Located along the tropical shores of the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam is a hot town. The immense heat and humid conditions makes one sweat and thirst a lot. It is worse when you are stuck in the traffic. A family member sees an opportunity in the traffic pile up: vending mineral water! You will definitely need some chilled mineral water from the ‘machinga’ (corruption of marching guys) as they are generally called. The affluent thereby provide for the needs of the poor. This symbiotic relationship is greatly influenced by the jostle and hustle of the city life for survival.
I like the way you have captured the real essence of Dar es Salaam. The beauty of its roads in most cases go unnoticed due to the Perennial problem traffic jams (foleni). Can you imagine how beautiful Dar es Salaam would be without these 'folenis'.
ReplyDeleteThanks Khamisi. Indeed Dar es Salaam is a beautiful city, save for the endless 'milolongo'! However, it is blessing in disguise for the hapless 'machinga'!
ReplyDeleteMen, i understand that traffic there is crazy. Even in Kampala. As much as we may complain about traffic in Nairobi, we are waaaaay ahead. Na kumbe hawking iko kila mahali. I thought it hapenned only in kenya.....
ReplyDelete...indeed, Nitram! 'Umachinga' uko kila mahali. Their roads are much better though!
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