The last few days of our little vacation landed us in Bagamoyo, a really fantastic little beach town about an hour and a half up the coast from Dar. While I ended up really liking Dar and enjoying the city, I definitely prefer Bagamoyo. It has the quieter, beach-town feel that I really like, and rather than being a congested capital city, it is much more serene and has an interesting history (which we would learn about over the course of our days there), as well as some really interesting modern culture (that I will talk about in a few minutes).
When we first got to Bagamoyo, we checked into Bagamoyo Beach Resort. While I was anticipating something similar to the debacle we had in Dar, it was actually the opposite, and I was more than pleased to find that we were actually staying at a hotel right on the beach. It certainly wasn’t any kind of 5-star resort, but was more like the kind of places I stayed at when I was in Costa Rica, with a series of small rooms laid out in rows that are right up against the sand. There are palm trees everywhere, a volleyball court, a beautiful outside eating area, and a walkway down to the white sand beach right on the Indian Ocean. It is extremely pleasant staying here, not only for the physical accommodations (rooms with air conditioning and very comfortable beds!), but also for the natural beauty that really surrounds you while staying here. When the beach is right outside your window, it’s hard to feel anything but mellow and content.
Our first activity was a tour of the city, partly on bus and partly on foot, as we explored some of the historical areas of Bagamoyo. Bagamoyo, we learned, was a major slave trade town. Slaves came from Zanzibar and were traded to the east (India and Asia). People (non-slaves) came from very far away and ended up comfortably settling in Bagamoyo. The name Bagamoyo actually means “lay down the burden of your heart” which our tour guide explained was how people felt when they finally arrived and got to settle in town. Ironically, it was not necessarily the same case for slaves, who came to Bagamoyo for the exact opposite reason. We were taken to the biggest slave house in Bagamoyo, and then to another wealthy slave trading building (I have pictures and the names of all the places, but unfortunately my camera broke one of the last days in Bagamoyo, so I will have to go through later and add them). Interestingly, this was the first time I’ve been exposed to any commentary on slavery in Africa; I know that the slavery I am more aware of (i.e. slaves that were brought to America) came from West Africa, but forgot about the prevalence of slaves that were taken from East Africa. I think it was really important and remarkable to be in Bagamoyo and see this.
After a day of touring, we came back to our hotel to relax, go in the ocean, and play in the pool. It was nice having everything at our disposal to freely enjoy. It was Joseph’s 22nd birthday that night, so after (a great) dinner we had a (delicious) birthday cake and celebrated another group birthday together. I have really enjoyed celebrating people’s birthdays together; things have become very familial among the group and it is nice to be together to cleebrate things like birthdays together (especially at the beach). It was a really relaxing night, where we ended up laying on the beach for hours and looking at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in the sky, and they seem much bigger and brighter here. Also, I had never seen a shooting star before, and actually saw a whole bunch that night. I don’t generally sit around contemplating the state of the universe, and I didn’t necessarily do that the whole time (I was mostly talking and goofing around with everyone), but there is something about sitting under a big sky that makes you feel extremely small, and as one very tiny part of the great universe.
The next day was really great – the coolest thing we did was go to the College of Arts and Sciences here. I thought it would be slightly boring, and that we would be getting a tour of some classrooms while students studied some of the same things I studied back home in the College of Arts and Sciences at Delaware, but it was actually a school of performing arts. It was awesome! First we talked with the director of the school, which was weirdly my favorite part of the whole thing (even though the other stuff we did was more exciting). He talked about the importance of the arts, particularly in East Africa and Tanzania, and explained to us that after Tanzania gained its independence in the 1960s, the president really emphasized the need to preserve African and Tanzanian culture. I understand that, especially after years of colonial rule, and what must get lost having an infusion of Europeans take over the culture of your country and the surrounding countries; thus, the government actually finances 50% of the school. He also talked a little bit about the significance that art and performing art plays in African society; I think it’s difficult to understand it, but it really makes sense the way he so simply explains that performing art is used for solving problems in communities. He described it so simply: If women have a problem, for example that men don’t respect them, they form a group and perform about it as a means of expressing themselves; the men form a group and also perform about it; children form a group and perform about it; the issue is discussed; other people see it and start thinking about it and talking about it. It was fascinating to me, because what he was describing was something I have talked about in my various classes in grad school, only we talk about them in much more academic (dare I say, pretentious?) terms about “holistic development” and “compassionate problem solving” but really, at its essence, performing arts offer a way that people can communicate problems and simultaneously preserve their culture. It was really nice to hear someone talk about it as it happens. After the brief lecture, we actually got a (somewhat traditional) dance lesson (I will try to put up the video when I get it off of my camera) and then got to watch a performance, where the group of dancers performed four different dances, each one an example of different aspects of Tanzanian culture and life (from harvesting to relationships). It was really uplifting to see such a positive place here for students.
Afterwards, we stopped at a women’s NGO that I really liked, which has helped between 500-1000 women so far, primarily in skills in crafting that can lead to economic development and entrepreneurship. However, the fringe benefits of this are empowerment exercises, encouraging women (and children) to empower themselves in terms of their social state as well as public health. It is always impressive when you see a very grassroots organization that is able to be so successful and maximize its capacity.
Finally, we went to some ruins, which are the oldest Arab ruins in Bagamoyo. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but Bagamoyo is much like Zanzibar, and Zanzibar is the island in Tanzania that is 98% Muslim, so Bagamoyo has many similar Arab legacies (particularly from the days of the slave trade). It was actually interesting because the day before on one of our stops, I felt like I was seeing a piece of the Alhambra in Granada, because of the Arab architecture and decorating techniques; it is funny to me (but makes sense when you think about it) how I can be sitting on the farthest part of East Africa and be wholly reminded of something I saw in the South of Spain. It is one of those things that reminds you how global the world is and how much things are linked, and actually historically always have been.
The last night in Bagamoyo we found ourselves back at the hotel, for another great dinner and time to relax. Many of us decided that we should wake up at least one morning early enough to capitalize on the opportunity to watch the sun rise over the Indian Ocean, so we did. It ended up being a hazy morning, but the sun looked really cool peaking through the clouds with little sailboats all over the water. Immediately following, we enjoyed another ten hour drive back to Arusha to get back to the grind. Except, at least for me, the grind is done, and coming back to Arusha for me meant wrapping up my internship, visiting the UAACC again, going on a safari to the Serengeti, and taking a quick overnight trip to visit Kilimanjaro. Needless to say, the time has been flying by and, as I’m posting this, I only have three days left here in Arusha.
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