Dar es Salaam Complete: German East Africa, Street Food, Bagamoyo, Mafia Island, Makonde Art, and Full Reference
Dar es Salaam in depth: German East Africa and the Maji Maji rebellion; the chips mayai street food culture and Tanzanian cuisine; Bagamoyo and the slave trade coastal history; Mafia Island Marine Park and whale shark encounters; the Makonde carving tradition; and the complete practical Tanzania visitor reference.
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German East Africa - The Colonial Capital That Built the Inland Railway
German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika): the colony that encompassed present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi from 1885 to 1919, and how the German colonial administration transformed Dar es Salaam from a small port into the capital of a vast interior territory. The colony (German East Africa: established by the German East Africa Company (DOAG) under Carl Peters from 1885: the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 divided Africa among European powers: Germany received Tanganyika, Rwanda, and Burundi: the colonial capital was established at Dar es Salaam: the colony was the largest German overseas territory (area approximately 994,996 square km): the primary economic activities (sisal: the agave fiber used for rope-making: sisal plantations in the Tanga region became one of the most important colonial agricultural enterprises: the TANU sisal industry became the cornerstone of Tanganyika export economy under both German and British rule: rubber (the forced rubber collection: the Maji Maji Rebellion (1905-1907) was partly caused by the brutal forced labor system for rubber collection))). The Maji Maji Rebellion (1905-1907): the largest African uprising against German colonial rule in East Africa: the rebellion began in the Rufiji River delta area (southern Tanganyika) in response to German forced labor demands and taxation: the name Maji Maji comes from the Swahili word for water: the rebel fighters were inspired by a spiritual leader Kinjikitile Ngwale who claimed that a sacred water medicine (maji) would turn German bullets into water: the German suppression (the German military crushed the rebellion using conventional military force and a deliberate scorched-earth policy of destroying crops and food stores: the famine that followed killed approximately 200,000-300,000 people (significantly more than the battlefield deaths): the Maji Maji is one of the largest anti-colonial rebellions in African history). The Central Railway (the Mittellandbahn: the Central Railway of German East Africa: the 1,254 km railway from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika: construction began 1905 and completed 1914 (just before WWI): the primary German colonial infrastructure investment: the railway opened the interior of the country to commerce: the railway survives as the Tanzania Central Line (still operational today)). The World War One campaign (the East Africa Campaign (1914-1918): the German commander Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck led a brilliant guerrilla campaign with approximately 14,000 troops (3,000 Germans and 11,000 African Askari soldiers) against a British force that eventually numbered approximately 300,000: Lettow-Vorbeck never surrendered and was still in the field when the Armistice was declared in November 1918: the only undefeated German commander of WWI).
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Dar es Salaam Street Food and the Tanzanian Cuisine
Dar es Salaam street food: the chips mayai, the mishkaki, the mkate wa kumimina (Swahili bread), and the distinctive food culture of the largest city in East Africa. The street food (Dar es Salaam has one of the most vibrant street food cultures in East Africa: chips mayai (chips and eggs: deep-fried potato chips folded into a fried egg omelette: sold by street vendors at small wooden carts with a charcoal griddle: the most distinctive Tanzanian street food: unique to Tanzania (not found in the same form in Kenya or Uganda): served with hot chili sauce and kachumbari (raw tomato and onion salad)): mishkaki (the Swahili grilled meat skewer: marinated beef or goat cut into small pieces and threaded on iron skewers: grilled over charcoal: eaten with ugali (stiff maize porridge) or bread: found throughout the Dar es Salaam street food scene). The Kariakoo market food (the Kariakoo market: the primary fresh food market of Dar es Salaam: the spice section (the dried spices (pilipili (chili), bizari (cumin), karafuu (cloves), dalasini (cinnamon)): the fresh produce (the tropical fruits (maembe (mangoes), parachichi (avocados), nanasi (pineapple), papai (papaya), embe (a sweet sour mango variety)): the fish section (the fresh fish from the Indian Ocean and Lake Tanganyika): the dried fish (dagaa (the tiny silver sardine dried and used as a protein source throughout Tanzania)). The Zanzibar pizza connection (the Zanzibar pizza and its Dar es Salaam variants: the flatbread-based street food that has spread from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam: the Dar variants use local ingredients and techniques). Tanzanian cuisine overview (the staple (ugali (stiff maize porridge): the universal staple of Tanzanian cooking (more dominant in mainland Tanzania than in Zanzibar where rice is the primary staple)): wali na maharage (rice with beans: the standard everyday meal): ndizi nyama (green banana (plantain) cooked with meat (usually goat or beef): a Tanzanian specialty particularly common in the Kilimanjaro region): nyama choma (roasted meat: shared with Kenya as the primary social food of grilling culture)). The restaurant scene (the Dar es Salaam restaurant scene (the Sea Cliff Hotel restaurants (the primary upscale dining destination in Dar): the Indian restaurants of the Upanga and Msasani areas (Dar es Salaam has a large Indian community (approximately 50,000-60,000) whose restaurants serve excellent Gujarati and South Indian food)).
