Renowned in the Western world as Tanzania’s “COVID-denying” president, John Magufuli’s response to the global pandemic has been a surprise to many.
Tanzania last updated the World Health Organisation with COVID cases and death statistics on 8th May 2020. Reuters has reported, “President John Magufuli’s sceptical approach towards COVID-19 has caused alarm among WHO officials”.
Tanzania’s response to COVID
Magufuli’s initial response to the pandemic had been one of emergency. However, after a pawpaw fruit and goat tested positive for COVID, the president declared doubts on the accuracy of tests imported from abroad.
Although reports describe Magufuli as COVID-denying, this does not seem to be the case. Safety measures, such as hand sanitisation, mask-wearing and social distancing, are in place in Tanzania.
Official documents, such as the National Park’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Standard Operating Procedures, provide details on Tanzania’s COVID guidelines.
However, the president has not put the country into lockdown and measures are not mandatory, just recommended.
Many Tanzanians have supported Magufuli in his response to COVID. Local mountain guide, Faraja Mwaijande, 45, shared:
“President Magufuli didn’t lockdown the country because most of Tanzania are working to get our daily bread, as we don’t have sustainable income, which was a good move.
“From my point of view, our government did a great job… here in Tanzania, we follow COVID guidelines, but we are not fearing, which makes us feel free and keep working and living normal life.”
John Leonard Minja, 34, has also commented, “COVID exists, and precautions must be taken while fighting to earn our daily bread, for if we don’t keep on with life, death shall be there via hunger and other life-threatening agents.”
Has this been detrimental for Tanzania?
Reuters reported, “The United States said that Tanzania… is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and its healthcare facilities could be quickly overwhelmed”.
When asked to comment on this subject, Mwaijande said that hospitals “[…] are not overwhelmed, just normal. We are not in a bad condition like Western media says.”
He also shared, “Many people get symptoms of Corona and get cured, but very few have died from COVID.”
There is no cure to COVID, however, Magufuli has been an advocate of combatting it using traditional treatments; specifically steam inhalation, known as ‘kufukiza’ in Swahili.
When asked if people in Tanzania are still contracting COVID, James Nasary, 26, responded:
“Of course, especially those who live in high population… now people know how to live with the disease, by using local medicine… these remedies combine different trees.”
However, he went on to add, “But in my personal opinion, I do not recommend these because research has not been done by health professionals.”
Traditional medicine has been a part of Tanzanian culture for centuries. Different natural treatments are used depending on the traditions of a tribe.
Mwaijande, a Nyakyusa tribesman, explained:
“People in villages have traditional healers, they know plants and roots that you can use to treat most illnesses.
“If you get cold or other flu illnesses, they will use a steam incubator by boiling eucalyptus leaves and other plants. We have quinine tree that you cut bark off, boil it and drink it, which is treatment for Malaria.”
But not everybody is convinced. In his blog, Shauji Saidi Mpota, states:
“Despite the government reporting that there have been no cases of the coronavirus in Lindi region… myself and a significant majority are of the view that it still exists in our region, but at a small rate compared to the early months.”
As there is no data available on Tanzania’s COVID statistics, it is difficult to determine how successful the country has been in combatting the virus. Nevertheless, Tanzania has a strong, cultural heritage that it is now relying on in these difficult times.
I wrote this article in April 2021 for an International Journalism module. We were tasked with writing a 600 word piece on a country and topic of our choice.
GRACEFULL REFLECTIONS 