Tanzanians turn to tactics used in Kenya’s Gen Z protests as crisis deepens

After decades of calm, Tanzania exploded in protest following Wednesday’s election that have been labelled a sham by the European Union Parliament.

For a nation that has enjoyed peace and political stability for decades, the protests and its intensity caught many by surprise.

Tanzanians behind the protests turned to familiar strategies that have been used elsewhere in the world, with notable results including in including in Madagascar, Nepal and Kenya.

The three days of election protests have seen Tanzanians opposed to the elections project their voices with the political crisis deepening.

Leaderless: It is about the people & led by the people

For a long time, protests have been organised around political figures and parties, making it easy to control and contain by reaching out to the figures behind the protests to broker a deal.

The ongoing protests in Tanzania have been organic, with citizens pouring into the streets to reject the elections in which candidates from major opposition parties were locked out, with some thrown in prison leaving the incumbent with a clear advantage.

While opposition figures, including those who were disqualified from the polls have also added their voices to the protests, it is the citizens themselves who have been at the heart of the protests.

Social media & technology

With the government and security agencies cracking down on opposition politicians, including police officers disrupting rallies, social media turned into a powerful tool for citizen mobilsation.

Across social media, citizens connected and rallied behind a common course: rejecting the election and demanding for electoral reforms and a level playing field for all candidates.

With local media not covering the protests and international media house kicked out, citizen journalism took over with social media awash with real-time photos and videos of how the protests unfolded.

As protests intensified, an internet blackout was imposed across the east African nation as the government appeared keen on controlling the narrative by detaining journalists, shutting down communication channels and ordering foreign journalists out.

Technology still came through to keep the world informed of the unfolding situation as Tanzanians turned to Zello walkie talkie phones which work even under weak internet to share information and coordinate their activities.

Sending greetings

A popular trend that emerged during the protests was “sending greetings in which citizens used various platforms including phone calls, WhatsApp, SMS and email to reach out to their elected leaders and celebrities to reiterate their position and call out those deemed to be

Tanzanians took note of this strategy and deployed it as the protests unfolded, reaching out to politicians and celebrities to let them know their position on the elections.

Large turnout

The turnout has been unprecedented for three straight days with thousands pouring into the streets and calls dominating social media for more to join.

The “siri ni numbers” that was a popular call at the heart of Gen Z protests in Kenya, with citizens urging all who believe in the course to turn out.

The three days of election protests have seen some of the biggest crowds occupy the streets across the East African nation with security agencies having a difficult time quelling the protests.

As the political crisis deepens with President Samia Suluhu Hassan keeping a low profile, the international community is monitoring the situation with concern.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement over the situation, urging the government to safeguard fundamental rights, notably the right of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression including access to information.