Despite Tanzania being a multiparty democracy, its political system has historically been biased, leading to dissatisfaction among many individuals and groups, particularly youth who have, over the years, been turning to more radical positions and taking negative actions—against authorities, and also each other.

The risk of violence has also grown, in particular in places, like Zanzibar, with a history of conflict and social tensions. Recent incidents suggest that young people are turning away from peaceful dialogue and towards more radical positions.

Against this backdrop, the role of civil society organizations is pivotal to identify the needs of youth and to address them in permanent dialogue with local institutions, and in particular with Shehia authorities, which are local administrative authorities close to citizens and able to address social and economic issues before they become a cause for conflict.

In response to this the Center for Youth Dialogue (CYD) and the Agency for Peacebuilding (AP) have launched the “Amani Kwanza (Peace First)” project, using a preventive approach to engage with youth and promote dialogue between them and institutional representatives.

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen Zanzibar’s community resilience to reduce youth radicalization.

The specific objectives are, first, to strengthen collaboration between state and non-state actors involved in peacebuilding; and, secondly, to unpack existing peace challenges in Zanzibar and suggest ways forward in collaboration with security experts and institutions.