A viral dance trend emerged during Tanzania's election unrest and internet blackout. Social media users across Africa took up the "Nywi Nywi challenge" to criticize the Tanzanian government for targeting one particular young woman and mock embattled President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Dodoma

A protest dance known as the Ngui Ngui challenge emerged in Tanzania following a disputed presidential election marked by violence, curfews, and internet blackouts. The dance, which remixed a statement from President Samia Suluhu Hassan, quickly went viral online, but Tanzanian authorities responded by arresting several participants and charging some with high treason, a crime that carries the death penalty.

While the dance was silenced within Tanzania due to fear of government reprisal, it spread widely across African social media, symbolizing unity and democratic values. The incident has drawn international attention to issues of freedom of expression in Tanzania, as critics warn that continued suppression could deepen divisions between the government and its citizens.

How a dance in Tanzania became an act of high treason

Across Africa, there is a rich tradition of protest through song and dance. Think of South African activists doing doing on the streets or Kenyan genzis vibing to angu kanayo. But how can a protest dance become an act of high treason? Well, now think Tanzania and the Ngui Ngui challenge. Welcome to the Flipside. Deadly violence characterized Tanzania's most recent election in late October. Anti-government protesters were met with live ammunition, a serious curfew, and an internet blackout. Even long after incumbent leader Samiasuluhu Hassan was named the winner of the questionable presidential vote, the exact death toll from protests is still unknown. The political atmosphere, meanwhile, had already soured in the run-up to that election. Suluhu Hassan's rivals were excluded and protests were banned, prompting some people to take the opposition to the digital realm. And that's the story of how the Ngui Ngui challenge was born. So here's what happened. In English, what she said was, there shall be no disorder or disruptions whatsoever, just go and cast your vote. Now, someone took that soundbite, remixed it with some catchy music, and this quickly turned up as a dance challenge. But the consequences in Tanzania was quite serious. The government arrested several people for mocking the president. Charges of high treason were leveled against many of them, which can lead to the death penalty. NIFA cosmetics influencer Jennifer Joven stood out among them. By the time the authorities released Joven in the aftermath of deadly election day protests, people were even scared to talk about the dance in Tanzania. But not so elsewhere. The Ngui Ngui challenge had gone viral on African social media in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and other parts of Africa. So a flan dance that truly brings people together, asserting democratic values, what damage can it do when the president just brings down everyone's morale? We had a glimpse of hope. Maybe we shall have a healing or there will be a reconciliation. But if you read the faces and the eyes of the Tanzanians, you could clearly see that the hope is faded. The people have given up. And what does a ban on such free self-expression say about the real state of affairs in Tanzania? The leadership philosophy in palaces and state houses in Africa has seemed to be that our government is about the people in power, their cronies and their families enriching themselves at the expense of the rest of the population. The bottom line is this. A lot of people in Tanzania seem to want to express their disappointment in the government, especially when it comes to the election results from October. Does the government really need to be afraid of a dance challenge? And can't it just let the people be? We remind the authorities of their obligation to ensure the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. The divisions might expand and the hostilities might also grow within the country and between the ruling party and the citizens, because the number of the people who feel like they have lost hope has increased. Tanzania is facing mounting international pressure now, in addition to growing discontent within the country. The continent of Africa is sitting on a powder keg, sitting on a time bomb. And whether it's at the ballot box or TikTok, there's no dancing around the fact that power always lies with the people. And that's the flip side.

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