Following
Tanganyika's
independence (1961) and unification with
Zanzibar
(1964), leading to the formation of the state of
Tanzania
, President
Julius Nyerere
emphasised a need to construct a
national identity
for the citizens of the new country. To achieve this, Nyerere provided what has been regarded by some commentators as one of the most successful cases of ethnic repression and identity transformation in Africa.
[1]
With over 130
ethnic groups
and
local languages
spoken, Tanzania is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Despite this, ethnic divisions have remained rare in Tanzania, especially when compared to the rest of the continent.
Natural history
[
edit
]
The territory of Tanzania is home to some of the world's important archaeological excavations and their scientific interpretation:
Olduvai Gorge
[
edit
]
The
Olduvai Gorge
is one of the most important
paleoanthropological
localities in the world; the many sites exposed by the gorge have proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early
human evolution
. A steep-sided ravine in the
Great Rift Valley
that stretches across
East Africa
, it is about 48 km (30 mi) long, and is located in the eastern
Serengeti Plains
within the
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
in the
Olbalbal
ward located in
Ngorongoro District
of
Arusha Region
, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from
Laetoli
, another important archaeological locality of early human occupation. The British/Kenyan paleoanthropologist-archeologist team of
Mary
and
Louis Leakey
established excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge that achieved great advances in human knowledge and are world-renowned.
In July 2019, the Olduvai Gorge Monument was erected at the turnoff to Olduvai Gorge from the road which connects Ngorongoro Conservation Area and
Serengeti National Park
(a route traveled by safari-goers). Eng. Joshua Mwankunda conceived the idea of erecting a monument to commemorate this significant site while also serving as a signpost and attracting visitors to the Olduvai Gorge and museum; paleoanthropologists
Nicholas Toth
,
Kathy Schick
, and Jackson Njau planned and provided life-size fossil casts at the request of the Tanzanian government, which were used by the Tanzanian artist Festo Kijo to create the two large concrete skulls. The monument consists of two large-scale models of fossil skulls which sit atop a large pedestal with an informative plaque mounted on the side of the pedestal. The fossil skulls depicted are
Paranthropus boisei
and
Homo habilis
, two contemporary species which were first discovered at Olduvai Gorge. The large-scale models created by Kijo are each 6 feet tall and weigh 5,000 pounds. The monument project was funded by the
Stone Age Institute
and the
John Templeton Foundation
, in partnership with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA).
The
Olduvai Gorge Museum
, located 5 km beyond the monument, is situated on the rim of the gorge at the junction of the main gorge and the side gorge. As one of the largest onsite museums in Africa, the museum provides educational exhibits related to the gorge and its long history.
Tendaguru excavations
[
edit
]
The
Tendaguru Formation
northwest of
Lindi
is considered the richest
Late Jurassic
strata
in
Africa
. The formation has provided a wealth of fossils of different groups; early
mammaliaforms
, several
genera
of
dinosaurs
,
crocodyliforms
,
amphibians
,
fish
,
invertebrates
and
flora
. More than 250 tonnes (250 long tons; 280 short tons) of material was shipped to the
Museum of Natural History in Berlin
, Germany, during excavations in the early twentieth century.
[2]
The Tendaguru Beds as a fossil deposit were first discovered in 1906, when
German
pharmacist, chemical analyst and mining engineer Bernhard Wilhelm Sattler, on his way to a mine south of the Mbemkure River in former
German East Africa
, was shown by his local staff enormous bones weathering out of the path near the base of Tendaguru Hill, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Mtapaia (close to Nambiranji village, Mipingo ward, 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Lindi town).
[3]
In 1998, an illustrated book in Swahili, whose title translates as
Dinosaurs of Tendaguru
, was published for young readers in East Africa. It presents a slightly different, fictitious story of the first discovery, which is attributed to a Tanzanian farmer, rather than to the German engineer Sattler.
[4]
Rock art formations
[
edit
]
In February 2021, Polish archaeologists from
Jagiellonian University
announced the discovery of ancient rock art with anthropomorphic figures in a good condition at the Amak'hee 4 rockshelter site in
Swaga Swaga Game Reserve
in northwest
Dodoma Region
. Paintings made with a reddish dye also contained buffalo heads, giraffe's head and neck, domesticated cattle dated back to about several hundred years ago. Archaeologists estimated that these paintings can describe a ritual of the
Sandawe people
, although their present religion does not contain elements of
anthropomorphization
of buffaloes.
[5]
[6]
[7]
Languages
[
edit
]
A total of 130 languages are spoken in Tanzania; most of them are from the
Bantu
family.
[8]
Swahili
and
English
are the two official languages of Tanzania. However, Swahili is the national language.
[9]
Given the conditions of the period, it was not possible to introduce Swahili in the entire educational system, because the scale of the task of writing or translating
textbooks
for primary schools was already considerable.
