Towards the understanding of citizenship problems shaking contemporary Tanzania and strategies to evade similar dilemmas in the future
Published: 1/Jan/2018
Source: International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management
By Switbert R. Kamazima
International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Vol. 3 Issue 1, Jan 2018.
Abstract
There are several circumstances in which nations, states or governments use boundaries, borders and citizenship as political weapons. For example, separating the ‘we’ from the ‘they’ leads to establishing citizenship identities. Safeguarding security and nation peace or nation resources restricts non-citizen like the refugees and immigrants from enjoying citizenship rights. In many cases, such attempts have resulted into citizenship problems within and among nation-states. Using the Tanzania-Uganda-Rwanda-Burundi region as an example, this paper presents circumstances under which Tanzanian government declared citizens aliens in 2001 and the analysis of six key events that contributed to the composition of the residents in the current (administrative) Kagera region. It is concluded that the understanding of historical, political, social, and economic events in this area and other border regions could facilitate explaining citizenship problems shaking Tanzania today. Such circumstances are likely to increase given the intensification of the multiparty system, contention over resources, consolidating regional integration and increasing globalization. It is recommended that history should inform the interpretation of the citizenship laws in the country to control country’s political elite and citizens from using borders and citizenship as weapons for political and personal ends.
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