On July 1st, John, Dolly, and I (Matt) ventured into central Dar es Salaam to visit the National Museum in an attempt to learn more about Tanzania’s history. For Dolly and I, who both currently live in England, the journey into the city was something else, but for John it was just an everyday thing. Our drive started early with a bajaj ride into Kibo, from there was caught two separate dala dalas into the city centre. The buses and roads were hectic, so much so that Dolly and I agreed that we would never have found our way to the museum without John’s guidance!
When we arrived at the museum, things were a lot calmer. There were numerous exhibitions, starting with the history of humans and the animals that used to inhabit the area around Dar. Here, we learnt about Mary and Louis Leakey and how they discovered what, at the time (1959), was the oldest significantly intact hominid fossil ever found, right here in Tanzania.
We then moved on to a much gloomier period in the country’s history, the era of slave trading. Here we read about Tip Tip (Hemed bin Monhamed El Marjebi), who, at the age of 18, began the slave and ivory trade between the Eastern African interior and coastal towns. He was known as Tip Tip, as that was the sound his guns made when he used them. We also saw artwork depicting the conditions that the slaves were subjected to and how they were treated. After Tip Tip, we found a section dedicated to Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar (Pictured below), which was a much more positive read. Barghash is credited with building much of the infrastructure in Zanzibar, as well as helping to abolish the slave trade. In 1870, he signed an agreement with Britain prohibiting the slave trade in his kingdom and closing the great slave market in Mkunazini, Zanzibar.
The museum then proceeded to cover the periods of European colonialism, starting with Germany’s formation of German East Africa and then moving on to the British, who gained control of the area after their victory in the First World War. The British ruled until Tanganyika gained independence in 1961; soon after this (1963), the Zanzibar Archipelago did the same, with the United Republic of Tanzania being formed in 1964.
After this, we headed outside and were confronted by a giant tree. We discovered that this tree was known as ‘The Sacred Fig’ or Bo-tree. This type of tree holds significant importance in Hinduism and Buddhism, and it is symbolic of happiness, prosperity, longevity, and good luck.
Overall, the three of us had a great day exploring Dar and learning more about the great country that we are in. A special thanks to John for helping Dolly and I around central Dar and to his Uncle who provided us with a lovely lunch at a local hotel.
Matt Jones- Marketing intern
