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By Our Reporter
In a quiet corner of Tegeta, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, a tragedy has left a mother grappling with the unexplained deaths of her twin children. Mwajuma Amani, a resident of Tegeta, described the heart-wrenching morning her children woke up full of life, playing happily, before they suddenly felt unconscious and died shortly after drinking the porridge she had made for them. This shocking event has sent waves of disbelief through the community, with many questioning the cause of death and wondering if there is more to the story.
In a video widely shared on social media, on 5th October 2024, Mwajuma recounts how her children seemed perfectly fine until, just moments after having the porridge, they became unresponsive. "They were playing, full of energy, but suddenly they lay on the bed, motionless. When I tried to wake them, it was clear they weren’t just sleeping," she said tearfully. She frantically called for help, involving neighbors, before realizing her children were no longer alive.
Police in Mabwepande, under Officer Commanding District (OCD), Kole Mshauri, have collected samples of the porridge and the flour used to make it, hoping to determine whether poison was involved. The investigation is ongoing, as authorities seek to understand what could have caused such a sudden and mysterious death.
However, the situation is complicated by the murky undercurrents of strained family dynamics. Some neighbors suggest that the father, who had been absent from the family home, might hold a key to unraveling the mystery. Although there was no visible conflict between him and Mwajuma, the fact that he had refused to acknowledge the twins publicly raises suspicions. "The father never wanted to admit he had twins, even when he was pressured by family and friends," said a relative who preferred to remain unnamed.
This tragedy touches on a deeper issue prevalent in parts of Africa—cultural beliefs surrounding the birth of twins. In many African societies, twins are considered a blessing, yet paradoxically, they are also viewed with suspicion, often tied to superstitions or bad omens.
For example, in Nigeria, particularly among the Yoruba people, twins are revered, but in some rural communities, they were once thought to bring misfortune if certain rituals were not performed. Similarly, the people of Ukara Island in Mwanza, Tanzania, hold complex beliefs about twins.
According to local customs, after giving birth to twins, a mother must engage in sexual relations with her husband shortly after childbirth to "cleanse" the twins and integrate them into society. Failure to perform this ritual, according to tradition, could bring illness or death to the children.
Veronica Rweyoga, a resident of Ukara, explained this belief, saying, "The mother of twins must have intercourse with her husband soon after birth. Otherwise, it is believed the twins may fall ill or even die from mysterious ailments." Another woman, Scolastica Nyangona, who also gave birth to twins, spoke of her personal experience with this custom. "I did it to protect my children. It's part of our culture. Without it, the community believes the twins wouldn’t survive."
However, not everyone in Tanzania and across Africa subscribes to these beliefs, and some view them as outdated. Yet, despite modernization, such traditions still hold sway in many rural areas, where fear of the unknown perpetuates ancient practices. In the past, twins were sometimes abandoned or killed in certain African cultures, deemed as unnatural. "Years ago, twins were considered a bad omen in some communities. They would be left to die, as people thought it wasn't normal to have two children born at once," Scolastica added.
The sudden death of Mwajuma's twins has also prompted discussions about the potential role of witchcraft, another factor often linked to the deaths of children in African societies. Some analysts, who chose to remain anonymous, have pointed out that it is not uncommon for grieving parents in rural parts of Tanzania and Africa to suspect supernatural forces when their children die under mysterious circumstances. These suspicions are fueled by cultural narratives that tie unexplained deaths to dark spiritual forces or acts of human sacrifice.
In Nigeria, for instance, the Igbo community historically believed that twins brought misfortune and that their presence could curse a family. While this belief has largely disappeared, stories of twins being rejected or viewed with skepticism still emerge occasionally. Even today, there are reports of infants being abandoned or persecuted due to lingering cultural superstitions across parts of Africa.
Mwajuma’s heartbreaking ordeal highlights the fragile balance between tradition and modern life, as well as the urgent need for a deeper societal understanding of health and safety issues affecting children. For the police, the focus remains on determining whether the porridge was tainted. But for the community, there’s a lingering question: Could the tragic deaths of these innocent twins have been avoided, or were they doomed by a culture still tethered to its ancient past?
This tragedy serves as a grim reminder that while traditions can offer cultural identity, they can also trap communities in dangerous beliefs, leaving little room for scientific explanations. As the investigation continues, all eyes are on whether this mystery will be solved scientifically or if it will become yet another story lost to the whispers of superstition.