Tanzania

Tanzanian Culture

Tanzania is twice the size of the state of California and known as the best place for safaris. Home to wildebeest, rainforests teeming with monkeys and birds, coral reefs with tropical fish, elephants and more, Tanzania contains stunning wildlife. The largest city is in Tanzania is Dar es Salaam, which has more than six million residents.

Tanzanian social systems are group oriented, which means individuals generally put their needs second to the group’s. As a result, Tanzanians tend to be extremely polite and generous, especially in public. Education, wealth, and uniformity are characteristics generally praised in others.

Host a Tanzanian student in the U.S.

Family Dynamic

The average number of children in a Tanzanian family is five. In Tanzania, immediate and extended family are not differentiated: cousins are referred to as brothers and sisters, and uncles and aunts are referred to as fathers and mothers. A typical rural household is large. The father is the traditional head of the family, but mothers carry power as the managers of the family. They oversee child rearing farming, cooking, and other household related tasks.

Teenage Life in Tanzania

Holidays in Tanzania

Official Language

Swahili (also called kiswahili), the official language of Tanzania.

Communication Styles

In Tanzania, people tend to stand close together while speaking. Maintaining eye contact during conversation is a sign that one can be trusted. Public displays of emotion are not considered polite. If couples decide to display their affection publicly, this is often perceived as bragging. It is considered impolite to pass a person without acknowledging them. Displays of negative emotion, except among close family and friends, are considered inappropriate, especially among men. Generally, emotions are expected to be controlled in public.

Tanzanian Diet

Important foods in Tanzania are rice, bananas, and ugali (a stiff porridge made from maize, millet, sorghum, or cassava). Rice is the staple of much of the coastal area and is often cooked with a variety of spices (including cloves, curry, cinnamon, cumin, and hot peppers). Cooked bananas are a starch staple in much of northern Tanzania (and in the southwest). Other popular fruits include mangoes, guavas, pineapples, jackfruit, breadfruit, and oranges. Chicken, goat, and lamb are often served as nyama choma (roasted meat). Kitumbua and sugarcane are popular snacks.

Additional Resources

Learn More About Tanzania

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