Tanzania: No, Image of Tanzania’s President Meeting Man Dressed in Animal Skins and Carrying an Axe Is Doctored
No, image of Tanzania’s president meeting man dressed in animal skins and carrying an axe is doctored
IN SHORT: An image circulating on Facebook supposedly shows Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan meeting a kneeling man dressed in animal skins with an axe beside him. But the original photograph shows musician Harmonize comforting the president at her home on 11 September 2026.
An image circulating on Facebook appears to show Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan meeting a man dressed in traditional animal skins and kneeling before her, with a large axe on the floor between them.
The caption reads: “Hii imekaaje? Huyu mgeni aliruhusiwaje kuingia na panga walinzi walikua wapi? NB: Hii picha imenifanya kuwaza mengi Sana.”
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This translates to: “What do you make of this? How was this visitor allowed in carrying a machete? Where were the security guards? Note: This picture has made me think about a lot of things.”
On 7 September 2026, Hassan’s husband, Hafidh Ameir, died and was buried the same day. The president subsequently received visitors offering their condolences.
It is unusual for a visitor to be allowed to meet a president while carrying a weapon, given the security measures surrounding heads of state.
This image has also been posted here, here and here.
But is the image genuine? We checked.
Doctored image
The axe’s design looks culturally out of place and does not readily resemble a traditional Tanzanian or African weapon.
A Google reverse image search revealed that the image had been doctored. The original photo shows Tanzanian musician Rajab Abdul Kahali, popularly known as Harmonize, meeting Hassan.
The original photo was published on Instagram here and here, as well as on the official Ikulu Tanzania Instagram account.
According to Ikulu Tanzania, the photograph shows Harmonize comforting Hassan at her home in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar, on 11 September.
Comparing the two images shows that Harmonize was replaced with the man in animal skins, and the axe was added. The circulating image is therefore doctored.
