https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2655-8208
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ABSTRACT
The African Union declared 2010 the “African Year of Peace and Security,” with its famous slogan “Make Peace Happen.” However, the meaning of peace is contested depending on particular discursive contexts and the purpose that the peace narratives of the dominant political actors serve. This paper interrogates peace discourses in Tanzania. Drawing from desk reviews and key informant interviews, it reveals how Tanzania’s political opposition and civil society actors contest the ruling party’s rhetoric of peace and tranquility. The paper unravels critical perspectives about national peace, particularly how it can be achieved and maintained. The findings reinforce previous research on language, ideology and politics that shows how dominant political parties in Africa reproduce and maintain power through peace narratives. Specifically, the paper adds to the emerging literature on peaceocracy, where political stability and order are prioritized at the expense of democracy.
RÉSUMÉ
L’Union africaine a déclaré 2010 « Année africaine de la paix et de la sécurité », avec son célèbre slogan « Agissons pour la Paix ». Toutefois, la signification de la paix est contestée en fonction des contextes discursifs particuliers et de l’objectif que servent les récits de paix des acteurs politiques dominants. Cet article examine les discours sur la paix en Tanzanie. En s’appuyant sur une analyse de la littérature et sur des entretiens avec des informateurs clés, il révèle comment l’opposition politique et les acteurs de la société civile en Tanzanie contestent la rhétorique de paix et de tranquillité du parti au pouvoir. L’article présente des perspectives critiques sur la paix nationale, en particulier sur la manière dont elle peut être réalisée et maintenue. Les résultats renforcent les recherches antérieures sur la langue, l’idéologie et la politique qui montrent comment les partis politiques en Afrique reproduisent et maintiennent le pouvoir par le biais de récits de paix. Plus précisément, l’article s’ajoute à la littérature émergente sur la pacifocratie, dans laquelle la stabilité politique et l’ordre sont privilégiés au détriment de la démocratie.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 For a detailed discussion of these concepts, see Allan and Keller (Citation2006), Cortright (Citation2008), Richmond (Citation2005), Webel (Citation2007) and Wenden (Citation2005).
2 The study does not cover Zanzibar but only the Tanzanian mainland, because Zanzibar has a distinct political authority inside Tanzania.
3 The Kiswahili word for peace is Amani. Related concepts are Utulivu (tranquility), Vurugu (violence or chaos) and Usalama (security).
4 For confidentiality purposes, CSO participants have been assigned random numbers, e.g. CSO-1, CSO-2, etc.
5 See note 2.
6 Tanzania borders Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi.
7 The speech was made by the CCM National Chairperson, President John Pombe Magufuli, in his address to the CCM National Executive Committee General Meeting on party performance one year after being elected into Office. Source: State House, Mkutano wa Halmashauri Kuu ya CCM, 13 December 2016.
8 President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete’s speech to dissolve the 10th Parliament, delivered on 9 July 2015, Dodoma.
9 This claim is evident in presidential speeches on major national festivals, namely Independence Day (celebrated every 9 December) and Union Day (celebrated on 26 April).
10 Hotuba ya Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Mheshimiwa John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, Akifungua rasmi Bunge Jipya la Jamhuri Ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Dodoma. https://www.ikulu.go.tz/speeches?page=7 (accessed 20 November 2015).
12 AZAM TV: “Dkt Bashiru: Tanzania ni kisiwa cha amani lakini tusibweteke,” available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTViDxspRQ&list=PL5VNKc64yTtm8u7qNHoA6Br22JuVVZIb5
13 UKUTA is a Swahili word that means “wall.” In this context, it was used as an acronym for Umoja wa Kupinga Udikteta Tanzania (Alliance Against Dictatorship in Tanzania). In using the term, CHADEMA implied building a wall against emerging authoritarianism in the country.
14 Michuzi TV, “Rais Magufuli awaonya wanaotaka kuharibu amani ya nchi,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm7gklIUVqo (accessed 15 April 2020).
15 “Rais Magufuli amesema hatakuwa tayari kuona mtu au watu wanachafua amani Tanzania,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_rWLuRVAfc (accessed 15April 2020).
16 Politics and religion have a troubled relationship, especially when pro-government is viewed as non-political and anti-government as political. See discussions on the topic at https://www.bbc.com/swahili/habari-42555524.
17 The late Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad is the former CUF Secretary General and its presidential contestant for the Zanzibar Revolutionary Council since 2005. The previous Zanzibar presidential elections are reported to have been marred by serious irregularities, with opposition accusations of electoral manipulations and fraud. Maalim Seif Hamad's CUF faction has defected to ACT–Wazalendo following a misunderstanding with the state-backed CUF chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Lipumba. For details on Zanzibar electoral politics, see Killian (Citation2009) and Minde, Roop, and Tronvoll (Citation2018).
18 For information on the Zanzibar Peace Accord, see Minde, Roop, and Tronvoll (Citation2018).
19 This information is quoted from part of Mr. Zitto Kabwe Ruyagwa's speech delivered on 9 May 2017 at the National Peace Conference in Tanzania. The conference was organized by the Tanzania Center for Democracy in collaboration with religious leaders. The speech was posted on his Facebook wall on 10 May 2017 and is available at https://it-it.facebook.com/zitto2016/posts/amani-yetu-sio-tunda-la-asili-imejengwa-na-waasisi-wa-taifasehemu-ya-hotuba-ya-n/1723106331320745/ (accessed 13 July 2020).
20 https://freedomhouse.org/country/tanzania/freedom-world/2022 (accessed 3 March 2023).
21 Part of the speech is available at SABC You Tube News Channel (1 min, 9 s to 2 min, 12 s) “South Africa–Tanzania Relations | President Ramaphosa Hosts Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrdAW9L69c (accessed 24 March 2023).
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Notes on contributors
Parestico Pastory
Parestico Pastory is a senior lecturer and current head of the department of political science and public administration at the University of Dodoma in Tanzania. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science and public administration from the University of Dar es Salaam. He is interested in researching and publishing topics in areas of politics, governance and public administration. His recent publication is titled Do Hegemonic Party Regimes Reward or Punish Voters? A Tale of Distributive Politics in Tanzania published by Africa Spectrum. Currently, he is implementing a University of Dodoma's funded research project examining how the decentralization process in Tanzania impacts community safety at the grassroots.
Alexander Makulilo
Alexander Makulilo is a professor of political science at the University of Dar es Salaam. He is also the Georg Forster Senior Research Fellow at the Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute, Freiburg, Germany. His research focuses on democracy, constitutionalism, gender, peace and conflicts, political behaviour, and comparative politics. His latest publication is entitled From ‘Dar-es-Salaam' to ‘Brill': Beyond the North-South Polarity in Publishing Scientific Journals published by The African Review (2024). His previous projects include “Women’s Political Leadership (WPPL) Tanzania” commissioned by the National Opinion Research Centre, University of Chicago (2023). Professor Makulilo earned his Ph.D. in political science (Summa cum Laude) from Leipzig University, Germany.