Tanzania

Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit

According to the Global Peace Index 2018 Report, Tanzania is ranked 51 out of 163 countries as a country in a good state of peace. This makes it the most peaceful country in the East African region compared with Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and South Sudan. However, despite being a hub of peace, there is still a high risk of young people being politically radicalized due to insufficient employment opportunities for the number of graduates entering the job market each year, despite the efforts made by the government to create new jobs.

Furthermore, young people under the age of 35 constitute over 60% of the population in Tanzania, but very few young people get the opportunity to be a part of the decision-making bodies of key important issues. There is also a lack of political tolerance among youth who are followers of the main political parties and who pose a higher risk of engaging in violent activities if they are manipulated by greedy politicians who seek power. All these situations makes necessary a National Strategy on the Prevention of Violent Extremism which could provide a roadmap of how the country can deal with these possible threats that may distort the existing peace.

How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to countering violent extremism and a sustainable peace?

As an activist and advocate of youth inclusiveness in decision-making processes, I have managed to engage over 13000 young people across six regions of Tanzania namely; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Pwani, Zanzibar, Mwanza and Mbeya. This engagement will mobilize and accelerate their participation in decision-making process as well as linking them to opportunities that are available at their localities so they can create their own sources of income.

But also through the National Working Group on the Prevention of Violent Extremism which is led by Green Light Project, I have been able to coordinate a Pan African Humanitarian Summit and Awards which recognise various advocates of peace as well as providing a platform for dialogue between peacemakers on how education can be used to counter violent extremism in Tanzania and Africa at large. Consequently, through my work, I have been able to run digital peace-building campaigns such as #LoveConquersHate, #PeaceIsPossible and #PeaceBeginsWithMe to promote peaceful coexistence among Tanzanians and Africans as a whole.