Aligning with the state’s COVID-19 narrative in Tanzania: insights from the tourism sector in Arusha
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Liverpool University Press
Abstract
Tanzania, a hybrid regime, was not immune to COVID-19. However, President Magufuli downplayed
the virus’s seriousness in the country, declaring Tanzania free of it in June 2020 and suppressing public
discussion on the subject. No curfew was imposed, and citizens were ordered to continue their activities
as normal. Despite this, global restrictions had considerable negative impact on the tourism sector, the
second-largest gross domestic product (GDP) contributor in 2019. Using sensemaking theory and data
from focus groups and interviews, this study investigates the influential information sources, sensemaking
processes and alignment with the state narrative among tourism workers in Arusha, a city that has
undergone complex, tourism-driven, urban transformation. The findings reveal how various information
sources led to different forms of conformity and alignment with the state narrative. The study contributes
a more nuanced understanding of citizens’ sensemaking during COVID-19 in a hybrid political regime.
Description
International Development Planning Review
Keywords
COVID-19, Tanzania, Tourism, Sensemaking, Sources of information
Citation
https://doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2025.33