Avoid family wars, write a will now

DAR ES SALAAM: WHEN death comes knocking and it surely will, it tends to bring along uninvited guests: Chaos, confusion and that long-lost cousin who suddenly remembers the cow your father promised him in 1993.

It is time Tanzanians got comfortable with an uncomfortable truth: Writing a will is not inviting death, it is preventing disaster.

Despite growing literacy, improved access to lawyers and churches that now double as financial advisory centres, very few Tanzanians are willing to put pen to paper on the one thing that could save their families from heartbreak and that is a will. Why? Because many still believe that talking about death invites it.

If that were true, insurance agents would have vanished from the face of the earth. Let us get serious. Every time, our local tabloids read like soap opera scripts: “Widow chased from marital home by husband’s brothers!”, “Children locked out of inheritance!”, or “Surprise sibling appears with birth certificate and lawyer in hand!”

And who can forget the mother-in-law who declares herself acting Chief Executive Officer of her late son’s business, without shareholder approval? The tragedy is not just the loss of a loved one; it is the ensuing battle for assets, status and sometimes, just plain spite.

Especially in matrilineal settings where traditions often sideline widows and children. Families are torn apart by something that could have been avoided by a one-hour meeting with a lawyer and a pen that works.

Even worse, when there is no written will, the loudest voice in the family tends to become the self-appointed executor.

These amateur estate managers are often more interested in land than legacy. The real tragedy? Children losing their rightful inheritance.

Widows being evicted. Siblings, once close, now archenemies. All because dad, mum, or grandpa did not want to “tempt fate” by writing a will.

It is not just about property. It is about dignity. Writing a will ensures your loved ones are protected, your wishes respected and your name remembered with peace, not scandal.

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It also keeps opportunists at bay, especially those who surface years later armed with DNA tests and questionable motives.

Educating Tanzanians, especially the younger generations to view will-writing as a normal, responsible life step is vital.

It should be taught in schools, preached in mosques and churches and normalised in everyday conversations. Let us stop whispering about death as if it is a Bogeyman or Voldemort.

Preparing for it doesn’t bring it faster, it simply means you are thoughtful enough not to let your family become a courtroom drama.

The government and civil society also have roles to play. Simplify the process.

Offer free or subsidized legal help for will-writing. Launch awareness campaigns with titles like “Usiache ugomvi nyuma” (Don’t Leave a Fight Behind) will be enough.

Wills do not prevent death, but they sure do prevent disgrace.

Let us break the taboo and write our legacies, not our family’s downfall. After all, as the old Swahili saying goes, “Usipoandika, utabaki kuombewa.” (If you don’t write it down, you’ll be left to prayers).