In 2019, Tanzania celebrated sixty years of hosting refugees fleeing conflict and instability from neighbouring countries . These refugee hosting efforts continue to date. Hosting refugees form an integral part of a host country\u2019s international contributions\u2013 particularly its support to citizens of neighbouring countries and its commitments to agreements such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention. For example, between 2005 and 2014, the Tanzanian government granted Tanzanian citizenship to 162,000 Burundian refugees and 3,000 Somali Bantus. The specifics of these efforts are often not publicized or celebrated. Nor are there significant efforts to draw lessons from these experiences to inspire the next generation of stakeholders responsible for refugee protection and the safeguarding of their rights.<\/p>\n
In response to this gap and to preserve this critical history, a locally-inspired and directed project was developed to employ an anthological narrative approach with selected stakeholders in Tanzania\u2019s refugee program to document and celebrate over half a century of Tanzania\u2019s refugee protection efforts, while recognizing the important roles played by various stakeholders to make this program possible. Through interviews with key figures, we delve into the significant phases and developments in Tanzania\u2019s approach to refugee hosting, the role of civil society organizations, and the impact of government policies.<\/p>\n