The Tale of the First Female President in Tanzania and the Fear of Political Instability: Reframing Patriarchal Skepticism

Aloys Rugazia^[1]

Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan’s succession on 19 March 2021 as the 6th President of Tanzania and first female President was a reason enough to surprise many following the abrupt death of Tanzania’s 5th President, Dr. John Pombe Magufuli.

To understand the magnitude of the dilemma, one must know that Tanzania, like most African countries, hails from a background that distrusted women for particular roles. Somehow, an immemorial myth that a woman was/is not supposed to lead or talk over men, and she cannot control the rigour of political volatility in difficult situations, is one that has been virtually engendered in the country's politics for a long time. Yes, there are plausible arguments that prior to colonialism it was quite common to have matriarchal political power, but  most agree that after colonialism things fell apart. Conversely, there is a general agreement that in most Tanzania societies the pre-colonial period had governing systems that were  vexed and nuanced with spirituality and therefore the process of rearing leaders was both methodological and divine or generally complex. In that context leaders could be either male or female, depending on the sporadic divine intervention. It follows that the introduction of Christianity and other alien religious beliefs produced more strictly defined  gender roles.  However, the question of whether these new  gender roles  profiling sync with the reality on the ground remains vital.  For example, while religious gender role profiling is insistent in allocating the bread-earning role to men, women in Africa are by and large the bread earners in most households. In villages, farming activities, herding and other economic activities are by design the woman’s inescapable role and at the same time, women are charged with the duty of delivering and taking care of their children. The latter being the only known role assigned to women in most religious scriptures. These confusions created by nuanced multicultural underpinnings on what is supposed to be the role of a woman in most African societies, including Tanzania, has prevented the feminine potential from being unleashed at the upper leadership level in our societies. A woman’s forced taciturnity in a country’s high-level politics has exposed our societies to the “malnutrition of a leadership structure coiled around motherhood and feminine prowess”.

Against this background, the current presidency in Tanzania of a Woman head of State, seems to have led the country down the road to a  new experience which promises hope and a united country. This is ample proof that gender does not make much of a difference when it comes to leadership and expertise.  The current Tanzanian woman president has dazzled the country. The blend of “motherhood”, “grandmotherhood” and a gracious approach to leadership as demonstrated by Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan has hypnotized even the staunchest believers in patriarchal dynasties. With restored confidence among citizens, the hope of a stable Tanzania is shared countrywide.