The reality behind common tribal stereotypes in Tanzania

Tanzania won the war against tribalism before gaining independence, thanks to the Father of the nation, the late Julius Nyerere whose socialist policy united the tribes.

However, with all the diversity and harmony, tribal stereotypes still face different tribes in the country and at times affect members during interactions with other tribes.

Life&style has shares some of the common stereotypes and their realities.

Kurya tribe

Kurya is a tribe that originated in the Lake zone, specifically the Mara region of Tanzania.

One of the famous descriptions of the Kurya people is that they are mischievous and violent.

They are known to beat others especially their wives whenever they are angry at them.

Furthermore, some people have said that Kurya people beat their wives as a sign of love, that if a husband doesn’t beat his wife that means he doesn’t love her at all.

This belief of the Kuryas makes people living with them to be apprehensive and constantly fearful of a beating coming their way.

Lukiko Mwita, 63, a member of the Kurya tribe who moved to Dar es Salaam in 2013 from the Tarime district, said the Kurya people are not as bad as some people would have others believe.

“We are not that bad. I think people should learn the difference between anger and mischief. A lot of Kurya people are just easily provoked, especially whenever they think they have been disrespected by someone,” he says.

“It is very easy for a Kurya to be angry but very difficult for them to be mischievous to other people,” he adds.

He went on to describe that Kuryas are very quick to respond to beef, fights, and other dispute when directly provoked, but it is very hard to start a trouble or to provoke someone and be the instigator of dispute.

Furthermore, Mwita said that people have been trying to defame and make people think that the Kurya is a tribe of cruel people who would do harm to others carelessly.

“Some people fail to find and keep employment because of that stereotype and some fail to marry their preferred spouse,” he says.

He adds: “All of that is because of that kind of stereotype and perception.”

Chagga tribe

Chagga is a tribe which originated in the Northern zone, specifically the Arusha region of Tanzania.

It has become normal to hear the phrase: “Chagga people love money” and are perceived to be a people who love money and are willing to do just about anything for money.

Some people go the extra mile to say Chagga people are capable of evil, just to get money.

That is to say money is a language that they understand better than any other, and if you need to influence a Chagga, you just need money.

William Shayo, 56, is a member of the Chagga tribe and a resident of Dar es Salaam.

 He says people have shared negative comments and spread negative rumours about the Chagga tribe with no justifiable evidence.

“If you give a person the chance to prove that Chagga people like money to that extent, I am very sure they won’t be able to because we are not money merchants at all,” he says.

“People talk bad about our tribe and there is no way we can stand by and let them utter disgraceful words about our tribe just because everyone in this country is free to express his thoughts,” he adds. He continued to say that these stereotypes don’t define them at all. “Chagga people are different from what most people believe them to be, especially on the rumours that we love money to the point that we are careless about others’ well-being in our pursuit of money,” he said.

He went on to explain that Chagga people like to hold themselves accountable in fighting to put bread on the table for their families.

“We were raised by parents and guardians to take care of the family, no matter how hard it is and so we are very focused on trying and making sure that the family gets all their needs on time,” he says.

“As a result of that, Chagga people have been hustling to get money to make sure their families lead a good life all the time,” he adds.

However, on the issue of discrimination against other tribes, he said that Chagga people do not close the gate for other people in affording those opportunities to get bread on their tables and they are never attached to tribalism.

“Tribalism is not a part of the Chagga people. We share opportunities with our fellow Chaggas because we know each other well,” he says.

“Sometimes it is very hard to know the behaviours and attitudes of other people in a short time and you are just afraid of facing consequences of mistakes done by someone you don’t know,” he adds.

Gogo tribe

The Gogo tribe originated from the Central zone, particularly Tanzania’s capital city, Dodoma.

When you ask people what they know about the Gogo people, the answer that you’ll get the most is ‘They are beggars’.

The perception is that the Gogo people like to beg even when they can afford whatever it is that they are begging for from others because it is part of their culture.

Amelina Katongi, 54, a member of the Gogo tribe says the reality behind that claim is that the Gogo people like to cooperate and share things with others so they also feel free to ask for things from people.

“It’s not that we rely on begging others for money and other things. We strongly believe in cooperation and building a better life for everyone in our society,” she says.

She adds: “I think the habit of being free to ask someone for help is what makes people from different corners of the country believe that we are a tribe of beggars.”

Additionally, she says Gogo people help others more than they receive from them.

“I think people are disgraceful to term us a tribe of beggars while they know we help others more than they help us,” she says.

Zaramo tribe

Zaramo people are referred to as a tribe of people who like ceremonies more than they do working.

It is believed that a Zaramo focuses on planning and doing ceremonies from time to time, even without any strong reason.

Most people of other tribes believe that the Zaramo people like gathering together and dancing, and they use ceremonies to achieve their goals.

Maulid Hassan, 73, a member of the Zaramo tribe and a resident of Dar es Salaam says the Zaramo people work more than they have fun.

“We are hard workers that is why most of our tribe members are living in Dar es Salaam, a city which forces someone to work hard to live a good life,” he says.

“We couldn’t have survived in this city for all these years if we were lazy to that extent,” he adds

He continued: “It is true that we do and participate in so many ceremonies in a year, but we also work more than we celebrate our achievements.”

Pare tribe

Pare is a tribe which originated from the northern part of Tanzania country, the Kilimanjaro region.

Some claim Pare people are misers. It is very hard to get help from Pare people especially when the need is related to money or other wealth materials.

It is believed that they are only friendly when receiving and never friendly in giving.

Dorothy Mbaga, 58, a member of Pare tribe says most Tanzanians are not able to differentiate between proper use of funds and being a miser, that’s why they perceive Pare people as misers.

“We never spend our funds extravagantly. Every coin is used according to the budget, not according to who needs it,” she says.

She adds: “We spend according to what we can afford, we can’t offer just because people need something so that they can call us good people.”

“We focus on using our funds properly, never on impressing others and giving them money whenever they ask for it,” she explains.

Cultural and tribal stereotypes are not a Tanzanian-only issue. Tribes and their cultures are how human beings identify and relate to one another.

That sense of belonging that comes with identifying with and relating to a particular tribe is where the beliefs stem from. When people see themselves as hustlers, like the Chaggas, it is easy for those with different perceptions of providing for families to see the hustlers in a negative light.

Stereotypes can be funny but in more cases, they tend to create negativity. What is your tribe best known for?