Tanzania Independence Day 2023: Every year on December 9, Tanzanians celebrate their independence. The year 2021 will commemorate the nation’s 61st year of independence from Britain, which controlled Tanzania under the name Tanganyika until 1961.
Tanzania Independence Day History
Julius Nyerere spearheaded Tanzanian independence movement in 1954, serving as one of the founding members of the “Tanganyika African National Union (TANU)”. After receiving his education in Uganda and Scotland, he returned to his native country and started advocating for Africanist and anti-colonial causes.
He pushed for a comparable kind of resistance in Tanganyika, drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent struggle for independence in India. He played a key role in bringing the various tribal groups in the area together to present a unified front against the British.
Known as “teacher” or “Mwalimu” in Swahili due to his teaching career, Nyerere was elected to the General Council in the 1958–1959 national elections. In 1961, he became the first President of an independent Tanganyika. Following the overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar, it became a Republic the following year and amalgamated with Zanzibar in 1964. At this point, the nation’s name was changed to Tanzania.
In addition, he was a socialist who established community ownership of farms and state ownership of services. He was the first African leader to resign from office freely after his plans to make Tanzania self-sufficient failed. Because of his moral values, he is still well-liked in the community.
By the way, TANU expanded into the Afro-Shirazi party of Zanzibar, giving rise to the current ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, which is also the only party to have ruled the nation. At the moment, the majority of the Zanzibar archipelago is still a semi-autonomous area of the nation, flying a flag that is a replica of Tanzania’s flag.
Activities For Tanzanian Independence Day day
Study up on Tanzania’s past.
With a rich history dating back to the Stone Age, the area was home to some of the earliest hominid cultures ever discovered by archaeology.
It recorded travelers from Persia and India as early as the first millennium CE, and during the Middle Ages, Arabic culture influenced Swahili culture. All of this undoubtedly creates amazing history.
Consult a Tanzanian.
The region’s history is not the only fascinating aspect. Tanzanians still speak a variety of languages from East Africa. In 2020, the World Bank upgraded Tanzania’s economy from low income to lower-middle income.
It also recently elected its first female president, who was born in Zanzibar to a Muslim family. Tanzanians can give you firsthand accounts of the current state of the nation from a bird’s eye perspective.
Visit Tanzania
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5 Facts About Tanzanian
The second-oldest lake is Tanganyika.
Tanganyika is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world and the second-largest in terms of volume and depth. Africa is home to several Great Lakes, including Victoria and Malawi.
Tanganyika traverses the area.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Burundi shares Lake Tanganyika. The central African belt is also known as the Great Lakes region.
It is where Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees.
In Gombe Stream National Park, renowned anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees.
One important economic driver is tourism.
As the nation’s largest industry and employer, tourism contributed 17.5% to GDP in 2016.
We speak four different linguistic families here.
There are speakers of all four African language families in Tanzania: Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, and Khoisan.
The significance of Tanzanian Independence Day
It brings back memories of colonialism.
We must never underestimate the size of the British Empire or the number of nations it colonized. The United States’ Thirteen American Colonies were the first to secede from Great Britain in 1776.
It’s a pretext to travel to Tanzania.
The Great Lakes and volcanoes make Tanzania a fantastic place to visit at any time of year. The nation’s Independence Day serves as a convenient justification for securing those airline tickets.
It is the union of two distinct areas.
The union of the island chain of Zanzibar and the Tanganyika mainland created Tanzania. Tanzania’s Independence Day honors the coexistence of both of these regions, with Zanzibar having its own unique culture and some autonomy from the government on the mainland.
TANZANIA INDEPENDENCE DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | December 9 | Saturday |
2024 | December 9 | Monday |
2025 | December 9 | Tuesday |
2026 | December 9 | Wednesday |
2027 | December 9 | Thursday |