[
citation needed
]
As a result,
English
, the colonial language since the end of
World War I
, is still the language of
high schools
and
universities
. Many students leave school after finishing primary education.
Although the many non-official languages in Tanzania are not actively suppressed, they do not enjoy the same
linguistic rights
as Swahili and English. Some also face
language extinction
, such as the
Kw'adza language
that is not spoken any longer.
[8]
Literature
[
edit
]
Tanzania's literary culture is primarily oral. Major oral literary forms include folktales, poems, riddles, proverbs, and songs.
[10]
: page 69
The greatest part of Tanzania's recorded oral literature is in Swahili, even though each of the country's languages has its own oral tradition. The country's oral literature has been declining because of the breakdown of the multigenerational social structure, making transmission of oral literature more difficult, and because increasing modernization has been accompanied by the devaluation of oral literature.
[10]
Books in Tanzania are often expensive and hard to come by. Most Tanzanian literature is in Swahili or, less often, in English. Major figures in Tanzanian written literature include
Shaaban Robert
(considered the father of Swahili literature),
Aniceti Kitereza
, Muhammed Saley Farsy, Faraji Katalambulla,
Adam Shafi Adam
,
Muhammed Said Abdalla
, Said Ahmed Mohammed Khamis, Mohamed Suleiman Mohamed,
Euphrase Kezilahabi
,
Gabriel Ruhumbika
,
Ebrahim Hussein
,
May Materru Balisidya
,
Fadhy Mtanga
,
Amandina Lihamba
and
Penina O. Mlama
and British nobel laureate of Zanzibari origin
Abdulrazak Gurnah
.
[10]
Media
[
edit
]
From independence until 1993, all recording and distribution of music was strictly managed by BASATA, primarily through
Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam
(RTD).
[11]
Only the 4 Tanzanian genres were permitted to be recorded or broadcast, which at the time was ngoma, taarab, kwaya and dansi. The Broadcasting Services Act of 1993 allows private broadcast networks and recording studios.
[12]
[13]
Music
[
edit
]
As in other countries, music in
Tanzania
is constantly undergoing changes, and varies by location, people, settings and occasion. The five music genres in Tanzania, as defined by
BASATA
are,
ngoma
,
dansi
,
kwaya
, and
taarab
, with
bongo flava
added in 2001.
[14]
[15]
Singeli has since the mid- 2000's been an unofficial music of
uswahilini
, unplanned communities in
Dar es Salaam
, and is the newest mainstream genre since 2020.
[16]
Ngoma, a
Bantu
word, meaning dance, drum and event
[17]
[18]
is a traditional dance music that has been the most widespread music in Tanzania.
[19]
[20]
Dansi is urban jazz or band music.
[19]
[21]
Taarab is sung
Kiswahili
poetry accompanied by a band, typically with strings and percussion, in which the audience is often, but not always, encouraged to dance and clap.
[19]
Kwaya is choir music originally limited to church services during colonization, but now a secular part of education, social, and political events.
[17]
[20]
Bongo flava is Tanzanian pop music originating in the early 2000s from
muziki wa kizazi kipya
, meaning "Music of the new generation", which originated in the late 1980s. Kizazi kipya's dominant influences were
reggae
,
RnB
, and
hip hop
, whereas the later bongo flava's dominant influences are taarab and dansi.
[22]
Three recent influences on bongo flava are
Afropop
in the 2010's, as well as
amapiano
from
South Africa
and singeli from Tanzania, both since 2020.
[23]
[24]
Singeli is a ngoma music style that originated in Manzese, a uswahilini in north-west Dar es Salaam. An MC performs over fast tempo taarab music, often at between 200-300
beats per minute (BPM)
while females dance. Styles differ significantly between MC genders. Male MCs usually perform in fast paced rap, while female MCs usually perform kwaya.
[16]
In the few years prior to 1993, hip hop had been established in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza. It was transitioning from English performances of hip hop originating in uzunguni, rich areas like Oysterbay and Msasaki with international schools, to Kiswahili performances of kizazi kipya, originating in uswahilini
[25]
Following airtime on radio waves, bongo flava spread throughout the country, and the rest of the Great Lakes.
[22]
National anthem
[
edit
]
National Anthem of Tanzania performed by United States Navy Band
[26]
The Tanzanian national anthem is
Mungu Ibariki Africa
(God Bless Africa), composed by South African composer
Enoch Sontonga
in 1897.
[27]
The tune is the
ANC
's official song and later became the national anthem of
South Africa
. The melody is also the national anthem of
Zambia
.
[28]
In Tanzania,
Swahili
lyrics were written for this anthem. - Another patriotic song, going back to colonial times, is
Tanzania, Tanzania
.
Music industry
[
edit
]
The music industry in Tanzania has seen many changes in the past ten years. With a fusion of local and foreign music traditions, Tanzanian musicians have grown in prominence within the
African Great Lakes
region. It includes artists from traditional music, such as Dionys Mbilinyi, Sabinus Komba, and many others, to new artists in
R&B
,
pop
,
Zouk
,
Taarab
, and
dance
.
