Shadows Over Tanzania

For roughly six decades, Tanzania remained relatively stable until the October 29, 2025 election ushered in a devastating policy shift. Promises of reconciliation to heal divisions and foster national unity gave way to an authoritarian crackdown, and a rigged vote solidified the president’s grip, sparking unprecedented protests that were followed by a brutal six-day security assault. An internet blackout hampered reporting on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of disappearances and deaths as demonstrators faced treason charges and detentions; the collapse of civic space and the heavy-handed campaign against protesters signal a dramatic shift in Tanzania’s political dynamics, with citizens confronting eroded freedoms and a climate of fear.

The event marks a departure from longstanding policies supporting liberation, national unity and calm, reshaping the country’s path toward intensified repression and unrest. For Tanzanians of my generation, nightmares like these were colonial-era stories told by our parents and relatives, and could only be imagined. Now it’s our new reality.

I began this collection immediately after the October election and the crackdown on freedoms. I thought of the people I love — my family, my friends — and these first four portraits took shape: a mother cradling her newborn, a woman clutching a phone, both praying for their partners to return alive; a young man representing a generation whose future is suddenly bleak; and a child in camo — adorable at first glance until you connect the cloth to the soldiers responsible for the disappearances and deaths of innocents.