popularising music from the region beyond Africa’s borders.
Also popular are Swahili rap artists, a vibrant hip-hop scene and the hip-hop influenced and popular Bongo Flava like harmonize, diamond and alikiba . The easiest music to find is church choir music (kwaya).
On the Zanzibar Archipelago, the music scene has long been dominated by taarab. Rivalling taarab for attention is the similar kidumbak, distinguished by its defined rhythms and drumming, and its hard-hitting lyrics.
Wedding Music
During the colonial days, German and British military brass bands spurred the development of beni ngoma (brass ngoma), dance and music societies combining Western-style brass instruments with African drums and other traditional instruments. Variants of these are still de rigueur at weddings. Stand at the junction of Moshi and Old Moshi Rds in Arusha any Saturday afternoon, and watch the wedding processions come by, all accompanied by a small band riding in the back of a pick-up truck.
Visual Arts
Painting
The most popular style of painting is Tingatinga, which takes its name from painter Edward Saidi Tingatinga, who began it in the 1960s in response to demands from the European market. Tingatinga paintings are traditionally composed in a square, with brightly colored animal motifs set against a monochrome background, and use diluted and often unmixed enamel paints for a characteristic glossy appearance.
Sculpture & Woodcarving
Tanzania’s Makonde, together with their Mozambican counterparts, are renowned throughout East Africa for their original and highly fanciful carvings. Although originally from the southeast around the Makonde Plateau, commercial realities lured many Makonde north. Today, the country’s main carving center is at Mwenge in Dar es Salaam, where blocks of hard African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon or, in Swahili, mpingo) come to life under the hands of skilled artists.
Ujamaa (familyhood) carvings are designed as a totem pole or ‘tree of life’ containing interlaced human and animal figures around a common ancestor. Each generation is connected to those that preceded it, and gives support to those that follow. Tree of life carvings often reach several metres in height, and are almost always made from a single piece of wood. Shetani carvings, which embody images from the spirit world, are more abstract and even grotesque. The emphasis is on challenging viewers to new interpretations while giving the carver’s imagination free reign.
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