Imani Sanga
is a composer, ethnomusicologist, church organist, and choral conductor.
Mwakisinini Felix is a music artist who contributed a lot to church music as a composer, trainer, and choral conductor.
Arts
[
edit
]
Painting
[
edit
]
Tingatinga
is the name applied to a popular
genre
of Tanzanian paintings, which are painted with enamel paints on canvas. Usually, the motifs are animals and flowers in colorful and repetitive design. The style was started by
Edward Saidi Tingatinga
in
Dar es Salaam
. Since his death in 1972, the Tingatinga style expanded both in Tanzania and abroad. One of the most famous African artists,
George Lilanga
, was a Makonde from Tanzania. Contemporary Tanzanian artists include
David Mzuguno
,
Haji Chilonga
,
Salum Kambi
,
Max Kamundi
,
Thobias Minzi
,
Robino Ntila
,
John Kilaka
,
Godfrey Semwaiko
,
Evarist Chikawe
, and others.
[29]
Cartoons
[
edit
]
Tanzania's cartoons have a history that can be traced back to the work of pioneering artists, such as Christian Gregory with his
Chakubanga cartoons
in the Uhuru newspaper back in the 1970s and 1980s, and Philip Ndunguru in the early 1980s. Outspokenly
political cartoons
were created on a more recent date.
In the past decade, the art of
cartoons
and
comics
has really taken off in Tanzania. At the present date, there are dozens of
cartoonists
, some of whom are well known throughout the country. From the 1960s and so on, a number of artists prepared the way, and their names are cited by today's artists as essential influences. Some of these known cartoonists in Tanzania include Ally Masoud 'kipanya', Sammi Mwamkinga, Nathan Mpangala 'Kijasti', King kinya, Adam Lutta, Fred Halla, James Gayo, Robert Mwampembwa, Francis Bonda, Popa Matumula, Noah Yongolo, Oscar Makoye, Fadhili Mohamed, and many others (see the history of cartoons in Tanzania at the Worldcomics website:
http://www.worldcomics.fi
)
Sculpture
[
edit
]
Apart from being a painter,
George Lilanga
, who died in 2005, was also one of Tanzania's most famous sculptors. Tanzanian craftsmen and artists of different ethnic groups have created a rich legacy of sculptures, representing people, animals or practical items of everyday use. Best known of these different ethnic traditions are the Makonde carvings of
surrealist
shetani figures, made out of extremely hard
ebony
(
mapingo
) wood.
[30]
[31]
Sports
[
edit
]
Football
is very popular throughout the country.
[32]
The most popular
professional football clubs
in Dar es Salaam are the
Young Africans F.C.
and
Simba S.C.
[33]
The
Tanzania Football Federation
is the governing body for football in the country.
Other popular sports include
basketball
,
netball
, boxing,
volleyball
,
athletics
, and
rugby
.
[32]
[34]
The National Sports Council also known as Baraza la Michezo la Taifa is the governing body for sports in the country under the Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture.
[35]
Cuisine
[
edit
]
Tanzanian cuisine varies by geographical region. Along the coastal regions (
Dar es Salaam
,
Tanga
,
Bagamoyo
,
Zanzibar
, and
Pemba
), spicy foods are common, and there is also much use of
coconut milk
.
Regions in Tanzania's mainland consume different foods. Some typical mainland Tanzanian foods include
wali
(
rice
),
ugali
(
maize
porridge
),
nyama choma
(grilled
meat
),
mshikaki
(marinated
beef
),
samaki
(
fish
),
pilau
(rice mixed with a variety of spices),
biriyani
, and
ndizi-nyama
(
plantains
with meat).
Vegetables commonly used in Tanzania include
bamia
(
okra
) which is mostly eaten as a stew or prepared into traditional stew called
mlenda
,
mchicha
(
amaranthus tricolor
),
njegere
(
green peas
),
maharage
(
beans
), and
kisamvu
(
cassava
leaves). Tanzania grows at least 17 different types of bananas which are used for soup, stew, and chips.
Some breakfast foods typically seen in Tanzania are
maandazi
(fried doughnut), chai (tea),
chapati
(a kind of
flat bread
), porridge, and especially in rural areas
chipsi mayai
.
[36]
Tanzanian snack foods include vi
sheti
,
kashata
(coconut bars),
kabaab
(
kebab
),
sambusa
(
samosa
),
mkate wa kumimina
(Zanzibari rice bread),
vileja
,
vitumbua
(rice patties), and
bagia
.
Since a large community of Indians have migrated into Tanzania, a considerable proportion of the cuisine has been influenced by
Indian cuisine
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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African Dinosaurs Unearthed. The Tendaguru Expeditions
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{{
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[
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Pritchett, Bev (2007).
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{{
cite journal
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
External links
[
edit
]
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other territories
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