Tanzanian riot police disperse demonstrators during violent protests that marred the election following the disqualification of the two leading opposition candidates in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, October 29, 2025.
Earlier this year, I crossed into Tanzania to attend a court hearing for opposition leader Tundu Lissu, a man who has faced assassination attempts and persistent threats simply for speaking truth to power.
Along with Kenyan activists, we wanted to show support for Tanzanians, to make sure you knew you were not alone. We were detained, interrogated, and deported, and some of my colleagues were abducted.
It was a difficult and frightening experience, but even then, there were signs of quiet defiance — gestures, glances, small acts of resistance. Today, that defiance has grown and taken to the streets. It is now impossible to ignore.
Tanzanians, what you are doing right now is historic. When images of your streets flooded social media, showing mothers, students, clergy, and ordinary citizens demanding justice, accountability, and dignity, I felt a mix of disbelief and awe. For years, Tanzania has been seen as calm, measured, and politically restrained, a nation where dissent rarely makes itself visible.
For decades, quiet endurance was mistaken for acceptance. What you are showing now is that patience is not consent. Boycotting elections you believe were predetermined, marching despite abductions and harassment, standing firm in the face of intimidation are acts of courage that demand recognition.
The solidarity you are inspiring across the region is remarkable. Kenyans at the Namanga border were captured on video, pleading to cross into Tanzania so they could stand alongside you.
Freedom
Their voices trembled, their flags waved, their hands pressed against fences — and that was not desperation, it was recognition. Recognition that your struggle is ours, that freedom anywhere strengthens freedom everywhere. It is a reminder that courage is contagious, and that East Africa’s shared destiny is built when people act together.
Your courage has sparked action beyond your borders. Malawians have crossed to join you, Kenyans have turned social media into lifelines after internet shutdowns, and across East Africa, citizens are paying attention. Tweets, hashtags, and live streams amplify your voices in real time. The energy that drove Kenya’s Gen Z protests last year has now become a regional force, linking citizens together in a shared demand for dignity and justice.
The lessons from Kenya are clear: solidarity strengthens resistance. Last year, Kenyans did not protest only against taxation; they protested against a culture of impunity and marginalization. They learned that ordinary people, when acting together, are stronger than fear. They learned that small acts of support, amplification, and moral courage can sustain a movement. Your protests in Tanzania are proving the same truth — that courage is contagious and that solidarity can shift the balance of power.
Diplomatic ceremonies
East Africa has long been divided by fear, even as it shares language, culture, and trade. Leaders can meet in diplomatic ceremonies while citizens are harassed at home. Yet what we are witnessing in Tanzania is proof that people refuse to be divided.
The Tanzanian protests also challenge the misconception that democracy is a foreign idea. The demand for accountability, justice, and representation is not imported; it is rooted in lived experience, in frustration with broken promises, and in generations refusing to accept marginalization.
Solidarity is essential because oppression thrives in isolation. When people believe their suffering is unique, fear grows and action stalls. By linking experiences, by connecting struggles across borders, East Africans are showing that injustice is never acceptable and that collective courage is stronger than intimidation. This is not only moral support but also strategic.
What you are doing is about more than protests. It is about reclaiming agency, defining freedom on your own terms, and refusing to allow fear or repression to dictate your lives. Peace built on silence is no longer enough. Unity is no longer defined by ceremonial gestures between leaders; it is defined by people standing together, shoulder to shoulder, across borders, united in purpose. The East African anthem calls for unity, and for the first time in years, those words are beginning to mean something real.
Standing against power is never without risk. I know the fear that comes with being watched, silenced, or exiled. But I also know the light that comes from collective courage. When you rise, you lift others. When you refuse to accept injustice, you give permission for others to do the same.
The rising of Tanzania is a sign of hope for the region. It shows that courage cannot be contained by borders, that freedom is collective, and that ordinary citizens, when acting together, can shape their futures.
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