My Africa Today

Recently I had the pleasure of touring Tanzania. During my one-week tour, I managed to travel through five popular regions of the country, where I had the opportunity of seeing the Tanzanians up-close.

I was leaving Uganda on my way to South Africa, through Tanzania, where I would board a flight in Dar e-Salaam. So I boarded one of Gateway's Dolphin coaches from Kampala to Bukooba in Tanzania. This journey seemed shorter and more interesting for most travellers on board courtesy of the hospitality accorded to us by this bus' crew.

In just a few hours, we were already at Mutukula border post, and to my surprise the Ugandan immigration officers at the border cleared us very fast. This seemed like a miracle considering what I have seen and undergone through the brutal hands of immigration officers at different border posts in the country.

We hurriedly crossed the border and we were equally accorded the same hospitality in Tanzania, although this time the officers there, greeted us with smiling faces accompanied with words like "Karibuni katika Jamuhuri ya Maungano ya Tanzania" (Welcome to the United Democratic Republic of Tanzania).

URBAN GROWTH: The aerial view of expanding Bukoba town in Tanzania.

As we arrived in Bukooba town, everybody I cast my eyes on seemed to have friendly gestures, which showed a lot about Tanzanians' hospitality.
While in Bukoba, I visited standard tourist sites like the Rocky Mountains that surround the beautiful town, then the Bandari-Beach and several other nooks. While at the beach, I put on my swimming suit and enjoyed the warm summer water that Tanzania has to offer.

And while still on the streets of Bukoba, I drank the popular Swahili coffee locally referred to as Gahawa. Although the coffee was concentrated with no sugar, I loved it. My Swahili friends told me that once I drank Gahawa I wouldn't sleep in the night and so they asked me if at all I needed a "dada" to "push the night" with. I replied in the affirmative.

Tanzanian students stand by their national flag raised in their school compound. Net photos

So we visited one of the popular nightspots in town located in Camp Swahili area not far away from my hotel room. This popular pub was playing Saida Karooli's popular Wanchekecha, which revellers seemed to enjoy a lot as I noticed that everyone was singing along to it.

I watched with admiration as the Wahaya (tribe) women wiggled their waists. As I continued staring at the Wahaya beauties, one girl speaking a language similar to Runyakore approached me, muttering something, similar to, "Hallo Braza (Hullo Brother) are you waiting for someone or you're in need of company?"

Although at first I was amazed at the brazenness of this Tanzanian woman, it later it turned out to be an exciting encounter. I have never been good at the seduction routine anyway, but this time I was determined to experience what I used to hear about the women of Bukoba.

"You have no company, eh? I will offer you all the company you need, welcome to Bukoba," she assured me. Although I rarely go to the dance floor, here I was dancing to Karooli's hit and my night's companion was busy making endless requests. "Oh darling, buy chicken and beer." I had nothing to do but succumb to her wishes.

Tanzanians are friendly, their cities are safe and clean and most of all, everything works; from streetlights, policing, sanitation to road usage. Although Tanzania is a country where most people are still poor because of Mzee Nyerere's communist policy, the citizens have peace, love and unity that they enjoy.

It is a country where you would be proud to serve in the military, perhaps because shops, restaurants and theme parks give you discounts and preferential treatment because you are serving in the military or police. It's a country that honestly believes that things must be bigger and better.
MORE WORK: Like in the rest of Tanzania, Bukoba town road network needs developing.

The country lags behind
However, Tanzania is a country that still needs to develop its road network. Owing to the fact that Tanzania is big enough and has many natural resources, the country still lags behind in terms of infrastructural connectivity.

But it is also a country filled with paranoia; where to get onto a plane; you must get your bags thoroughly searched and remove your shoes, belt and all metallic items; where a snow globe from Disney World is confiscated by petty airline security officials as it has liquid in it; where a kite is broken in half to ensure that it is just a kite and that nothing sinister is hidden in the dell rods.

Tanzania seems to be more security conscious because of the 1998 bomb blasts on the US embassy in Dar-es-salaam. But despite all that, I envied them - for I have never seen a people more patriotic and proud of their nation like Tanzanians; where flags adorn every building and where people drive cars with bumper stickers praising their country "Oya Tuku Nyumbani" (meaning Proudly Tanzanian).

Source: http://www.kforumonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=528