Tanzania

Over sixty-two million people inhabit the country known as Tanzania. This country, twice the size of California, borders both Africa’s largest lake as well as its deepest lake (Lake Victoria); it is home to Africa’s highest peak (Mount Kilimanjaro), and approximately a fifth of Africa’s warm-blooded animal species. Not surprisingly, tourism is one of the main industries in this prosperous country that is comprised of the largest country in East Africa as well as the island of Zanzibar.

The first foreign power to unify parts of this territory was an Arab sultan. Later, this region became a part of German East Africa, and after WWI, it was governed by England until it obtained independence. After the British colonies of Tanganyika and Zanzibar obtained their freedom, they united to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. The Tanzanian government has always been strongly nationalistic with a powerful central government. The first president emphasized that its citizens should view themselves as Tanzanian, instead of aligning with their tribal backgrounds. He was able to carry his purpose of unifying the country by repressing culture, mother tongues, and tribal differences. The result of this philosophy has been wide-spread: although this vast nation is home to over a hundred ethnic groups and has been considered the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa, Tanzania is comparatively unified. Tanzanians generally speak Swahili very fluently, even though some also retain their mother tongue. English is also an official language that has been widely spoken, but continues to take second place to Swahili. The acceptance of a national identity has also made Tanzania a much more peaceful and stable nation.

These factors are certainly a blessing to the missionary. There is certainly great need in this country: approximately sixty-percent profess Christianity, meaning they are not Muslim. Of those professing Christianity over half are Catholic, and much of the rest combine traditional worship with a Charismatic doctrine. Also, many Muslim businessmen, making up over thirty-percent, live in Tanzania, a remainder of the strong Arab influence from early days. Not the least concern; however, is the government. While it has stabilized and unified the country, the strong nationalistic policies have majorly hampered recent missionary work.

Missionaries in Tanzania:

Missionaries in Africa (listed with BIMI account numbers)