“Seeking a better life”: Identity of Tanzanian urban residents

Abstract

The paper is based on the results of field research conducted by the author in the United Republic of Tanzania in November 2023, focusing on the issue of nation formation in the multiethnic state. The study was carried out in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo cities, resulting in the collection of 33 formal and informal interviews in English and Swahili. The key aim of the research was to find out whether the national component of self-identity has taken precedence for Tanzanian citizens, or if local identities, ethnic or regional, remain more significant. Tanzania is characterized by very high rate of urbanization, and making the issue of changing identity under the new conditions especially relevant for understanding the adaptation mechanisms of migrants in the cities. It is important to note that in Tanzanian cities the majority of residents are at most, second- or third-generation urban residents. Young people usually move to the city alone, without family. Those who were born in the city usually have only parents and siblings living there. Thus, connections to the culture of one’s region of origin are often broken, leading to a search for new affiliations, which frequently involves a shift in self-identity.

In the article we will examine issues of the transformation and significance of ethnic identity; the relationship between ethnic, regional, and national levels of self-identity; attitudes towards ethno-racial minorities; and the future of indigenous Tanzanian cultures, languages, and traditions within the multicultural environment of the city.