After seven years of banning assembly, the main opposition party in Tanzania held its first major meeting on Saturday in the town of Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Dressed in blue, red, and white, supporters of Chadema sang and danced in the streets to show their relief.
Otherwise, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced in early January the lifting of the ban on meetings, which had hit the opposition since 2016. In the process, one of the leaders of Chadema Tundu Lissu, announced Friday his intention to return from exile on January 25 to write a new chapter.
This ban had been decided by President John Magufuli as soon as he took office. However, his opponents accused him of applying the ban only to the opposition, the ruling party was free to assemble, while rival rallies were violently dispersed by the police and their organizers imprisoned.