Award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin will premiere a new documentary next month examining how international media covered election violence in Tanzania. The film, titled “What Happened on October 29?”, challenges prevailing narratives surrounding the unrest that followed Tanzania’s general election on that date in 2025, when the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was declared the winner.
Hundeyin, who operates independently from Ghana, spent months investigating the events through interviews with sources inside and outside Tanzania, a review of local and international media reports, and analysis of the official Commission of Inquiry findings chaired by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman. His investigation concludes that key facts were overlooked in global coverage.
The documentary presents evidence suggesting the violence was coordinated and pre-planned, involving both local actors and external influencers — dimensions Hundeyin says were never fully explored by international outlets. “The story that was told to the world was a simple one, but the truth is far more complex,” Hundeyin said. “There were other actors involved, and other agendas at play. My investigation shows that the violence was a coordinated event driven by specific political objectives.”
Hundeyin is the founder of The Spearhead and West Africa Weekly. His work has been published by CNN, Al Jazeera, and The Washington Post, and he received the People Journalism Prize for Africa for his data-driven reporting.
The film positions itself as part of a broader effort by African journalists to reclaim narrative authority over continental political events. “For too long, we have allowed our stories to be told by people who may not fully understand our local realities,” Hundeyin said. “We have consumed narratives about ourselves framed through external perspectives, and this has distorted our understanding of reality. This documentary is an effort to present an African perspective on an African story.”
“What Happened on October 29?” will premiere on May 26 at the WAGMC Auditorium, University of Ghana, in Accra. Additional screenings are scheduled for May 29 in Dar es Salaam and May 31 in Nairobi. The documentary will be released publicly on The Spearhead’s official YouTube channel following the premiere tour.