TANZANIA - DAR-ES-SALAAM - SLIPWAY

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I swore I'd never come back to Africa. Unlike many who grew up in the colonial era and on the continent (I spend much time in Ghana where my father was in the gold mining industry) or folk who have worked here (I also worked as a younger man in Nigeria, Uganda as well as Tanzania), I never formed that visceral attachment to the place. So many years ago I left for Asia which seemed to me to have a greater complexity and depth of civilization and where the dynamic of life seemed so much more exciting.

But here I am again. Thirty years after working for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on cashew in Mtwara (south on the Mozambique border) I find myself once again in Tanzania, specifically in the Oyster Bay area of Dar-es-Salaam. And what a change I have found! No more socialism but a market-driven economy that has just this last weekend held a (more or less) free election which has amazing in Zanzibar (an autonomous entity) led to a peaceful coalition of the parties. Dar is full of cars, new buildings, up-scale hotels, new industry, some pleasant tree-lined avenues, and seems pretty peaceful.

Compared with where I've just been in Pakistan it's also CLEAN! Of course there are slums and the drift of people in from the rural areas has led to all kinds of urban planning nightmares (just try to figure out road construction as I've been doing this last week when there are squatters in the right of way!).

I'm pretty impressed. It seems that progress is possible in the Heart of Darkness as a friend jokingly calls Africa. At least in Tanzania there seems to be a genuine transformation going on and a will among professionals to be competitive on a world scale. I'm glad to see the number of former government bureaucrats now working hard in NGOs and private companies, many aimed to improving the environment and building the economy; under former President Julius Nyerere all those years ago Tanzania stagnated. Now it seems to be on the move with a Swahili Fashion Week going on as well as peaceful political change.

Now for the travel bit: I'm staying near the Slipway Centre. As it's name implies, the Slipway started life as a boatyard and has been refurbished into a shopping and accommodation centre. There a host of small souvenir shops, a great bookshop called Novel Idea, and various places to eat, including the Water Front and the Classico Cafe.

This is my favourite restaurant and I tend to eat lunch here every day. The tuna salads are fresh and the burgers are out of this world. Prices are good: about 10,000 TZ Shillings or US$7 for a meal and a drink. I love the beverage menu which uniquely sets out the exact recipes for all the various types of coffee you can order. Classico Cafe is a great place to sit, read a book, access the internet (yes, it's wired) and just hang out and watch the world go by.

Sun, fresh fish, good coffee, wine if you would like it and famous brands of local beer....... It's all pretty much ideal as far as I'm concerned, and a far cry from the awful places that were the only thing available 30 years ago. Of course Slipway isn't the "real" Tanzania, that's in the urban slums, the pernicious influence of HIV/AIDS and the rural "shambas" (farm plots) where people still struggle for a subsistence living. But the country has moved on since I was here last, and that can only be good.

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Photos

Sky Over Oyster Bay
The sunsets over the bay are awesome! You can sit at Slipway and have a beer and just relax.

Cafe Classico
My favourite place to eat or just hang out at the Slipway Centre.

The Slipway Centre
Just one of the nicest places to hang out. Cafe Classico is right in the centre of the picture, there are apartments to the rear and shops all around including book, phones, a supermarket and a foreign exchange booth.

Great Coffee Menu
If you don't know what a Cafe Macchiato is, then this menu will tell you.... what a great idea!

Comments

[Shane Tarr]

Good For You
Lord Geofroi Sounds quite okay to me but it looks as though you might have to read up on USAID policy - borrowed from WB for the most part - on involuntary resettlement, which covers a multitude of impacts ranging from loss of household structures to acquisition of land, to temporary loss of business (often referred to as restricted access to land use). You then have to compare this with national policy on resettlement and analyze gaps in policy because I think you will find that according to USAID policy squatters are also entilted to compensation. Cheers Shane

[Ricki]

Dar life
I've been in Dar 7 years working in public heath. I sometimes feel ungrateful as the city can be so hectic, but your blog post reminded me that "it's not so bad". And even since 2003 the differences are astounding. Nice commentary. Thanks.

[deleted_49612]

Ah, good coffee in East Africa, at last! That would make a change, from the last time I was there...

[John]

DO NOT ORDER CHEESE BURGER
I have just had one of the worst eating experiences in Dar....and I have been here for 5 years now. I went to Cafe Classico Oyster Bay Shopping Center and they brought me (after 35 minutes waiting) a raw burger with bubbling cheese all over it. they had put it in the microwave, bun tomatos and all, to melt the cheese. I sent it back and told them I don't care if cheese melts or not I don't want it put in the microwave.....15 minutes later I get a new "NUKED" cheese burger. By now I have to get out of there so I can get back to work. Extremely poor service and terrible food!

[QuartermainesWorld]

FAIR COMMENT
Oh well, we all have an off-day! I ate burgers consistently at this place and never had anything except an excellent experience and good service. Such is life - we all experience it differently, which is a good thing I guess.