Tanzania
A profile of Tanzania-born South Australians
December 2014
Geography of Tanzania
Tanzania is in East Africa. It is bordered by Lake Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda to the west; Uganda,
Lake Victoria and Kenya to the north; the Indian Ocean to the east; and by Mozambique, Lake Nyasa,
Malawi and Zambia to the south. The island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, is semi-autonomous.
Historical background
In the early 19th Century, Zanzibar became the centre for the Arab slave trade. It was estimated that 718,000
slaves were ‘exported’ from the Swahili coast, and a further 769,000 were retained. In the late 19th century,
Imperial Germany conquered the regions that are now Tanzania (minus Zanzibar), Rwanda, and Burundi,
and incorporated them into German East Africa. During World War I, an invasion attempt by the British was
thwarted, and a guerrilla campaign against the British ensued. The post–World War I accords and the
League of Nations charter designated much of the area a British Mandate. British rule came to an end in
1961, and Tanganyika was officially declared independent.
On 26 April 1964, Zanzibar merged with mainland Tanganyika to form the nation of Tanzania. In the late
1970s, the nation's economy took a turn for the worse and poverty levels grew. However, stability began
returning in the mid-1980s. African and Asian Tanzanians have immigrated to Australia since 1973 when the
1901 Immigration Restriction Act, more commonly known as the White Australia Policy, was abolished. The
vast majority of Tanzanians living in South Australia today have migrated since the turn of the century.
The Tanzanian population in South Australiai
At the 2011 Australian Census, 455 people who were born in Tanzania were living in South Australia, more
than double the number of Tanzanian South Australians in 2006.
As shown in Figure 1, the Tanzanian South Australian population is younger than the total South Australian
population, particularly with a greater proportion of people aged up to 20 years.
Figure 1: Age distribution (%) of South Australians born in Tanzania and the total South Australian population, 2011
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Tanzaniaborn South
Australians
Total SA
population
0-9 years 10-19 years 20-29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50-59 years 60-69 years 70-79 years 80+ years
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
1 | A profile of Tanzania-born South Australians
Year of migrationi
Figure 2 shows the year in which Tanzanian South Australians migrated to Australia. Among those born in
Tanzania and living in South Australia in 2011, the vast majority of people migrated in the 21st century.
Figure 2: Year of migration to Australia, among Tanzania-born people living in South Australia in 2011
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
335
28
16
25
21
1961-1970
1971-1980
1981-1990
1991-2000
8
1895-1960
2001-2011
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
Languagesi
The most common languages spoken by Tanzania-born South Australians are Kirundi (216 people) and
Swahili (116 people). Of South Australians born in Tanzania, 21.4% reported that English was the main
language they spoke at home. Of 349 Tanzanian people who reported speaking a language other than
English, 76.2% reported that they were able to speak English ‘well’ or ‘very well’, and 22.6% reported that
they spoke English ‘not well’ or ‘not at all’.
Religionsi
As shown in Table 1, 79.9% of Tanzanian South Australians reported being affiliated with Christianity, with
9.1% who reported an affiliation with Islam and 6.8% who reported having no religious affiliation. Among
Christians in this population common denominations were Pentecostal, Catholic and Anglican.
Table 1: Religious affiliations of South Australians born in Tanzanian, 2011
Religion
Christianity
Islam
No religion
Other religions
Not stated
Total
Number
362
41
31
5
14
453
%
79.9%
9.1%
6.8%
1.1%
3.1%
100.0%
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
2 | A profile of Tanzania-born South Australians
Employmenti
At the 2011 Australian Census, 19.2% of Tanzanian South Australians aged 15 years and over reported
being employed and 18.7% reported that they were looking for work or not in the labour force. Of Tanzanian
South Australians who were employed, the most common industries in which to be employed were health
care and social assistance (24.1%), education and training (18.4%) and public administration and safety
(17.2%).The most common occupations were professionals (48.8%), managers (17.4%) and community and
personal service workers (8.1%).
Place of residencei
As shown in Table 2, the majority of Tanzanian South Australians live in metropolitan areas, particularly
Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
Table 2: Areas of residence of Tanzanian South Australians, 2011
Adelaide - Central and Hills
Adelaide - North
Adelaide - South
Adelaide - West
Regional South Australia
Total
57
272
44
52
30
455
12.5%
59.8%
9.7%
11.4%
6.6%
100.0%
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
Area with 20 or more Tanzanian residents include Davoren Park, Elizabeth, Smithfield/Elizabeth North and
Salisbury in Adelaide’s northern suburbs; and Woodville/Cheltenham in Adelaide’s western suburbs. Few
Tanzanians live in regional South Australia.
Special holidays and events
Many of the holidays celebrated in Tanzania follow Christian and Islamic traditions and teachings. The
anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution is one of the non-religious holidays in Tanzania. The Zanzibar
Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964 overthrew the Sultan of Zanzibar. The anniversary of this
event is celebrated annually on 12 January.
There are also several large festivals celebrated in Tanzania, one of the largest of which is the Sauti Za
Busara festival. This six day music festival is held annually in February to celebrate Tanzanian culture with
music and dance. It includes a wide range of music styles such as ngoma, taarab, kidumbak, mchiriku,
rumba, muziki wa dansi, Swahili hip hop, bongo flava, mystic and religious music. It also incorporates
theatre, film, comedy and dance.
Mwaka Kogwa is another cultural celebration, held each July in villages across Tanzania. It is a celebration of
the New Year and some of the events include huge bonfires and mock fights. The simulated battles are said
to allow everyone to air their grievances and clear the air as the new year rolls in. As the men fight, the
women meet in the fields in the best clothes and sing songs about life and love. All are welcome for the
festival because it is a local belief that anyone without a guest for this holiday is unhappy.
3 | A profile of Tanzania-born South Australians
Community organisations and clubsii
Tanzanian South Australians have established the Tanzanian Community Association of South Australia.
Many other organisations are common to people from various African nations including the African
Communities Council of South Australia and the African Community Organisation of South Australia.
References
i
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census
ii
Details of South Australian community organisations were informed by Multicultural SA’s Contacts Database of cultural organisations and clubs
throughout South Australia.
4 | A profile of Tanzania-born South Australians