Everything has been on hold for weeks in the run-up to the general election. It has been frustrating not to be able to progress any business. I was really looking forward to it being over but a few days before the election I went to work to find that the internet had been cut.
The guy from IT said there was a problem with the fibre optic cable in Dar but another guy, clearly either better-informed or more honest said that the government had cut the internet because of the election.
The following day I was on my way to Mafia and the internet was patchy but when I got to Mafia Island it was impossible to get any WhatsApp or Wechat messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media.
I was unable to search online, unable to use Google maps but the BBC news website was still working and we could read about the Tanzanian internet shutdown as we were experiencing it.
At least in China you know you’re going to get the internet blocked but in Tanzania it was a surprise to all because it was the first time it had happened. We all assume it is because the government doesn’t want the opposition to organise itself and doesn’t want news of what was happening in Zanzibar and Pemba to get out to the general population. It got out anyway. You cannot keep rioting and deaths quiet no matter how hard you try.
We are all looking forward to getting the internet back to normal. Not everyone has a VPN, only those who have the money and the ability to buy one.