From Dar es Salaam to Bongoland: Urban Mutations in Tanzania

Zanzibari Investments in Kariakoo

Zanzibari Investments in Kariakoo Mohamed Ahmed Saleh On the initiative of the Sultan of Zanzibar, Seyyid Majid bin Said bin Sultan,1 Dar es Salaam was built on Shomvi and Pazi2 clan territory in Zaramo3 country at a time when Zanzibar was the focus of activities involving economic, political and cultural exchanges on an international level. At the time, Zanzibar was the region’s most important warehouse, a commercial depot for manufactured products from industrialized countries and for raw materials from the islands or from the interior of the continent.4 The decision to build the town and the harbour of Dar es Salaam was taken when this commercial empire was at its zenith and in search of new horizons.5 The main objective in building Dar was (a) to provide Zanzibari businessmen with a port of call for their trade activities on the continent6 and (b) for the Sultan to distance himself not only from Zanzibar7 ’s diplomatic representations and its political debates, but also from the old Bagamoyo port. It is exactly for this reason that the name Dar es Salaam (“peaceful abode”, in Arabic8 ) was chosen as a substitute for Mzizima, the initial place-name. In other words, it was a place of serenity where the Sultan could rest. The palace, fort and residence for members of the Sultan’s escort were built between 1866 and 18679. 1 Sultan of Zanzibar from 1856 to 1870; Al-Maamiry (Hamoud, A.), Omani Sultans in Zanzibar: 1832 1964 (1988), p.14. 2 Hartnoll M. “A Story of the Origin of the Name of Bandar-Es-Salaam, which in the old days was called Mzizima”, (1937). 3 The distinctive feature of the Kutu and the Luguru, who probably come from the same socioculturalmatrix as their immediate neighbours, is their coastal habitat dating back to the 18th century. They live mainly on agriculture, fishing and small commerce. They are made up of several clans, sub-divided into many sub-groups; they have a segmentary type of social organization. Their society seems to be in a transition phase from the matrilinear to the patrilinear system. Most Zaramos converted to Islam, but they remain attached to their own belief system, organized around the ancestor cult (matambiko). The caravan trade moving from the coast up to the Great Lakes region contributed to a tradition of bartering between the Zaramos and the Nyamwezi. See “Zaramo” in Tamisier J. CH., Dictionnaires des Peuples, (1998), p.356. 4 Sheriff A., Slaves, Spices & Ivory in Zanzibar, (1987); Babu, A. M., “Zanzibar and the Future”, (1994), and SalehM., “Introduction: les différents secteurs de l’économie”, in Le Cour Grandmaison C. and Crozon A. eds., Zanzibar aujourd’hui (1998), p.151. 5 New caravan routes towards Kilwa in the south and Lamu in the north were envisaged. Emissaries were sent out to inform businessmen from these localities of the existence of the new Dar es Salaam harbour; Farant L., Tippu Tip and the East African Slave Trade, (1975), p.48/49; Gray (Sir John), “Dar es Salaam under the Sultans of Zanzibar”, (1950), p.7. 6 Tippu Tip’s caravan was the first to arrive in Dar es Salaam with goods from the interior, destined for Zanzibar; ibid. 7 Lynne R.N., Zanzibar in Contemporary Times, (1905), p.70; Farrant (Leda), Tippu Tip and the East African Slave Trade, (1975). 8 Gray Sir John, “Dar es Salaam under the Sultans of Zanzibar”, (1950). 9 Lynne R.N., Zanzibar in Contemporary Times, (1905), p.70; Farant (Leda), Tippu Tip and the East African Slave Trade, (1975), p.48. 370 FROM DAR ES SALAAM TO BONGOLAND However, Dar es Salaam could also be a distortion of Bandar Es Salaam,10 i.e. “harbour of peace”, as Seyyid Majid supposedly conquered it without any resistance from the Zaramos, in other words without any blood being spilt. Beyond these toponymical considerations, it may be that Seyyed Majid’s initiative was in fact just an attempt to replicate what his father, Seyyid Said bin Sultan had accomplished in 1832, when moving his kingdom’s capital from Mascate (Oman) to Zanzibar to be closer to the clove plantations and the caravan terminals, the source of his wealth. During Seyyid Majid bin Said bin Sultan’s reign, Dar es Salaam was on the verge of becoming the capital of Zanzibar’s commercial empire. It would have come to pass if the urban plan had not been abandoned by his successor, Seyyid Barghash11 after Said’s death on 7...