The complex legacy of Tanzania’s John Magufuli

The late president has left behind a nation divided in its memory of a leader who was simultaneously revered and loathed.

Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania – An emotionally charged week in Tanzania culminated on Friday with the burial of late President John Magufuli. From offices and pubs to beauty salons and corner shops, millions of Tanzanians for days were glued to the steady stream of images on their television sets showing eulogies and dirges as the coffin of the late leader was carried from the commercial hub of Dar-es-Salaam, through the capital Dodoma, to his final place of rest, his hometown of Chato. Throughout, large crowds of mourners thronged the streets and stadiums to bid their last goodbyes to a president who spent much of his tenure roaming the country to meet his constituents.