1. People believe in the ancestors

MostTanzaniansbelieve in the spirits of those that came before them. Through paying homage, they believe that the ancestors will in turn offer them protection from various evils one of which is witchcraft. The prevalence of witchcraft in the country bears testimony to the depth of such beleifs.

2. Traditions on funerals

When it comes to burials in Tanzania, keep note that they are all about celebrating life as they are about mourning the deceased. While the practices will be different between communities, what seems to cut across the board is the belief of life after death. If for example a dead person doesn’t receive the right burial treatment, they may come back from the dead to negatively affect the family.

3. Correct using of hands

Whether its eating or greeting another person, you are not expected to use your left hand.It is considered disrespectful to use your left hand.

By knowing these beliefs, you can avoid getting people angry by greeting them with the right hand.

4. Witchcraft

Tanzania has made headlines for its black magic and witchcraft. It’s safe to say that this is not a very safe country for people with albinism. If you think of deadly African faith, it doesn’t get deadlier that this.

When a people believe that albinos can make you rich beyond imagining by using their body parts, then you can see why albinos walk in fear. This has resulted in many albinos losing their lives, a trend that has caught on in the neighboring country of Uganda.

But this thing is twofold. There are those who don’t believe in the practice and target the witches themselves killing them indiscriminately across the country. In 2011, over 600 people who have had a link with witchcraft were killed in Tanzania and more than 3000 practitioners murdered between that year and 2018.

5. Taking snaps

You should not walk around Tanzania with a camera taking photos of everyone and everything. People have a negative attitude towards photos. In fact, some tribes like the Maasai believe taking photos is stealing their souls.

If you wantto capture images, the best thing to do is to seek permission from the individual. Note that some people may want to take advantage of this to extort money from you.

Apart from these you should know that every culture is different and each of the cultures have been practicing their traditions for centuries and they hold their traditions dear. Hence, you should never make fun of other cultures and their practices.