Remi: Embracing Tanzanian way of life after long stint in Germany

Asked why she relocated, her answer was simple: “Home is beautiful.” She has fully immersed herself in art and culture, working as an arts, culture and education consultant for institutions, having worked with the French cultural centre ‘Alliance Française de Dar es Salaam’.

 In addition, she is exploring her cultural heritage and studying traditional African healing practices, among many other endeavours she has her hands and mind in.

She is thankful for the Tanzanian societal way of life, where close family members, friends and neighbours all take part in raising children, something that is uniquely African. She has not witnessed that within Western culture.

In Tanzania, children can freely play outside without any worries; in Germany, most parents would not dare do that.

“Here you can tell your kids to go eat at your neighbours and have my neighbours’ kids come to my place, without being scared,” she added.

That’s why she is puzzled as to why so many African youth are hell-bent on reaching Europe. “People do not realise how much freedom we have in Tanzania compared to other countries, even in Germany, I found it restrictive,” she said.

She said, unlike Tanzania. In Germany, the work-life balance restricts you. Life is monotonous and repetitive. Even the work you can do there is limited, while in Tanzania, she is free to explore and unleash her creativity.

Remi has her own description of the word ‘Freedom’ for her; even the type of food one chooses to eat is freedom.

As an organic farmer practicing permaculture at Offbabylon, Remi recognises the privilege of accessing fresh vegetables, fruits and grains in Tanzania—food that would be expensive in Europe

She also values the kindness and warmth of Tanzanian people, who openly welcome friends and neighbours who arrive unexpectedly. “In Europe, you can’t just show up at someone’s door unannounced,” she quipped.

The social freedom Remi has experienced in Tanzania has been refreshing, she points out to the influx of European tourists coming to Tanzania for vacation as vivid evidence to the liberty of life in Tanzania.

“I can decide where to go, I can go to the beach today and decide to go anywhere in Tanzania, boundless,” she attested. The simple act of moving around the her motherland might seem insignificant to some Tanzanians who are accustomed to it hence take it for granted but Remi has seen the other side of restrictive movement to people who look like her.

”Some people and politicians in German have on several occasions boldly stated publicly that they do not want to see black people in public” she said.

Europe’s high-pressure work culture, driven by high living costs and widespread debt, often traps people in a relentless cycle of labour and repayment. Remi detested that, “That’s no way for one to live,” she chimed in.

Savouring her freedom in Tanzania, she named her pet dog ‘Freedom’. Being a generation whose parents witnessed Tanzania’s early years after gaining its independence, she cherishes every aspect of it.

Scores of young Africans have in recent years risked their lives to cross turbulent oceans to go to Europe, thousands have drowned, perished and countless others remain unaccounted for, lost in the abyss of the Mediterranean Sea.

Remi said, unlike Tanzania that enjoys peace, some of these Africans run away from internal conflicts and wars, so she can’t put herself in their shoes, “Tanzania we are not there as a country, where our people would be forced to seek asylum,” she explained.

Under the same breath, she points out the life in Europe that is being sold to Africans, which is contrary to reality.

Most of these Africans fall for a mirage and the allure of European life, which is most likely unattainable for them, even if they make it to European shores.

“It’s just a picture perpetuating the modern world in Europe, but we all know that is not the life for black people,” she said. She pointed to the rise of right-wing politics across America and Europe. “Every day they kill black children, you see the black lives matter movement, the incarceration of black men,” she said.

The Alternative für Deutschland has been gaining political muscle in Germany, the Far-right to right-wing populist, anti-immigration, nationalist has been vocal in their racist rhetoric. Remi noted that she went to Europe for her studies; others like her choose to stay, either for love or to start a new life.

But that worked well in the 90s and early 2000s; the politics have changed. After her studies in the country, she got a nice job there, but the systemic racism was just growing bolder and bolder, where people started publicly voicing their bigotry.

That drove her to be politically active in Germany, joining other human rights activists there and confronting everyday racism, which she admits was very exhausting.

Africa, Tanzania included, is no paradise, but she said, at least here she is not being judged for the colour of her skin. Though black people have excelled in so many fields and have done amazing things, in Western countries, they have to constantly seek the approval of other people and have to work much harder just to silence the doubters.

“The image they portray of black people in Europe is so negative and black people have always had to prove them wrong; it’s exhausting and many of us have committed suicide because of it,” she said.

She has also been blessed to see the positive side of the country that offered her the vital education, she has friends and a community that supported her.

“I sometimes mean being able to make the quick food from the cans, cooking beans in Tanzania takes half a day,” she laughed. She also enjoyed the infrastructure in Europe; being able to take a train and travel to France in a short time was convenient. “I wish we had that kind of transportation from Dar to Mwanza or Bukoba,” she quipped.

Most of her German friends have visited her in Tanzania. In a global world, all her friends from across the world have been to Tanzania and have been amazed by its beauty.

She emphasised that she doesn’t want to discourage young Africans from pursuing their dreams to go to Europe, but Africans have to be pragmatic to the reality that comes with their decision to pursue their Western dreams.

“If you have the opportunity and the visa, you can go and be smart,” she said. “Be a quick learner, pick up things fast and learn to adapt,” she advised.

The job opportunities are not equally distributed to the unskilled, even the skilled African; some end up picking odd jobs just to get by.

“Success doesn’t come overnight; patience and hard work are vital,” she added. “Most importantly, do not forget home,” she insisted.