In the Big City: Dar Es Salaam

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

SATURDAY, July 13

It was nice getting a late start since it was past midnight when I finally got settled in bed last night at our hotel, Wistas Inn. Having a hot shower, clean linens, and a hole-free mosquito net seems like such a luxury, and although I’m glad for my experience on Pemba, I’m grateful for an easy and comfortable night’s sleep!

Seeing zinjanthropus

Although it was technically a free day, we all chose to go with Rashid and Said to the optional outing, the National Museum of Tanzania. It was especially nice getting led around by Rashid since he had helped with some of the exhibits, and was knowledgeable about many of the ancient hominid findings that were on display. Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania is where the anthropologists Mary and Louis Leakey worked and discovered the famous zinjanthropus skull (nicknamed ‘nutcracker man’ - so called because it had large molars to grind food), the first australopithacine found in East Africa. It was also cool to see the display for the cast of the 3.5 million year old footprints likely created by the first bipedal hominids found at Laetoli, which Rashid had helped put together.

SUNDAY, July 14

Kunduchi Mtongani

We spent the morning with Dr. P, from the University of Dar es Salaam, who discussed urban problems and the climate. He met us first at the Kunduchi Mtongani neighborhood – an area in Dar that settled on the grounds of an old mining quarry. Unfortunately, a conflict in policies (between urban planning and land rights) meant the underlying infrastructure was never built, and the people who settled on the land now live without stable and steady services (water, electricity, sewer). Climate change makes their living conditions worse – these neighborhoods face flooding and are particularly impacted by heat waves.

Coco Beach

We next stopped at Coco Beach to see the impact of coastal erosion and climate change on the beach environment. On Dar beaches, regulations state that permanent structures must be built at least 60 meters of the high tide line. But the sea level is rising, and the beach is eroding away, so structures built in past years are now getting closer and closer to the sea. Semi-permanent structures (these smaller beachfront bars and tourist cafes) are being erected, which means the native coastal plants (whose roots normally keep sand in place) are being removed.

We learned that sea walls don’t work – the underlying foundations are quickly eroded – it is better to have looser rocks, thus allowing the pounding wave energy to move through the wall, much like wind is able to move though a banner if holes are cut through the fabric.

With Siwa and my new art

After lunch (during which I found a copy of The Little Prince in Kiswahili!!! Waahooooo!), we stopped by the Tingatinga Collective to see the artists at work and to shop for our own paintings. I bought a small piece from Siwa Tingatinga, the original artist’s granddaughter, who was working that day and who graciously took photos with us! 

Tingatinga is an artform originating in the late 1960’s modeled after the style of Edward Tingatinga – bold, caricature-like drawings originally done in vibrant oil paints and with intricate, repetitive patterns. The subjects are usually of wildlife or scenes of daily life. It is now celebrated as a symbol of Tanzanian arts and culture.

Dinner that night was at a Thai restaurant near the waterfront, and just as the sun was setting, a fruit bat flew into a nearby tree and crawled around! Sadly, I didn’t have my big camera, but it was cool to see him moving around!

MONDAY, July 15

The solar array on the roof of the
University Library

We spent the day at the University of Dar es Salaam, hearing from solar energy expert Dr. K about alternative energy solutions. In the past five years, Tanzania has rapidly moved from biofuels to more renewable energy sources (solar, hydro, and wind), but while the nation is upping their grid so that it is available to most citizens, the problem of access still means fewer than half of the people actually tap into the power. It is expensive to hook up and pay the monthly fees, so only around 44% of homes have access.

Mr. M with his recycled cooking fuel

After our lecture and a brief tour to see the solar grid on the University library’s roof, we visited Mr. M, an environmental innovator who works on alternative energy solutions. He reclaims water (filtering it through three levels of filters, then uses solar heating to kill off any remaining bacteria); he makes recycled cooking fuel with composted paper and organic materials (that burn longer and are cheaper to purchase);

Kinu cha upepo: windmill

and he invents windmills to recharge batteries, that he sells to people throughout the country. He is entirely self-taught, and his passion for innovation really shines through – he travels around the country to teach and present to schoolchildren. So inspirational!

A delicious (and cheap!) lunch

Lunch was at the cafeteria at the University, which was delicious, cheap, and fun! Rashid had claimed they had the best beans in the country, and we were all eager to try. And sure enough, they were delicious - a huge plate for 1500 tsh (about $0.50). On top of that, I also got a plate of freshly cut fruit: pineapple, watermelon, & papaya for 1000 tsh – another $0.37. YES, PLEASE!!!

That night, we wanted to celebrate Anne-Marie’s birthday so Anne-Marie, Allie, Rubin, Ann, and I took an Uber to a random restaurant that we found on Google. It was a great bonding night and a lot of fun!

TUESDAY, July 16

Rashid’s idea for our second artifact was a group project combining our experiences at the Tingatinga Collective with our visit to Mr. M’s windmill farm in order to express the artifact's theme: Conservation or Repurposing Energy. We decided to take apart a windmill and partner together to decorate the blades in the Tingatinga style. I worked with Chidi and had a fun morning painting our animals (a bird, lizard, and fish to form the ‘recycle’ triangle, plus a baobab, windmill, and giraffe to complete our blade). 

Since we finished early, we spent the extra time painting our own Tingatinga pieces – I loved the birds with long tails (ndege mwenye mkia mrefu) so the artisans Raymond and Zuberi helped us sketch out our designs. Because the style requires layers of acrylic paint overlaid on each other, we needed to let it dry before we could finish, so we’re planning to return tomorrow morning.

Dinner was at an amazing Ethiopian restaurant, Addis in Dar, where we ate at the rooftop area decorated with soft lights and low tables. A lovely way to end the night!

WEDNESDAY, July 17

With our finished artifacts!

On our last day in Dar, we returned to the Tingatinga Collective to finish our artifacts and art pieces. Zuberi helped me finished my peacocks, and since we had about an hour left, I asked if we could do a quick second piece. Raymond quickly painted on a zebra with a pied crow on its back – it was amazing how easily he could draw it on freehand! I gave minimal help with coloring in the stripes and outlining it, but it was fun watching it come together… and it was finished in less than an hour!

Since we loved the university cafeteria food so much, a group of us returned there for lunch. I shared rice with Allie so I only got beans – for 500 tsh, the equivalent of about $0.19. (but I did splurge and got another plate of fruit, for 1000 tsh! Heyyy, big spender!)

Finishing my sandals

Getting my gift from the tailor

I had a relaxing afternoon since we had to pack and get ready for an early flight the next morning. On the same small street as the hotel was a shoemaker and a tailor, so several of us had commissioned custom pieces. I had a pair of sandals custom fit to my feet made for 10,000 tsh, and bought a dress off the rack from the tailor and had it altered for pockets and a better fit. Other people had shirts and dresses made, and he did all the work in just a few days. I actually got a whatsapp from the tailor on our final day, who said he had a gift for me – he had made me a bag, and inside was a pair of shorts! So nice, considering I only bought a dress and several others bought more things from him. (Unfortunately the shorts were a bit small and had a strange fit, so I didn’t keep them in an effort to lighten my packing.) Nonetheless, it was a touching gesture, and a lovely reminder of the genuine kindness of everyone we've met so far.