Culture in Tanzania

Does the name Tanganyika tell you something? Weird but this was the first name of the country Tanzania, given by a British civil servant in 1920.  But then in 1964 Tanganyika joined Zanzibar and other islands so it became the United Republic of Tanzania.

This country has a very rich history because Tanzania was a former colony of Germany and Britain. In many architectural buildings and remains, there are slave trade and other goods to be seen.

Culture of this country is Swahili, some Arab-African mix. Sometimes you will have to pay to take some photos of the locals. Advice: Always ask before you take the photos.  However, Tanzanians are big on shaking hands and small talk.

So let’s talk about common greetings in this country

For these people, handshakes are very important. So this seems like taking some of your time but if you enter a room with 50 people inside and standing there in front of them, you have to shake your hand with every human! Of course, you have to give your hand to the oldest person first and children are the last one.

When you receive a gift, this should be taken with both hands. Eventually, only use the right hand while the left is on your right elbow, so you are giving a sign of respect.

Mr; Mrs; Dr; etc you call the person by this if they are unknown to you. Tanzanians are also called like as a mother of so and so or father of so and so. Another way is example for the mother of Mary, you can say Mama Mary or Baba Mary for the father of Mary. Funny, right?