Loud silence of Tanzanian poll

The good nature of the electorate shouldn't be misconstrued as docility

- Gitobu Imanyara

Peaceful people are the most dangerous when provoked. They endure quietly, they absorb pain with astonishing patience, and they forgive easily until endurance turns into awakening. History has proved, time and again, that when peace-loving people finally decide that “enough is enough,” their uprising is not chaotic; it is organised, purposeful and unstoppable.

Tanzanians have long been known as one of Africa's calmest and most orderly societies. From Julius Nyerere’s ujamaa socialism to their present-day democratic calm, they have carried themselves with restraint, humility and grace. But beneath this calm lies a quiet dignity, one that should never be mistaken for weakness.

Today, that dignity has been tested. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, once celebrated as a symbol of continuity and moderation, now faces a tide of discontent from citizens who feel betrayed, marginalised and unheard. The rising cost of living, growing unemployment, suppression of dissent and the reemergence of state intimidation have eroded the goodwill that once surrounded her presidency.

Tanzanians are patient people, but patience is not infinite. What we are witnessing is the slow unravelling of a social contract built on trust and silence. The government's heavyhandedness, its apparent indifference to people's struggles, and its tendency to stifle criticism are all pushing citizens toward a familiar breaking point. History warns us: when peaceful people are cornered, their rebellion is neither random nor fleeting. It is total.