I saw this at my old school every day, where teachers used sticks and rulers instead of listening. When students failed exams, they were beaten, as if pain could replace understanding. When a class was making noise, everyone was beaten. I never saw it working, it never changed the outcome of exams or behaviour – it only made us afraid.

This culture runs deep in Tanzania, where respect towards elders and authority is taught as a signal of good morals. The idea is to maintain order and discipline, but too often it destroys confidence and leads to young people not being able to express themselves freely. They are expected to listen and obey, even with things they don’t agree with.

Religion (both Christianity and Islam) plays a major role in reinforcing obedience and humility, but they are misused to teach young people that speaking up is sinful or wrong, making them feel guilty for defending themselves or sharing their views.

This doesn’t just apply to young people, but also to people who are perceived as not having value and power in certain parts of society. Tanzania’s cultures and tribal beliefs make the situation worse. In general, elders are considered always right and questioning them is considered wrong and unacceptable.

Girls lose out on education

Girls suffer the most under this system. While in primary school, I observed that in my community, when a girl doesn’t perform well enough to make it to the next grade, her education ends. The same thing happens if she falls pregnant while at school.

Girls are raised with the idea that their main value is marriage – not education or personal development. Her parents may even see her as a tool for them to get money via a dowry payment.

Pregnancy is treated as shameful, rather than a challenge to be overcome. Daughters are rushed into marriage to protect family honour, rather than the girl’s future. In traditional communities, where such culture and beliefs are engrained, girls can’t go against what has been decided for them.

Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan – the country’s first female leader – has taken important steps to improve girls’ education. In 2021, she implemented laws to allow teenage girls to go back to school after giving birth, giving them a second chance at building their future. It shows that girls deserve to be educated regardless of what has happened in their past.

I remember one painful experience that taught me what happens when you speak against authority. A girl at my old school was having panic attacks. When a school manager manhandled her and dragged her through the hallway before she recovered, I told him it was wrong.

For that, I was yelled at, locked in a room with the girl and had my phone taken away. The girl and I were both suspended. In that moment, I learned that reporting unfair treatment can sometimes lead to blame instead of protection, and that it’s shame and fear that lead to silence.

 

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Know your rights

Even civic education – which is meant to teach people about their rights and democracy – is treated as a subject to memorise rather than a tool that can be used to empower communities.

Our textbooks cover citizenship, government and our rights. Although we learn this from school, many adults around me – including teachers – ignore this knowledge and break the rules. What we learn in textbooks is not reflected in real life.

Most Tanzanians, including parents and teachers, don’t fully understand their constitutional rights. Children grow up with the same lack of awareness, not knowing how to demand justice or fair treatment. If people don’t know their rights, how can they protect them? It’s this ignorance that becomes the weapon of the powerful.