We have been planning this trip to Dar for sometime. Ross and I are sponsoring a networking event for Farm Africa, as we did in Nairobi last year to excellent effect, to coincide with the AGRF Food Sustainability summit. Based on women and youth empowerment this is a real opportunity to spread the word amongst potential and existing donors about the great work we do in East Africa, and especially Tanzania.

However, it does not start well. Thanks to an incredibly stubborn BA check assistant who refused to tag our luggage all the way through to Dar, despite it being a BA ticket with a tight transit time, one of our bags doesn’t arrive. At 2 am this is a bore to say the least… but we are confident it will arrive soon. The Swissport people at Dar are very switched on and for four days we live in hope, phoning them, BA, and Kenya Airways in strict rotation. No dice and BA washes its hands of us.

We have few options on day one, having nothing to wear apart from what we stand up in, my swimwear and wetsuits. The thought of appearing in the latter at the party is daunting… walking round Dar in a bikini top and my old chinos with a voile beach top is bad enough. Thank God for Woolworth’s where we buy undies and a cheap blouse for me and socks, boxers, polos and shorts for Ross. Deciding to go for a more ethnic look – easier under the circumstances – I go down to Msasani beach market and buy some yellow kanga cargo pants and, in the hotel, a simple white linen shirt. My jewellery, which I always carry with me, ensure this looks good enough. Ross finds a nice batik shirt.

Msasani which was a small palm-fringed fishing village in the 1960s, with thatched huts, a short walk from our home, where mum knew everyone and we would come and paint, is now a concrete jungle with virtually no remains of the past. My poor mother would turn in her proverbial grave

The party is a great success, despite competing with four others at the Serena. By a stroke of fate our CEO Dan Collison’s speech gets broadcast to the party nextdoor! Not sure how pleased they were about that! Great to catch up with former colleagues from MCL, the local newspaper group, and meet many new faces from existing and potential donor groups. Our East African colleagues, the two Marys (Nyale and Batterman), Tom, Beatrice, Prosper and Joe provide ample support. It has been an excellent opportunity to showcase our expertise amongst some of the worlds leading experts and funders.

The next day, we drive an hour or so out of Dar to meet one of our SMEs, supported by our DECIDE programme, funded by NORAD. After rigorous assessment 45 SMEs were selected over a period of three years, teaching them business skills such as Quickbooks, and helping get the all-important Tanzanian registrations.

Senka is an engaging young man, who left school early, and started a business selling ground coffee with his brother. It was while doing this they identified that ‘gap in the market’ as his customers started asking him for ginger…and he then began to source locally grown spices (cardamon, cloves, black pepper, turmeric, rosemary) which he grinds and packages including into masala chai and masala spices. He now has a small but thriving business with big plans. As I learned at AKFED (Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development), adding value locally is the way to really help countries with their development.

 

Senka proudly shows us his premises and his new machine for making small spice sachets to cater for the lower end of the market, which sits unused as he needs some more help to get it up and running. He is hoping to be able to do this in time for Christmas. He has however hit some snags with Tanzanian Bureau of Standards and needs to change the physical process flow of his business, requiring some building works, in order to become 100% compliant. We are vey impressed with his talent and energy and wonder how we can help. It will only cost about £2000.

It is on the way back that we hear (day 4) that our suitcase has been found! So we celebrate by having lunch in Wavuvi at Oyster Bay. As a child there was nothing on this beach but palm trees – now it is a line of shacks catering for local clientele, and some slightly smarter places like the one we are in which is more hip. En route we try and find our old house in Mzinga Way – but not only have they changed all the street numbers, it is also now all in-fills and new buildings…unrecognisable like most of Dar.

I was last in Dar in 2008. I would not have dared walk around as we did on the clothes hunt then – but nowadays it feels safe. I’m told the beggars have been largely cleared as they were part of organised crime and hailing a three-wheeler couldn’t be easier when we run out of steam. Everywhere people are so friendly and helpful. It was also very run-down then – shenzi as we say in Swahili – but there are now so many new buildings including big out-of-town malls, white-elephant pension buildings, and a new railway. Since President Magafuli died of the Covid he denied existed, and the new pragmatic female (naturally) President Samia Hassan has taken over, business is beginning to grow again. But with it comes corruption.

On our last night Mary B and her husband take us to the Yacht Club, which was new and very chi chi when I was a child. Now it feels comforting and still has gorgeous views over Msasani Bay. Some things don’t change that much! I hope to be back in Dar before another 14 years pass.