For us it is clear: we’d love to stay longer in Tanzania, if possible. That’s why we also try to learn Swahili. The first thing we learned was greetings. That’s really quite helpful. On our way to visit friends, we passed a group of people. We greeted them with “Habari” (Learn more about “Habari”). They greeted back. However, one person we greeted with Shikamoo. That warmed their hearts instantly and we laughed together.

Do you want to know why? UnboxingTanzania examines “Shikamoo” with you – the meaning, the cultural context and when to add it to “Habari”.

Why do you say Shikamoo:

Most cultures place a high value on respect. Tanzania is no exception, and we like that so much. This attitude is reflected in the greeting “Shikamoo”.

In Dar es Salaam, the respectful co-existence is seen every day. The people in the city have different religions and come from all regions of Tanzania. In addition, there are the many immigrants. Whether old or young, poor or rich, university or basic education – people treat each other with respect.

In Germany, where we grew up, people do not automatically greet each other on the street. We greet friends, neighbours and acquaintances. If you should happen to have eye contact with someone, you might nod and mumble a hello.

That was a major change for us. Not only do we greet almost everyone we meet, but we also have to consider, which greeting is the right one. By now, we love the greetings in Swahili. We have already started many nice conversations and met interesting people.

What does Shikamoo mean:

“Shikamoo” is an abbreviation for “Shika miguu ya” which means something like “to hold someone’s feet”. It paints the picture of bowing down. It can also be rendered “I pay you my respects”.

For this greeting Shikamoo, the only factor is age. It is not the status of a person that makes the difference, but you show respect for the other person’s life experience by greeting him or her with Shikamoo! Of course, you will still ask about the well-being of the other – with “Habari” .

How to use Shikamoo:

We would like to share two everyday experiences with you. It shows how important greetings are in Tanzania.

We were traveling with Tanzanian friends. An elderly man was sitting on a stool in front of a house, not really noticing us. We greeted with “Shikamoo Baba”. Instantly, the amazed gentlemen was smiling all over. Beaming with joy, he returned our greeting with marahaba. Not only he, but also all the neighbours were delighted that we Wazungu greeted, Baba with due respect. We grinned just as broadly and were happy about a new acquaintance. And that simply because of a greeting that is normal in Tanzania.

By the way, the answer to “Shikamoo” is always “Marahaba”. We tried to answer differently, but everyone tells us that Marahaba is the only possible answer. This shows that you accept the respect shown to you. Really, if you don’t, you’d be a bit rude.

Sometimes we are the older one to be greeted. In Tanzania you meet many children. The weather is fantastic and the children spend most of the day outside. This is also the case in Buza. As soon as the children see us “Wazungu” they run towards us and greet us with “Shikamoo”. The big eyes get smaller and the big smile disappears for a moment. The little ones look expectantly to us. That’s right, only when we return the greeting with “Marahaba”, do the children rejoice. But not only the children are happy. For us too, it is wonderfully refreshing to meet our little friends. The greeting “Shikamoo” is part of this.

#unboxingtanzania : Take a picture how your grandparents / parents react when you greet them with “Shikamoo” and tag us on Instagram. or on Facebook.

The post Swahili Greetings part 2: Shikamoo – it makes you young or old! first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%

One reason we feel so at home and welcomed in Tanzania is that almost everyone greets us. Not because we are Wazungu (learn more about “Wazungu” unbox it), but because Tanzanians just do so. They are hospitable and that is why they welcome you too. Be nice – say hello.

UnboxingTanzania shows you how to make friends in Tanzania, just by a little greeting. 

When YOU say Habari

“Habari” is the greeting we hear most often. Literally translated it means “news” or “information”. So, you’re asking about this person’s latest news, his headlines.

“Habari” can best be translated as “How are you?” Although it is only a greeting, you can already see the cultural diversity on our planet. The English greeting “good morning” is rather formal. In contrast, “Habari” is a personal question. Why is that? Well, how do you know if your friend’s morning is good. “Good morning” might be totally inappropriate. We find that approach considerate.

Back home in Europe, people only ask friends or acquaintances how they are doing. And, yes, of course, your answer in Tanzania also depends on how well you know the person you are talking to. Not only the personal greeting, but also the answer to it reveals a lot about the culture here in Tanzania. So, how can you reply to the greeting?

When THEY say Habari

That’s easy. Whether you have good news or bad news, the answer is always “Salama”. The word has Arabic roots and literally means “peaceful” and can be translated as “good” in this context. However, if you are not feeling well, after a short break you can add “Lakini” (English: but) to the salama and explain what is bothering you. “Pole,” your Tanzanian friend will reply. It doesn’t mean “slowly” in this case, but that he or she feels sorry for you – and they really mean it.

What we like about Habari

We got to know the people in Tanzania a little better and slowly understand the background of this greeting. Some of our friends here in Dar live a simple life – no running water, no toilet in the house and they don’t have a fridge or can’t afford electricity all the time. To our question “Habari yenu?” they answer with “salama” and we can see their contentment. The ability to see the positive in life makes the people of Tanzania special in our eyes and hearts.

We love this approach of focusing on the positive in life. Every time we are greeted with “Habari”, we ponder why we are doing well. And when we receive the answer “Salama” and see the dignity with which people face life every day, we are simply amazed.

Maybe your life in Tanzania isn’t really on the front page of the newspaper, but you are important to the people you meet. That’s why they ask. Let us know if the Tanzanian way of greeting works where you live.

What you can say after Habari

The welcome doesn’t have to end here, however. Here is a small vocabulary list for your greetings:

And then you can introduce yourself:

Again, you can just ask “and you?” – Add “na wewe?” to find out the name of your new Tanzanian friend. Then you introduce your friends/children/spouse and travel companions. Depending on how much you love languages, you might just want to remember the first sentence that applies to everyone:

And then you can explain who that is:

To show your interest in your host or your new Tanzanian friends, you can ask them about various, more specific “news”:

Siku njema, rafiki yetu! – Good day, our friend!

