How Tanzanian roots inspired Dr Cecelela to change how the world sees African families

Dar es Salaam. For Dr Cecelela L. Tomi, earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Childhood Studies from Rutgers University in the United States was never simply an academic milestone. It was the culmination of a deeply personal journey rooted in her Tanzanian heritage and driven by a determination to ensure that the experiences of African immigrant families are recognised within global scholarship.

Speaking to The Citizen on July 29, 2026, Dr Tomi reflected on how her research has become a bridge between academic inquiry and the lived realities of Tanzanian families at home and abroad.

Although born and raised in the United States, Dr Tomi said Tanzania has always remained central to her identity. Her father's family comes from Dodoma, while her mother's roots are in Singida. Growing up in the Tanzanian diaspora in Massachusetts, she maintained close ties with relatives and has worked and studied language in Tanzania over the years.

"Tanzania has always been central to my sense of belonging and home," she said.

Her doctoral research examined an area that has received little academic attention: how children in African immigrant families understand growing up in households where disability care is both a profession and a way of life.

"I wanted to understand how children make sense of the work their parents do. What happens when home is work and work is at home?" Dr Tomi said.

She explained that many immigrant parents enter disability care because they seek financial stability while also wanting employment that allows them to remain close to their families. Others eventually establish care agencies rather than continuing live-in care so they can balance their professional responsibilities with parenthood.

According to Dr Tomi, the study also revealed how childhood experiences in caregiving environments continue to shape participants well into adulthood.

She said many interviewees only began reflecting on how those experiences influenced their lives during the research itself. Some later pursued careers in care professions or remained open to supporting relatives and community members living with disabilities.

Others, however, deliberately chose different paths.

Using Kiswahili concepts, she described this contrast through kujifungua - opening oneself to others and kujifunga - establishing boundaries to ensure future generations would not inherit caregiving responsibilities.

"Our childhoods shape how we think about responsibility and what a good life looks like," she said.

Dr Tomi believes her research also challenges common perceptions about migration.

"Many people see remittances arriving every month but never see the demanding work that makes those remittances possible," she said.

"Behind the money are long shifts and lots of emotional labour. Families reorganise their daily lives around care, and more care. I hope this research makes that invisible work visible."

She said her Tanzanian heritage fundamentally shaped the questions she chose to pursue as a researcher.

"My heritage gave me the questions I wanted to ask," Dr Tomi said, adding that growing up between two cultures helped her appreciate different understandings of family, childhood, disability and care.

Looking ahead, she believes Tanzania will increasingly face important conversations about caring for older people, relatives living with disabilities and future generations as home-based care services continue to expand.

"The Tanzanian diaspora has accumulated decades of experience navigating these questions through home care agencies, workforce development, transportation systems and public policy," she said.

"I hope my career helps build stronger bridges between those experiences abroad and the future of care in Tanzania while remaining grounded in Tanzanian families and communities."

The journey towards completing her doctorate was far from straightforward.

She said conducting research across two countries presented financial pressures, complex research approvals and the unpredictable nature of international fieldwork.

Like many doctoral researchers, she also experienced burnout and periods of uncertainty.

"My faith became an important source of grounding," she said. "I prayed often, asked others to pray for me and used fasting as a time for reflection."

The emotional burden became even heavier after losing two close family members during her doctoral studies. During the first year of her PhD, her paternal grandmother died of cancer, while her uncle, who had also been battling cancer, died during the final year, before she completed her degree.

"He would have loved to witness this moment," she said. "The time I spent with him and the stories he shared now feel even more sacred."

One lesson, she added, continues to guide her academic life.

"One of my professors told me, 'Let your research change you.' It did. It made me a better listener and challenged my own assumptions."

Beyond academia, Dr Tomi hopes her work contributes to a broader movement of Tanzanians documenting their own lives and communities.

During her doctoral research, she had the opportunity to interview Tanzanian filmmaker Seko Shamte after being introduced through a fellow Tanzanian in the Massachusetts diaspora. Shamte's film Binti became the first Tanzanian feature film licensed by Netflix in 2021.

"Our conversation reinforced something I think about often: representation requires resources," Dr Tomi said.

Whether through writing books, conducting research or making films, she said Tanzanians need greater investment to tell their own stories in ways that reflect their realities and start meaningful conversations.

She pointed to production companies such as Black Unicorn Studios as part of the wider creative ecosystem that can help Tanzanians develop and share their own narratives.

"I also hope my work contributes to a broader movement of Tanzanians documenting our own lives and communities," she said.

For young Tanzanians aspiring to study or conduct research internationally, Dr Tomi's advice is straightforward.

"Become students of patterns. Train your mind to notice what other people overlook. Ask why things are the way they are," she said.

She urged young people never to dismiss their own experiences as ordinary.

"Some of the world's most important research begins by paying close attention to everyday life. Produce your ideas. Write them down. Share them. Build on them."

She added that Tanzanians possess a unique intellectual perspective that should never be underestimated.

"Respect yourself and where you come from. The perspective you bring as a Kiswahili thinker can be one of your greatest intellectual advantages."

While she was born in the United States and is an American citizen, Dr Tomi said her connection to Tanzania remains deeply rooted through her parents, family, cultural ties and research.

She does not currently hold Tanzanian citizenship or dual nationality.

For Dr Tomi, the pursuit of knowledge has never been simply about collecting academic titles. It is about ensuring that the stories, values and everyday lives of Tanzanian families are recognised, documented and understood, both at home and across the world.