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Bagamoyo - The Slave Trade Town and the Gateway to the Interior
Bagamoyo: the historic coastal town 75 km north of Dar es Salaam that served as the primary terminus of the interior slave trade routes and the departure point for the great African explorers, now a UNESCO Tentative List site. The name (Bagamoyo: the Swahili phrase bwaga moyo means lay down your heart: the name reflects the experience of enslaved people who arrived at Bagamoyo and laid down their hearts in despair, knowing they were about to be taken across the sea never to return). The slave trade (Bagamoyo was the primary mainland terminus of the Arab-Swahili slave trade routes from the interior of East Africa: the primary route (the Bagamoyo-Tabora-Ujiji route: the slave caravans walked from the Lake Tanganyika region to the coast at Bagamoyo: the journey (approximately 1,200 km: took 3-6 months on foot): the slave market at Bagamoyo (enslaved people were held in the slave barracoons at Bagamoyo before being loaded onto dhows for Zanzibar and then for the broader Indian Ocean trade): the scale (Bagamoyo was the busiest slave trade port on the East African coast for several decades in the 19th century)). The explorers (Bagamoyo was the starting point for all the major European expeditions into the East African interior: Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke departed Bagamoyo in 1857 on the expedition that reached Lake Tanganyika: Henry Morton Stanley departed Bagamoyo in 1871 on the expedition to find Livingstone (the Ujiji meeting): David Livingstone body was brought to Bagamoyo in 1873 by his African companions (Susi and Chuma) who carried his body from Chitambo (present-day Zambia) to the coast: Livingstone was buried temporarily at Bagamoyo before his body was shipped to Westminster Abbey). The town (the historic town center of Bagamoyo: German colonial buildings (the German boma (fort): the Customs House): the Arab quarter (the carved door houses of the 19th century Arab merchants): the Old Mission (the Catholic Holy Ghost Mission: established 1868 by French Catholic missionaries: the first mission in East Africa: the mission church where Livingstone body rested overnight before shipment to Zanzibar): the Bagamoyo beach (a long white sand beach with fishing boats and dhows).
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The Mafia Island Marine Park - Tanzania Hidden Underwater Jewel
Mafia Island and the Mafia Island Marine Park: Tanzania least-known and most spectacular marine destination, the site of whale shark aggregations and exceptional coral reef, accessible from Dar es Salaam by light aircraft. Mafia Island (Mafia Island: an island approximately 130 km south of Dar es Salaam: accessible by light aircraft from Dar es Salaam (approximately 30 minutes) or by ferry (approximately 4-5 hours): area approximately 520 square km: population approximately 45,000: a traditional fishing and dhow-building community: significantly less visited than Zanzibar and more isolated): the Mafia Island Marine Park (established 1995: the first marine park in Tanzania: area approximately 822 square km: protects the coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests around Mafia and the surrounding islands). The whale sharks (Rhincodon typus: the whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean: Mafia Island has one of the most reliable whale shark aggregations in the world: the season (October-February: the whale sharks congregate off the southeast coast of Mafia Island to feed on the fish spawning events and plankton concentrations: at peak season (November-January) multiple whale sharks are encountered on most days: the encounters (snorkeling with the whale sharks: the whale sharks are slow-moving and filter-feeding and are completely harmless: the encounters are in open water (not on the reef) and the whale sharks approach to within arm reach of swimmers)). The coral reef (the Mafia Island coral reef: among the healthiest reef systems in the western Indian Ocean: the protected status of the Marine Park has preserved coral that was bleached and damaged at less protected sites: the dive sites (Pinnacles (the submerged seamounts off the northeast coast: excellent for large pelagic fish (barracuda, tuna, Napoleon wrasse)): Forbes Bay (a sheltered bay with excellent shallow-water coral for snorkeling): the mangroves (the Mafia Island mangrove system: extensive and undisturbed mangrove forest: an important breeding and nursery habitat for fish, crustaceans, and the dugong (Dugong dugon: the marine mammal related to the manatee: Mafia Island has one of the few remaining dugong populations in East Africa (fewer than 50 individuals): dugongs feed on the seagrass beds of the Mafia Island lagoon)). The practical (accommodation (the island has approximately 6-8 small lodges (no large resort hotels): the Kinasi Lodge and the Pole Pole Resort are the primary mid-to-high range options): Mafia Island is appropriate for visitors seeking a genuinely off-the-beaten-track East African island experience with excellent marine life and minimal crowds).
