ChristIslam! Christian and Islam, Wakristo na Waislam- Wakrislam? Tanzanian Muslims dance to Christian songs; the unity challenge has swept social media in a heartwarming pushback against what many see as deliberate government attempts to fracture the country’s historic interfaith harmony.
Viral videos show hijab-wearing women and kofia-capped men swaying joyfully to beloved Swahili gospel hits like “Mungu Baba” and “Yesu Ni Bwana”, while Christian youth respond by grooving to Islamic nasheeds such as “Tala’al Badru Alayna”.
The trend exploded after a week of rising tensions sparked by the abrupt closure of over 200,000 churches linked to Bishop Josephat Gwajima and warnings from state officials that “religion must not be used to incite.
”The first clip that lit the fuse surfaced Sunday evening from Kariakoo. A group of young Muslim women in colourful buibui filmed themselves outside a Lutheran church, phones raised, dancing in perfect sync to Rose Muhando’s “Nibebe”.
Within hours, a counter-video appeared from Kinondoni: Christian university students in crosses and modest dresses twirling to the popular Ramadan nasheed “Hasbunallah wa ni’mal wakil.”
Tanzanians declaring their country a unique blend they now call “ChristIslam”—not Christianity plus Islam, but a lived reality where neighbours share iftar and Christmas ugali in the same compound.
“We saw what they tried to do – pit mosque against church,” said Amina Juma, 29, one of the original dancers from Ilala. “Instead of fighting, we chose to dance. This is how we grew up.”
Her video, captioned “No one can divide us – watch Muslims praise Yesu”, garnered massive likes and drew tearful reactions from both imams and pastors who reposted with messages of solidarity.
The unity challenge arrives at a delicate moment. Last week’s mass deregistration of Gwajima-linked churches, coupled with government warnings against “politically charged sermons”, had already heightened fears of a return to the heavy-handed religious controls of the Magufuli era.
When state media ran stories questioning the funding of certain madrasas and Bible schools on the same day, many saw a deliberate wedge.
Yet instead of taking the bait, ordinary Tanzanians responded with rhythm and laughter. In Mwanza, a mixed choir of Muslims and Christians recorded themselves alternating verses of “Mungu ni Mwema” and “Allahu Akbar” in perfect harmony.
In Tanga, a viral reel showed a pastor and an imam exchanging a kofia for a clerical collar mid-dance. Even in conservative Zanzibar, where religious sensitivities run deepest, showing joint recitations of the Lord’s Prayer and Al-Fatiha.
Religious leaders have thrown their weight behind the movement. Catholic Archbishop Gervas Nyaisonga of Mbeya called it “the most beautiful protest I’ve ever seen,” while Sheikh Issa Ponda of the Muslim Council of Tanzania praised the youth for “dancing away the devil of division.”
Kenyans and Ugandans joined in, posting their own interfaith dance videos with captions like “East Africa stands with ChristIslam.” The Tanzanian diaspora in London and Dubai organised watch parties, live-streaming tears and laughter.
For many, the challenge is more than feel-good content. “They want us scared in our separate corners,” said 24-year-old university student Charity Musunye, who helped organise a campus unity dance.
“But when you see a sister in hijab singing about Yesu with joy in her heart, you remember we are one blood.” As the sunset call to prayer blended with church bells across Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian Muslims danced to Christian songs. The unity challenge has achieved what sermons and speeches often fail to do: it reminded a nation that love can be louder than any attempt to divide it—one beat, one smile, one shared song at a time.
