- From SGR Stations to Stadium Stands
TANZANIA: AUGUST 1st, 2024—a day so monumental it might as well be declared a public holiday!
It’s not just any day, mind you. This is the day Tanzania was blessed with the inauguration of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
The super-fast iron serpent winds its way through the heart of our great nation, from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, connecting souls, spices and maybe even a few overzealous goats along the way.
But as grand as the project itself is, what truly makes this a national event to remember is the spree of naming ceremonies that came with it.
Thanks to the decisive leadership of Mama, Her Excellency President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, not only did the train finally get on track—but so did the entire nation!
And in classic Tanzanian style, we didn’t just stop at celebrating the physical infrastructure; we went ahead and celebrated our national spirit by immortalising the names of our greatest leaders.
Mama, in her wisdom and with the gusto of her famous giveaways, didn’t just name stations—she blessed them with names.
You get a station! You get a station! Everybody gets a station!” was the spirit of the day as names of former presidents were assigned to each stop along the SGR line.
But as the country collectively nodded in agreement to the wisdom of these choices, a thought bubbled up from the grassroots: why should the honours stop at SGR stations only?
What about the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) stealing Mama’s idea and honouring our sports legends?
Isn’t it about time they got some of the love too?
I mean, if leaders can have stations, surely our athletes deserve to have at least a few stadium stands named after them, right?
That is, instead of giving them VIP A, VIP B and VIP C alongside the Orange and ‘Mzunguko’ stand names, why not name them after our sporting heroes?
For example, the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium and its sister Uhuru Stadium have combined, not less than a dozen stands, including the dull VIP ones….
Who said naming the stands after the likes of Leodegar Tenga and Karia, two of the most revolutionary football leaders by far, would be a sin?
Or why not name the VIP stands after some of the country’s football legends the likes of Jellah Mtagwa, Sunday Manara, Abdallah King Kibaden and others like them?
From up country, let’s start with the Edward Moring Sokoine Memorial Stadium in Mbeya. This venue, already steeped in history, could be the perfect one for the inauguration of this new naming tradition.
Imagine a stand dedicated to Ramnik Patel Kaka, the genius behind Tukuyu Stars’ legendary national championship win.
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Just imagine the chorus of fans shouting, “Meet me at the Kaka Stand!” It’s catchy, right?
And for an added twist of local flavour, why not name the adjacent stand the Genia Mboma End? Because, really what’s Mbeya without a great female athlete like her?
Moving on to Mtwara, it would be almost criminal to overlook the contributions of Maalim Dini and Mohamed Chuma.
These were men who were practically superheroes before superheroes were cool.
The Lawi Nangwanda Sijaona Stadium in Mtwara could host the Dini Stand, where fans could gather for their match-day prayers, asking the football gods for mercy and maybe,just maybe, a win.
And the Chuma Stand? It’ll be so rock-solid that even when the home team’s defence crumbles, that stand won’t!
Then there’s Bukoba, home to the formidable Leopard Tasso Mukebezi. A name so fierce that even the mosquitoes in Kagera tremble in fear.
Bukoba’s stadium would benefit from a Mukebezi Stand, complete with a roaring track—just to remind everyone that it’s a jungle out there and the fans are the kings of this particular one.
Let’s not forget Tanga, where the Mkwakwani Stadium stands as a beacon of sporting history.
How about naming its stands after the legendary Zacharia Kinanda, Abdallah Luo, Omari Zimbwe, Juma Mgunda and others?
Mwanza, the rock city by Lake Victoria, has always had a flair for dramatic players. To mention but some there was Khalid Bitebo, Hussein Masha, Mao Mkami, Madata Lubigisa and George Masatu and others.
And this time, President Samia showed that flair by naming the SGR station there after none other than the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Now, let’s take that up a notch. Imagine naming one of the proposed new stadiums for the AFCON tournament after Tanzania’s greatest goalkeeper who never wore gloves—Kitwana Manara.
Sports stars like Filbert Bay, Gidamis Shahanga and boxers Habibu Kinyogoli, Titus Simba and Emmanuel Mlundwa, surely deserve to have their names honoured.
Let’s sprinkle some of that sports stardust on the other regional stadiums too. Take Kigoma, for instance.
The Lake Tanganyika Stadium there is rightfully named after the nearby deepest lake in Africa. But why not go one step further and name a stand after a local hero like Zitto Kabwe or Walid Kaburou?
Or if it has to be only football, we had Isega Isindani, the acrobatic goalie and Said Sued ‘Scud’ whose shots Saddam called his own.
In Shinyanga, the stadium has been aptly named after after Father of the Nation, Kambarage. But over there, there had been star players like Michael Paul and Mwinyimvua Komba to mention but some.
And then there’s Tabora. If President Ali Hassan Mwinyi gets a station there, don’t some players like Yunge Mwanansali, Qureish Ufunguo or even Haruna Moshi Boban also deserve a stand?
The Great Tanzanian Naming Boom of 2024 is not just about honouring the past; it’s also about inspiring the future.
It’s about looking at what makes us Tanzanians unique and celebrating it in the most visible way possible.
Whether it’s the names of those who led us to independence, who brought glory to our sports, or who simply made life in their local communities better, this is our chance to say, “We remember. We appreciate. We celebrate.”
And why stop at just stations and stadiums? There are countless other opportunities for naming things. Schools, parks, community centres and even streets could all join the fray.
Imagine taking a stroll down Filbert Bayi Avenue in Arusha, having a picnic at the Nyambui Gardens at Musoma, or attending a lecture at the Joe Bendera Hall in Mombo. The possibilities are endless.
This spree of naming things after our heroes also speaks to a deeper truth about our nation: Tanzania is a place where everyone gets a slice of the pie.
We are a country that values our past, our leaders and our everyday heroes.
We believe in honouring those who have contributed to our collective story, whether they did so on the battlefield, in the political arena, or on the sports field.
As we look to the future, one thing is clear: this isn’t just a passing fad.
The Great Tanzanian Naming Spree of 2024 will go down in history as the moment when we decided to celebrate our heroes in a big, bold way.
And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll be travelling from Nyerere Station, heading to a match at the Shahanga Stand, to watch the stars of tomorrow playing on a pitch named after, well, who knows—maybe you!
In the end, this isn’t just about names; it’s about who we are as a people.
It’s about recognising the contributions of those who have shaped our nation and ensuring that their legacies live on.
It’s about making sure that when future generations ask, “Who was that?” we’ll have stories to tell, names to share and a national spirit to pass on.
So, let’s keep the names rolling and the laughter going. After all, in Tanzania, we’ve got
names for days!
Disclaimer: No politicians or sports legends were harmed in the making of this article. But some might be slightly confused.
Why? Because, well, it only has to be Mama to come up with the idea for a scramble to implement it to ‘please’ her ensues – as it seems the case nowadays! Yaani mpaka mama aseme…