The post Swahili Greetings Part 1: “Habari”! in Tanzania your life is a “news item” first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%

That’s what we were asked by workmates, neighbors, friends, and relatives. Let us try to explain.

Nature

It is said Tanzania is the very quintessence of Africa. That sounds beautiful, right. You would think of Tanzania as home to the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and not to forget Zanzibar. (Tanzania – It’s natural beauty of nature.) We think there is soo much more to it. We live in Dar and we didn’t think it to be so green. Check out what we see when we wake up in the morning. Did you see the sunsets we get to see (check on Instagram)?

Culture

Getting to know Tanzania you will find that nature-wise, it is beautifully diverse. But even more refreshing are the people of Tanzania. Literally all Tanzanians we met are extraordinarily welcoming, helpful and open-minded. They all greet us with the word “Mzungu” and a big smile.  (unbox “Mzungu”) Talking with Tanzanians always leaves us with a cheerful spirit. In Tanzania, we learn to view life (and ourselves) a bit differently. It helps us grow.

Food

We must mention the food! Pilau, Kiti-moto, Chapati, Wali na Maharage, Samosas, Mandazis – and we did not even start the list of freshy-fresh fruits and vegetables. Tanzania grows both coffee and tea! That in itself is a reason already to live here. We packed our little manual coffee-grinder and it was totally worth it. Friends said, that we might lose some pounds when moving to Africa, but hey! that’s not gonna happen – the food is way to yummy.  Watch out for the unboxingTanzania of foooood. We would only ever learn a language and move to a country when we like the food.

Language

That brings us to Swahili. They say it is a language easy to learn. As Native Germans, we can at least read most of the words. The grammar is somewhat very different though. Well, we will find out how long it will take us – and you too! We’ll keep you up-dated on our progress and share the funny mistakes we will surely make. “Haraka Haraka haina baraka! Pole Pole ndio mwendo!” slow and steady! 

Oh, maybe one mistake I made already, we can share here. It made us more aware of letters. Do you see the difference?

I wanted to say: “I understand” – “nimeelewa” – but I said “I am drunk” – “nimelewa“

It is fantastic to try our little Swahili every day – and to increase our vocabulary. Our Tanzanian friends are incredibly helpful and encouraging. They try to understand what we want to say and keep cheering us “Hongera!”       

We love it!

We want to inhale Tanzania. We want to stop every step of the way and see the beauty of the moment. One doesn’t need much – just a moment. to look, to see and to appreciate.  

Why Tanzania, you ask? Well, yes, because it is Tanzania. We love it.

So, come and see unboxingtanzania! and then you’ll understand. 

The post Why we love Tanzania? and Why unboxing it? first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%

Mzungu, Lete Mzungu – you will often hear these words in Tanzania. UnboxingTanzania shows you what nickname is already waiting for you.

Mzungu and Football?

Tanzania is crazy about football (I know you can also call it soccer, but we’ll just stick to football here). Whether Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga or the local Tanzanian Premier League, Tanzanians absorb it. When there’s a game to watch, the bars are full and people cheer their teams loudly.

In Britain there is Manchester vs. Liverpool, in Spain Real vs. Barcelona and in Germany Bayern vs. Dortmund. In Tanzania, hearts beat particularly fast when the Tanzanian Premier League scheduled a game Simba vs. Yanga. For years, these two teams have competed for the titles in the league. No wonder, Tanzania goes wild when they play. Even the Dala Dala`s (upcoming Post: Dala Dala) are decorated in the colours of the clubs and bring the fans to the stadium.

What does football have to do with mzungu? Well, not much. The original meaning of mzungu can be translated as wanderer and was more commonly used in connection with spirits. However, in Swahili today, it has the simple meaning “white man” or “white woman” and sometimes Mzungu also describes foreigners in general.

We got used to our nickname. We live in a part of Dar es Salaam that rarely sees tourists. As soon as we leave our apartment, the streets ring with “mzungu, mzungu”. Children come running towards us and greet us with “Mzungu”, followed by a “Shikamoo” (post to come: unboxing the Greeting “Shikamoo”).

People waiting at the side of the road for the DalaDalas or standing at the market and those who say “Mzungu” in the bars and shops are happy about our visit. Since the start of this year’s football season (2022), the greeting changed a bit to “Mzungu, Lete Mzungu”. And that brings us back to the beginning of the story – football.

Mzungu and Football!

Simba, one of the football clubs in Dar es Salaam, introduced their team at the beginning of the season. The players are called individually by name. As soon as the professional is named, he comes through the players’ tunnel onto the soccer field and is euphorically welcomed by the fans. But then the stadium announcer stumbles. He cannot pronounce the name on his piece of paper “Georgijevic Dejan”. Georgijevic Dejan is a Serbian professional footballer who joined Simba this season. Without further ado, he decides to introduce the player with “Lete Mzungu”.

A few weeks later, Simba plays against Yanga and is 2-1 behind. Now the Simba fans rise from the ranks and loudly demand “Lete Mzungu”. Georgijevic Dejan is a Serbian football player who has been playing for Simba since this season. “Lete (bring) Mzungu” is the request to the coach to send the white player to the field. He complied with this request. Still Simba lost this game 2-1.

Since then, in every Simba game you hear the song “Lete Mzungu” accompanied by a little dance. Also, on the streets of Buza one hears it over and over again. Not because Simba is playing, but because we are once again strolling the streets and are greeted by football fans. And yes, sometimes we dance with them.

The post Mzungu, lete Mzungu – Tanzania is happy to see you! first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%