Tanzania President Samia Suluhu advised Tanzanian men to marry more wives only if they are able to increase the sizes of their cultivatable lands. President Suluhu made the remarks on Tuesday in Mwanza where she launched the Sukuma Cultural Festival in Bulabo.
Prior to launching the Festival, the president spoke about food shortage in Tanzania and the mitigation measures her government has put in place to cushion Tanzanians against food crisis.
“I know that among my brothers from Sukuma if the harvest is bountiful and you sell at good prices, men will rush to open new households; second and third homes. Now, it is not bad and we are not jealous.
we will not prevent you from doing it but as you plan to increase your households, remember to also increase the size of your land so that more farming can be done in Tanzania; and more produce can be harvested so that families can have more than adequate food,” said President Suluhu.
She said this one of the ways citizens can help increase food production in Tanzania. She also cautioned farmers against exporting food instead of storing it for the benefit of fellow Tanzanians at a time where the cost of living is high and many don’t have access to adequate food.
In her speech, President Suluhu said food shortages in the country has been caused by several factors including climate change, the war in Ukraine and the high cost of living across the world.
As part of the solution, the Tanzanian government has also introduced subsidies on fuel and fertilizers to make farming more attractive and profitable so as to shore up food resources in the country.
In 2021, the government of Tanzania found that Muslims are the largest minority religious group, coming in at 34.1 per cent of the total population. Muslim men are allowed to marry up to four wives and it is unknown if the same expectations placed on Sukuma men will also be placed on Muslim men.
Interestingly, President Suluhu is also one of her husband’s wives. She married Hafidh Ameir in 1978 and the President has two co-wives.
As she gave this advice to the Sukuma men, President Suluhu also noted that a previous census carried out in the country had found that there are more men than women in the country, and that more than ever before, the men need guidance.
The President opined that if they were left to their own devices, the country will crumble. She placed the task of guiding men in the hands of their parents, chiefs and government officials as this will be the only way to bring about change in their lives.
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