Tutaonana Tena Siku Moja, Dar

Well, it's the last night of my 26 day stint in Dar es Salaam. By the end of my time here, I was comfortable greeting my friends on the street, using Taxify (the lifesaving app!!!!) to taxi around town, and navigate daily life completely in Swahili. Lots has happened since Zanzibar, so let me fill you all in.

The Saturday after Zanzibar, I went looking in Mbagala for live music, and this was the start of my awareness of what a bongo flava concert actually looked like. My assumption was this: since Sikinde played local bars, and they're not the most popular music these days, there must be some small time bongo flava artists that play local bars like Sikinde. I quickly learned that those venues were only for live music dance bands - bongo flava shows were much more organized and involved performances. I went to three bars that night, and couldn't find a single night of live music. I learned it was always important to confirm that there was music playing there before paying my cab driver an outrageous amount of money to drive me around the city.

Sikinde playing at the anti-human trafficking event.

The next morning, I attended a surprise Sikinde set, which provided me with another clue in the search for music in Dar - sometimes music is played at events that aren't specifically for music. Case in point, the set I attended was for a government conference on human trafficking, and featured no less than a marching band, about five performances ranging from muziki wa dansi to traditional Tanzanian dance and song, and a parade of schoolchildren. Apparently, Sikinde was available for this gig, so they got to play it.

My big breakthrough, however, was meeting a small time bongo flava artist in my hotel. His name is Mangare, and his instagram is here. We chatted for about 45 minutes, in Swahili mostly (!) about his life, his work, and what he hopes to do as an artist. One thing he mentioned was that in the bongo flava game, promotion and making sure you stand out is key, because there are a lot of very good artists. A conversation with a radio DJ at Clouds FM a few days later confirmed this notion - they are looking for artists that can put forth a polished product. Even the pronunciation of Swahili, in their eyes, is a factor in deciding what songs to boost.

Later that same day, I bought some trinkets with a new friend, Silviah, at Mwenge Woodcarvers's Market. Silviah also went with me to ClubNextDoor this past Saturday to see bongo flava artists. There, I also learned that concerts in Dar es Salaam don't start till midnight, if we're lucky, and often go till the break of dawn. While I loved it, I resolved that next time, I would take a more substantial nap.

This was one of about ten acts that played that night

My last night in Dar was spent at the restaurant, Addis in Dar, where I had delicious ethiopian food and Tej, a honey wine from Ethiopia. I dined with three core members of Sikinde and Frank, and we talked about future endeavours with the band.

A future trip here would probably involve more travel between cities in Tanzania, as hanging out in Dar for a month, without many friends or contacts, is quite lonely. The city is exciting, but also chaotic, and at times dangerous for foreigners if you're not using your common sense. However, I'm happy I got to spend a month here learning about the place, the culture, the language, and a fraction of its music. I think my time here was unbelivably valuable, and I'm excited to reach Mombasa.

EPILOGUE

This post was drafted the last night I planned to be in Dar, but I've been sick with extremely bad food poisoning for the past few days. After almost going to the hospital, a steady diet of crackers, coca cola, and extremely strong antibiotics has helped me get better. I'm currently in Zanzibar, holed up in the Tembo hotel before taking a fly540 plane tomorrow to Mombasa, direct. I've eaten about 200 dollars in travel that I didn't make it to, but I'm finally on the mend, and you really can't put a price on being well in a foreign country. Note to all travelers - even though Tanzania is a tropical country, you cannot put a price on the value of fever reducer if you are sick. Also, pack some strong antibiotics.