Hafidh Hassan: 5 beautiful things about love Samia Suluhu ever said about her late hubby

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has rarely placed her private family life at the centre of her public image, but over the years, she has occasionally offered intimate glimpses into her marriage to Hafidh Ameir Hassan, revealing a relationship she described through love, respect, family values and the quiet responsibilities of marriage.

The remarks have taken on a deeper significance following the death of Hafidh, who was married to Samia for decades and remained largely away from the political spotlight even as his wife rose through the ranks to become Tanzania’s first female President.

Samia has generally maintained a guarded approach to her family, with Hafidh keeping an especially low public profile during her political rise.

The couple married in 1978 when Samia was 18 and went on to have four children, three sons and one daughter. Hafidh, an agricultural academic who later retired, was a quiet and religious man who continued living in Zanzibar while his wife served first as Vice President and later as President.

Yet, on the occasions when Samia did speak about her husband and their domestic life, her comments offered a striking contrast to the authority she wielded in public office.

Here are five of the most memorable things she publicly said about love, marriage and her late husband over the years.

1. She said she knelt before Hafidh because of love and affection

Perhaps the most memorable of Samia’s public remarks about her marriage was her explanation of why she continued to kneel before her husband despite occupying one of the most powerful political positions in Tanzania.

In a speech delivered while she was still Vice President under the late President John Pombe Magufuli, Samia addressed the traditional practice and explained that she did not view it as a sign of inferiority.

“Some of you will say we are equal in all aspects of society. No! That’s not the right position. Even as vice president, I will kneel before my husband. I don’t kneel because I am inferior; it’s because of love and affection,” she said.

She went on to defend the preservation of the tradition, arguing that it could help strengthen families and shape the character of children.

“Don’t leave this tradition so we can strengthen the bond of our families and bring up our children through good manners,” she added.

The remarks became particularly prominent on March 25, 2021, when footage of the earlier speech resurfaced online, only days after Samia had been sworn in as Tanzania’s first female President following Magufuli’s death.

2. She insisted that becoming President would not change her relationship with Hafidh

The same remarks also contained a powerful statement about how Samia viewed the boundary between her public authority and her private life.

While discussing the tradition of kneeling before a husband, she made it clear that occupying the office of Vice President did not make her abandon the role she held within her family.

Her argument was straightforward: political power and marital relationships belonged to different spheres of her life.

Samia’s comments became widely reported after she assumed the presidency, with several publications highlighting her declaration that she would continue to kneel before Hafidh despite becoming head of state.

3. She linked respect for Hafidh to strengthening the family

Samia’s remarks about kneeling were not solely about her relationship with Hafidh. She used the subject to make a broader argument about families, tradition and the upbringing of children.

In the same speech, she urged people not to abandon what she described as an important tradition because of its role in strengthening family bonds and raising children with good manners.

Her words revealed that she viewed respect within marriage as something with consequences beyond the couple themselves.

For Samia, the home was also a place where values were transmitted to the next generation, and she presented her own marriage as an example of the kind of family structure she believed could foster discipline and respect among children.

The remarks were made before she occupied State House as President, but they became part of the public record at a remarkable moment in her life.

When the video resurfaced on March 25, 2021, she had only recently become Tanzania’s first female head of state.

4. She spoke about cooking and caring for her husband despite her demanding career

Long before becoming President, Samia also offered a more ordinary glimpse into her relationship with Hafidh through a BBC interview conducted at her home in Dar es Salaam.

The interview was recorded in March 2020, when she was still Vice President, and later provided the basis for a story run in a Tanzanian publication on March 22, 2021, just days after she assumed the presidency.

In that interview, Samia spoke about one of the domestic activities she enjoyed most: cooking.

She explained that her demanding official duties had made it increasingly difficult for her to spend time in the kitchen, even though she enjoyed doing so.

“Sometimes the urge really hits me, but my grandchildren whom I live with here keep pushing me away, and I have to take a back seat,” she said.

5. She credited Hafidh with helping her pursue her political dreams

Beyond the public declarations about love, respect and family traditions, Samia has also spoken about the role Hafidh played in enabling her to pursue a political career at a time when such ambitions could have placed considerable pressure on a young family.

In remarks reflecting on her early years in politics, Samia credited her husband with giving her the support she needed to step into public service, particularly by taking care of their home and children while she pursued her growing political responsibilities.

“If my husband hadn’t supported me in my early days in politics, I would not be where I am today. He took care of our home and children so I could serve the public,” she said.

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