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Dar es Salaam Arts Scene and the Makonde Carvers
The Dar es Salaam arts and culture scene: the Makonde woodcarving tradition, the Nyumba ya Sanaa arts centre, and the growing contemporary art market in East Africa commercial capital. The Makonde carving (the Makonde people (the Bantu-speaking people of the Mtwara region of southern Tanzania and the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique): the primary wood-carving ethnic group of Tanzania: the Makonde carving tradition (the shetani (spirit) carvings: the abstract, surrealist-style figures depicting spirits from the Makonde traditional religion: the binadamu (human figure) carvings: the ujamaa (family tree) carvings (the multi-figure communal carvings depicting interlocked human figures in a tree structure: developed by the Makonde carvers of Dar es Salaam in the 1960s and 1970s and adopted as a symbol of Tanzania ujamaa policy under Nyerere): the wood (ebony (African Blackwood: Dalbergia melanoxylon): the primary wood for Makonde fine carving: the heaviest and hardest wood in East Africa: the ebony grows in the coastal forests of southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique: the ebony log is first rough-carved with an axe and then refined with chisels and knives): the market (the Dar es Salaam curio market (the primary location for Makonde carvings in Dar es Salaam is the Mwenge Carvers Market (approximately 8 km from the city center on the Bagamoyo Road): the market has approximately 100-200 stalls: the best place to buy Makonde carvings directly from the carvers who work in the market)). The Nyumba ya Sanaa (House of Arts): the Tanzanian government arts centre in Dar es Salaam: the primary venue for traditional and contemporary Tanzanian performing arts (dance, music, theatre): the cultural events (the weekly Bongo Flava (Tanzanian hip-hop) and traditional music performances). The contemporary art scene (the Nafasi Art Space (the primary contemporary arts centre in Dar es Salaam: founded 2007: an independent arts organization providing studio space, exhibition space, and arts education: the Nafasi Art Space has been instrumental in developing the Dar es Salaam contemporary art scene): the Circle Art Agency (the Nairobi-based gallery with strong Dar es Salaam connections).
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Dar es Salaam and Tanzania Final Reference - Complete Visitor Guide
The complete Dar es Salaam and Tanzania practical reference: the optimal visit structure, connections to Zanzibar and the safari circuit, visa requirements, health, money, and the final legacy of the House of Peace. The optimal Dar es Salaam visit (Dar es Salaam is primarily a transit point rather than a destination in its own right for most international visitors (unlike Nairobi which has significant attractions in its own right): the optimal Dar es Salaam visit (1-2 nights): Day 1 (arrive, check into hotel: afternoon walk to the National Museum (human origins from Olduvai Gorge): Coco Beach for the late afternoon social scene: Sea Cliff area for dinner): Day 2 (morning at the Kariakoo market: the ferry terminal for the midday Zanzibar ferry (2 hour crossing to Stone Town))). Tanzania visa (the e-visa (apply online at eservices.immigration.go.tz): cost USD 50 for most nationalities: processing approximately 3-7 working days: visa on arrival at Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport also available but the e-Visa is faster): the airport (Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR): 13 km from the city center: approximately 30-45 minutes by taxi (Uber/Bolt): direct international flights from London (British Airways, Kenya Airways: 9-10 hours), Amsterdam (KLM), Nairobi (45 minutes), Addis Ababa (3 hours), Dubai (5 hours), Istanbul (9 hours)). Health (malaria (Dar es Salaam is malaria-endemic: antimalarial medication recommended): yellow fever (vaccination certificate required for travelers from yellow fever endemic countries): the standard travel health precautions for sub-Saharan Africa apply). The Tanzania safari connection (from Dar es Salaam (the gateway to southern Tanzania: the Selous/Nyerere National Park (accessible by road (approximately 4-5 hours) or by light aircraft (30 minutes from Dar): the primary southern Tanzania safari destination): the Ruaha National Park (fly from Dar, approximately 1.5 hours to Ruaha airstrip): the northern circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro) is better accessed from Nairobi (Kenya) or from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK): a 6-hour bus journey from Dar to Arusha is the land connection to the northern circuit). The final legacy (Dar es Salaam is the unglamorous engine of East Africa: not beautiful, not historic in the way of Zanzibar or Bagamoyo, not dramatic in the way of Nairobi or Cape Town: but the freight that passes through its port feeds six landlocked countries: the ferries that leave its harbor carry a million visitors a year to Zanzibar: the music that comes out of its studios (Bongo Flava) is the dominant popular music of East Africa: the city works, and in East Africa, that is not nothing).