DARCH City Tour - Karibu Dar es Salaam!

(view from the top of the Old Boma in the CBD of the city)

I arrived in Dar es Salaam yesterday and will be in Tanzania for the next few days. Dar es Salaam is relevant to my research for a few key reasons:

1) it is home to Kariakoo Market one of my most-used precedents, I wanted to gain an experience of it first hand

2) Similar to Kampala, Dar es Salaam, alongside rapid urbanisation, many new commercial development projects that often threaten historic urban spaces in the city. A relatively new company 'Dar Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH) ' has been set up to to save and promote historical architecture and urban heritage in Dar es Salaam and the wider East African urban context and I would like to meet with its members and learn about their working process.

3) The historical context of my projects looks at the manner in which Kampala was established for the purpose of trade and tracing even further back to the coast of East Africa (where Dar is ) could provide more historical background, linking and creating more comparisons with countries across East Africa.

The first thing I did today was to visit DARCH and I was warmly welcomed by the CEO, Aida Mulokozi.

I shared my project and intentions for my trip to DARCH with her and she gave me the following background:

DARCH was established in 2015 with a strong network if partners: the Architectural Association of Tanzania, the Goethe Insitute, Ardhi University Dar es Salaam and the Tecnische Universitat Berlin and is supported by the Tanzanian Antiquities division, the National Museums and the Dar City Council.
The project was funded by the European Union from its start until mid 2017 - been independent for about 2 months now
It is located in Old Boma, which is the oldest standing building in Dar.
Various groups came together to preserve the Old Boma which was about to be demolished for a new commercial tower
The Old Boma rehabilitation project is an example sustainable rehabilitate of shared heritage. It is has a permanent exhibition of the city's urban history and relevant temporary exhibitions, it also has an archive centre, workshop spaces and offices for DARCH, the city council and the AAT.
it is not just a tool to preserve urban history/culture but also, a new form of revenue creation
There is an Agency in ministry responsible for preserving heritage but their is little instrest or funds to do so, DARCH hopes to raise awareness across government institutions .
Desire to get more locals involved in tours, exhibitions etc.
DARCH conduct 6 different city tours (that come with an exhibition viewing)
They try to use a local. vendors they meet along the way as part of the tour - drawing the vendors' attention to the buildings around them

I was introduced to Aileen Runyoro- , a recent architecture graduate for Ardhi University and she took me on a 'City Tour'. From the options, i chose 'New vs Old' for a blend between the city's history and more recent architectural projects. The tour was in what was the 'colonialist' zone of Dar es Salaam during colonisation but prior to this occupied the indigenous 'Mzizima' fishing villages- it has a diverse array of Architecture from a range of different cultures

Abit more about the Olld Boma (pictures below)

1869, hotel for Majid bin Said, Sultan of Zanzibar for his guests.
German period, enlarged and securely fortified the building; housed the naval headquarters with prison behind.
Nearly demolished in the 70’s for a multi-storey hotel but was saved through a court appeal.

There are three contemporary towers behind the Old Boma , the twin towers (2012) and the tallest building in Dar es Salaam (2016) - a glimpse of all three of them can be seen in the fourth image below.

The tour included a walk along Sokoine Drive with stops at white fathers( atiman house) post office, War memorial gardens , st Joseph's cathedral, Azania front Luheran church, Forodhani hotel (court of appeal) dar es salaam club, series of German buildings now government offices, the ferry, the fish market.

Along Sokoine Drive :