In the aftermath of Tanzania’s recent election cycle, calls for reconciliation have echoed across the nation. Political leaders, civil society groups, religious institutions, and many ordinary citizens have urged Tanzanians to “come together” and “move forward.”
Yet beneath these heartfelt appeals lies an uncomfortable and essential question: Can reconciliation truly succeed if it is not rooted in empathy?
The pre-election, election-day, and post-election periods were marked by deep tension and widespread unrest. Protests erupted in major cities such as Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, Songwe, Mbeya and Tunduma. Security forces responded with force – sometimes lethal – leaving families grieving and communities terrified.
Homes were raided, dead bodies were seen in the streets and hospitals, some people disappeared, and others are still unaccounted for. Reports of shootings, beatings, and intimidation circulated widely despite communication blackouts. The scale of fatalities and injuries remains disputed, but the pain is undeniable. This is not merely a political dispute; it is a national wound.
Reconciliation is often presented as a process of “turning the page” after division. But when citizens are killed during curfews, when journalists are chased from polling stations, when the internet is shut down to restrict the flow of information, emotions do not follow political schedules.
READ MORE: Our Tiananmen Moment: Tanzania’s Cry for Justice Amid the October Massacres
Trauma does not dissipate simply because a speech urges unity. Reconciliation without empathy – without a genuine reckoning with human suffering – risks becoming reconciliation in name only.
Meaningful healing
Empathy is the element that transforms reconciliation from a political performance into meaningful healing. It demands that those in authority listen to the anguish of those who feel betrayed or violated.
It requires that those who experienced violence are not treated as obstacles to peace, but as central participants in shaping it. And it asks that all sides – without excusing wrongdoing – recognise each other’s humanity.
In Tanzania’s case, empathy begins with acknowledging the scale of distress, that families lost sons and daughters during protests; some were killed while simply attempting to return home during security operations.
That young people – particularly first-time voters – felt silenced and betrayed by the institutions they believed would protect their democratic rights.
READ MORE: Tanzania After October 29, 2025: Reclaiming the Island of Peace
That journalists, activists, and election observers faced intimidation, arrest, and threats, creating a climate of fear and self-censorship, and that communications shutdowns isolated communities and prevented families from knowing whether their loved ones were safe.
When such experiences remain unaddressed, grievances do not fade; they ferment.
This is why calls for “national unity” must move beyond symbolism. Tanzanians must ask difficult questions: Have we acknowledged the pain? Have we listened to the stories of the bereaved? Have we confronted the truth of what happened during this election cycle? Who did the killings?
If victims’ voices remain unheard, trust cannot grow. If blame is tossed around without sincere attempts to understand what ordinary citizens endured, resentment deepens. And if a fragile peace is plastered over an unhealed wound, that wound will continue to bleed beneath the surface.
Moving forward
For Tanzania to move forward constructively, three pillars of empathetic reconciliation are essential, including truth and acknowledgement. A transparent and independent process is needed to establish what happened before, during, and after the elections.
This includes clarifying the number of casualties, investigating disappearances, and addressing allegations of excessive force. Truth-telling is not about assigning political victory; it is about affirming the dignity of every life affected.
Secondly, dialogue cannot be limited to political elites meeting in boardrooms or conference halls.
True reconciliation demands platforms where affected families, youth, journalists, and communities can speak openly – without fear of retaliation – and where their emotions and experiences are validated. Empathy must shape not only language but policies and institutional behaviour.
And, thirdly, reconciliation without accountability becomes a quiet burial of hope. If institutions responsible for violence or negligence face no scrutiny, if laws that enabled abuse remain unchanged, then the wounds of this moment will harden into long-term mistrust.
Accountability must serve as a foundation for reforms that prevent future abuses and strengthen democratic institutions.
Tanzania stands at a crossroads. The country can choose the easy road of performative unity – one that rushes to declare peace while ignoring the voices of those who suffered. Or it can choose the harder but more enduring road of empathetic reconciliation, one that demands honesty, compassion, and institutional bravery.
READ MORE: Tragic October 29: Tanzania’s Turning Point?
Reconciliation can proceed without empathy, but it will be shallow and fragile. What appears to be peace may instead be silent trauma. But reconciliation with empathy – though slower and more demanding – offers a path toward lasting stability and genuine national healing.
The moment is urgent. The victims of election-related violence must not become footnotes in Tanzania’s political history. Their stories, their pain, and their hopes must shape the path ahead. So, we return to the central question: Does reconciliation without empathy work?
In Tanzania’s current moment, the answer is a clear and necessary no. Until empathy anchors the pursuit of unity, the echoes of the silenced will continue – and the nation’s healing will remain incomplete.
Epiphania Ngowi holds a master’s in public health from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is available at epingowi@gmail.com. These are the writer’s own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of The Chanzo. Do you want to publish in this space? Contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com for further clarification.
