Expdonaloaded News; The good, the bad and the ugly side of Tanzania

A first time visitor to Tanzania is not only enthralled by the beauty of Dares Salaam at night, but also by the friendly disposition of the people, the diversity of the society and the serenity of the countryside.Tanzania is strategically located in East Africa with an open window of trading to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Through a recently developed Africa growth and opportunity act, ties were also cemented with the United States of America.

Vision for development
Tanzania is a tourist and multi racial society where indigenous people freely mix with Indians, Chinese, Japanese and other nationalities who are attracted to the country by its beautiful landscape, great lakes, serene countryside, mountains, rocks, music and friendly people. Throughout my three-day stay in the country, I never encountered any aggressive person. The people are courteous and almost honest to a fault. This must be the reason why Tanzania remains a major tourist haven.
My colleagues and I got the shock of our lives when we wanted to buy comb. Since we didn’t know where to get one, we were standing by our hotel trying to catch up on news. A young man named Mohammed who is a football enthusiast offered to get us comb. We didn’t trust him, so we refused to give him money. But pronto, he dashed across the street and came back with the comb. When we offered him money he declined, saying he was offering us a gift. Such a great ambassador for a country where Nelson Mandela is more popular among the younger generation of Tanzania than their founding father, Julius Nyerere
Tanzania has a vision to become a semi-industrialized country by 2025. There are strong indications that this target could be attained. From a mere 11 countries doing business in Tanzania last year, the figure has increased astronomically to 32 with more than 450 companies now doing various businesses. The steady power supply, stable political climate has guaranteed the country’s steady rise in the league of fast rising African economies. Unlike Nigeria, Tanzania has no problem of power outage, no wonder it is a flourishing centre of commerce, tourism and culture.
Tourism
From Europe, America, Asia and other African countries, Tanzania is a tourists’ hub, which attracts streams of people all year round. Tourists and business people are intrigued by the vast planes, sandy beaches, safaris, mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Tanganyika, Ngogoro crater, the Massai Mara islands of pemba and Zanzibar.
The city of Dares Salaam is a blend of the good, the bad and the ugly. Beautified by great landmarks like the national stadium, national museum, various parks, five star hotels like the Hyat Regency, New African Hotel, The Saint Marie, Southern Sun, and Mediterraneo Hotel Hilton among others, these landmarks are the major attractions for tourists from all walks of life. The Dares Saalam harbour is a beauty to behold at night as ships dock from various places. Tourists also catch fun on the beach at night. Like Lagos, the city of Dares Saalam is not only a beehive of activities; it’s also a city of heavy traffic, blaring car horns and reckless ‘okada’ riders. Just like Lagos, commuting in buses is made easy with dedicated BRT lanes. The roads in the city are narrow and bumpy. In certain parts of the city, one is reminded of the bad state of Nigerian roads as some roads are in total state of disrepair. However, the people are law abiding as they obey traffic lights and traffic officers who do not collect the usual Nigerian ‘egunje’ or ‘roger’ as it is called in Nigeria.
Nightlife
Dares Salam is almost like Lagos as regards nightlife, as people of diverse culture and creed converge in night clubs to listen to live bands. At the New African Hotel, people enjoy the best of local, African and Indian music into the wee hours of the night.
It is also a city of cheap sex, booze and fun at night. At a suburb called Las Vegas, prostitution, petty crime and drugs reign supreme. Here, women of all shapes dress skimpily to canvass for customers. The beach is also a place of cheap sex, marijuana and drugs as youths engage in vices.
At the club, delicacies like roasted goat meat, the popular ‘suya’ are common delicacies. Funny enough, Tanzanians refer to plantain as banana, as my request for roasted plantain was met with a blank stare. In response, the chef said ‘oh, banana’. Interestingly, visitors to this great country have access to a variety of cuisine, be it African, European or continental.
Political stability
Tanzania is one of the steadiest countries in Africa. Divided into 26 regions, it has a population of about 45 million people. Swahili is the major indigenous language spoken with English as the national language. This has brought about unity, cohesion and stability to the country.
Since TANU was formed in 1954, the country has produced only five presidents. A union was formed between Tangayika and Zanzibar, which gave local autonomy to the latter. With Christianity and Islam as the major religions, religious freedom allows the practice of indigenous form of worship. This not only ensures harmony, but also douses any form of distrust and tension.
My encounter with a Massai named Lainza captures the religious, social and political harmony in the country. He is not only friendly, he also a tourist ambassador as he markets rings and all sorts of artefacts to foreigners. Although, he belongs to the lowest wrung of the social strata, he socialises with the top echelon of the society. His entrepreneurial spirit is a reflection of the economic independency of most Tanzanians.