By Gail P. Dubov
There was an air of excitement in New York’s Guggenheim Museum on a recent night, not for a new art exhibit but for the arrival of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania. President Samia, the first woman of color and a Muslim to run a country, arrived in New York following a visit with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.
Her goal in Washington was to discuss business investments and the economic growth of Tanzania. But in New York the President’s focus was on a documentary, attending the World Premiere of Peter Greenberg’s global PBS television special Tanzania: The Royal Tour. After all, she was the “Royal” in the tour.
“This is a very special, up close and personal journey to and through a country, seen through the eyes of its leader…” explained producer and host Peter Greenberg. “It’s an all access pass, a deep immersion into the history, culture and the environment at a critical time in Tanzania’s history.”
Greenberg had always wanted to feature Tanzania in his Royal Tour series. Luckily, President Samia (pictured above with Peter Greenberg) was willing. She put on her tour guide hat and crisscrossed the entire country with Greenberg, from the small fishing village she grew up in in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar to the plains of the Serengeti searching for the big five; from the lofty peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the depths of the tanzanite mines. She led Greenberg through the eerie warehouse loaded with poached ivory, explaining the country’s anti-pouching efforts.
Tanzanian dancers and musicians opened the evening with a performance.
Tanzania: The Royal Tour is an epic journey of eight days edited down to one thrilling hour-long travelogue with a delightful head of state. As Greenberg states, “She doesn’t have to sell Tanzania. She just has to present it and you’ll see why.”
President Samia has embraced an ambitious economic development plan since taking office one year ago. Foreign investors are being actively wooed as she turns to Western donors as development partners in energy, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications. Since coming to power, she has encouraged women-run business, improved health care and made vaccines available to the public.
Another principal objective is the promotion of tourism, with the goal of increasing the number of international travelers from the current 1.5 million to 5 million and revenue to USD $6 billion within the next five years. Tanzania: The Royal Tour is the first step in showcasing Tanzania as a vibrant tourist destination to a global audience, jumpstarting their tourist industry after two years of the pandemic and featuring a country ripe with investment opportunities.
Perhaps Peter Greenberg said it best in the documentary. “For me, Tanzania has it all. This is a country that did not get over built, it’s not a victim of over tourism, and you have wide open spaces and great people. That’s a combination that doesn’t lose. It wins.”
The United Republic of Tanzania is a democratic country with 500 miles of coastline along the Indian Ocean dotted with spice islands and Zanzibar, just off its mainland. Few destinations in Africa can rival Tanzania’s diversity of wildlife, natural wonders and rich culture. Almost 40% of the country is protected land, making it a prime game viewing destination in Africa. Its 125 ethnic groups live peacefully, united by a common language, Swahili.
Tanzania: The Royal Tour is now debuting on PBS stations nationwide and will be available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.