How easy is it to speak English in Tanzania? What are Tanzanians like and when are shops closed in Tanzania?

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Language

Local people use Swahili and English as the official language. In school, Swahili is taught up to the first grade, then further education is in English.

In reality, however, many different languages are spoken in Tanzania depending on the region (for example, in Zanzibar, Arabic is the mother tongue for many people).

Swahili and English serve as the "lingua franca", i.e. de facto artificial languages introduced into society so that different ethnic groups can always get along with each other.

• Swahili is spoken by the majority of Tanzanians and is the mother tongue for a large proportion of the population
• English is also the language that the vast majority of locals understand and have at least a basic knowledge of

English is difficult to speak in remote areas of the mainland and places where tourism is not developed.

In Zanzibar, in the national parks and safari areas, in the towns of Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Moshi and other tourist spots, you can speak English without any problems.

The mini-dictionary

If someone asks you the question "Mambo wipi?" it is also a greeting and you answer "Poa!" or "Poa sana!" (How are you? I'm fine, I'm great - the classic greeting of the locals).

Very often you will be shouted Jambo, Jambo - but this greeting has been adopted for tourists, so-called mzungu, whites.

You will also often hear "Karibu!" - "Welcome", but the same word is used when you are putting something in front of someone, for example in a restaurant. Something like "Please".

But when you want to ask someone for something, you use the word "Tafadhali".

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People

There are just under 70 million people in Tanzania, most of the Bantu tribal branch. There are more than 120 tribes in this country.

Local people will first align themselves with a tribe and then to Tanzania, the same question they will often ask you when they meet you, "Which tribe are you from?", which is not easy to answer.

The most famous tribe is the Maasai, but they are not a very large group compared to neighbouring Kenya.

Highly represented are the Sukuma, Chagga, Makonde, Hadzabe. The tribes cannot be distinguished from each other at first sight, they mostly wear normal clothes and only change into their tribal dress during certain festivals. They also intermarry today.

The Hadzabe tribe is similar to the Khoisan, their bush neighbours from South Africa. The only tribe allowed to hunt at certain times in Serengeti NP. The most numerous tribe is the Sukuma, with over 5 million inhabitants in Tanzania. Most are engaged in agriculture, settled in villages, growing rice, potatoes, cotton and maize - maize flour forms the basis of Tanzanian cuisine - posho porridge is on the menu every day.

The Sukuma speak the Sukuma language and Swahili. The Chagga people live mainly under Mount Kilimanjaro, around the town of Moshi. They are the third largest group of Tanzanians. They are good farmers and builders of irrigation systems. The Chagga are good traders, which has earned them a good place on the rung of education and access to medical treatment.

The Makonde tribe is known for their incredible art of wood carving. The art of carving a beautiful statue from a piece of wood is passed down from father to son.

Tanzanians and their relationship with tourists

I have had mixed experiences with the locals.

Generally, the more touristy an area you are in, the worse your experience with Tanzanians will be. As a tourist you are just a source of money for them. Often you will find the locals will be very friendly to you on the beaches, but in the vast majority of cases just for the purpose of selling you something.

However, as a tourist you will have a difficult situation even in the more remote areas of Tanzania where you will be an attraction. Especially children will want to play with you, but at the same time they will usually ask for some money at the end.

I felt best in the marketplaces of the big cities, where the locals are not used to tourists, but at the same time you are not as much of an attraction to them as in the remote countryside, so they are more likely to ignore you.

You always have to be on your guard. If a Tanzanian is very friendly to you, it usually means he wants money.

Generally, however, there is no danger in Tanzania, which is discussed in the separate chapter Safety.

Religion

Most people living in the interior are Christians. Masses held in churches are similar to gospel concerts, and it's worth getting up and visiting a church or cathedral. Some churches are very poor, but the atmosphere is warm.

The coast around Dar es Salaam has a predominantly Muslim population, as does the island of Zanzibar. However, the local women walk around veiled so that they only cover their hair, you often can't tell the men's religion. You will be allowed into the mosques if you behave yourself, women should cover their hair with a headscarf.

The large Indian community living throughout Tanzania practise Hinduism or Buddhism. Indians are big businessmen, owners of companies, hotels and shops. Their temples are colourful, full of statues and scented incense sticks. The Brahmins practice puja all day long, the atmosphere is pleasant.

Belief in ghosts and ancestors, shamanism and in some cases witchcraft are prevalent. The Tanzanians are very superstitious, and in many cases their belief in healing by root and spell seems somewhat naive.

Conflicts between religions

Although Tanzania is a very religiously diverse country, major conflicts between groups do not occur and coexistence is peaceful.

History in a nutshell

Tanzania's history is also interesting. Around the 8th century, Islam began to be practiced in the cities along the coast. In the 9th century, Arabs traded slaves here, and there are remains of this period and traces of slave traders on the coast.

The oldest surviving Kizimkazi Mosque, dating from 1107, is on Zanzibar, where you can also visit the Portuguese fortress and cathedral that stands on the site where slaves captured inland were formerly sold. Slaves were exported to the Arabian Peninsula on ingeniously built dhow boats, which are still in use on the coast today.

The first European on the coast was Vasco de Gama in 1499, and over the next century the island was taken over by Portugal. By the end of the 17th century, the island and the entire eastern coast were controlled by the Sultan of Oman. The island prospered through the slave, ivory and spice trade. In the mid-19th century, Europeans invaded what is now mainland Tanzania. The German East Africa Company gained sovereignty in Tanganyika (the name for Tanzania without its coastline and islands).

After World War I, Germany had to give up most of its colonized territory and Tanganyika came under the trusteeship of Great Britain, which promised that the country would become independent in the future. Independence came about in 1961 when Julius Nyerere, the founder of the Tanganyika African National Union, became the first president.

Zanzibar and Tanzania merged in 1962 to form the United Republic of Tanzania, but Zanzibar retained internal self-government. Socialism was established throughout the country for a time, but political pluralism was restored in 1992.

Tourism

Tanzania receives a large number of tourists each year, mainly interested in safaris. The infrastructure around this area of entertainment is formed excellently, in the towns of Moshi and Arusha you will find a plethora of agencies and travel agencies arranging visits to the national parks. Accommodation is plentiful, but the traveller must be prepared for higher accommodation prices.

Book your hotel in advance

There are a number of long-distance buses available to travel around the country, and a car can also be hired, but again these are more expensive than in Europe, for example.

Tourists usually head to the tourist resorts where you will find restaurants and souvenir shops, however it is worth leaving the classic expensive tourist eateries and going amongst the locals. In Tanzania, a smile opens doors.