Unprecedented Protests Shake Tanzania's Autocratic Grip

Anger and tragedy have been running through the unprecedented protests unfolding in Tanzania, fueled by frustration with the government's response to the sham general election and the country's ongoing material and political struggles. The protests, which turned violent and saw major cities and towns across the country join in, have thrown the regime's authority into doubt, and for the first time, there is hope for a changing sense of what is possible. As a student of Tanzania's anti-authoritarian struggle, I see anger directed at the regime, a sense of hope, and a changing sense of what is possible.

Key Takeaways:

• The protests, which began in response to the sham general election, have been unprecedented in their scale, national breadth, and political content, with protesters setting police stations and other buildings ablaze, hijacking police and ruling party vehicles, and ransacking polling stations.
• The regime responded with force, killing at least two people and injuring several others, and media sources estimate that over three hundred people were killed over the three days of protests.
• The protests have been fueled by the government's neglect of young people, its suppression of the demands of informal job seekers, and its deepening of inequality, with over 66% of Tanzanians remaining poor.
• The protesters are demanding constitutional reform, a truly independent electoral commission, and free and fair elections, defining their cause in terms of democracy and rejecting the autocratic measures taken by the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
• The protests have created spaces in which protesters have temporarily gained control, and the footage of protesters making off with ballot boxes, tearing down posters, and saying the previously unsayable shows moments of emancipation.
• The regime has not endured for 64 years for nothing, and the crackdown could harden, with the death toll climbing, and the streets clearing quickly unless the police are unable to contain the protests and the military refuse to support them.

Statistics:

• 72% of Tanzanians work as street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers, and in other informal jobs.
• Over 66% of Tanzanians remain poor.
• 64 years is the length of time the CCM regime has been in power.
• Over 300 people were killed in three days of protests, according to media sources.
• At least two people were killed and several others injured by security forces on election day.

Sources:

• The Conversation -- Africa -- "Tanzania: President Samia Hassan's grip on power has been shaken by unprecedented protests" by Dan Paget, Assistant Professor at the University of Sussex.
• The Conversation -- Africa -- https://theconversation.com/tanzania-president-samia-hassans-grip-on-power-has-been-shaken-by-unprecedented-protests-268849