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The History of Bagamoyo

It is impossible to forget Bagamoyo once you have been there. Its atmosphere, present situation, and history are all of a special kind.

Even though the town has an eventful past, you sometimes get the impression of being in a place where time has stood still. We have read about the prospective improvement of the road from Dar es Salaam in most of the works on Bagamoyo, regardless on how old they are. It has not yet been realised and the story is the same concerning the railway.

On the other hand, we have also read about the active people in Bagamoyo who mended it after uprisings and natural disasters. How come this does not happen today?

We hope to provide those that have never visited Bagamoyo with a context and background to this extraordinary town.

Introducing Bagamoyo is divided into three parts. In Bagamoyo in our hearts, we try to describe our own experiences of the town. Many visitors get engaged in the town's future and we are definitely among those. When travelling in other parts of Tanzania, we understood how special and unique a town Bagamoyo really is.

In Bagamoyo today, some facts and figures describing Tanzania and Bagamoyo are presented.

A historical background describes the town's past, which includes times of wealth and prosperity as well as brutal accounts of the slave trade. Many people probably think the best would be to sweep the tragic parts of history under the carpet. We say history is part of present and future society. It can not be forgotten, and much less undone.

THE TOWN
Although the streets in the stone town of Bagamoyo seem deserted, people keep an eye on whoever passes and whatever happens. Sitting in town sketching, we became well known in the heart of Bagamoyo and our names were often called from the dark insides of the houses.

Along the streets of the town people stop for a while if they meet someone they know. They sit down for some time and it seems as there is always time to stop and be friendly.

There are no streetlights in Bagamoyo, the night sets in quickly and at seven it is completely dark. During nighttime the climate becomes agreeable and people stay outdoors talking.

Women in Bagamoyo use colourful umbrellas to protect themselves from both rain and shine. The sea breeze offers a welcome relief from the heat and some of it finds its way through the open doors and windows of the houses.

The rains start coming more often around Easter time. Rainfalls in Bagamoyo are like massive curtains of water and it is easy to get caught by a shower. When trying to make the way back home without getting wet, people run back and forward across the street avoiding the puddles. Most often, they give up and instead stand tightly pressed against a wall watching the water coming from the rafter feet, hitting the ground inches away from their feet.

When visiting the area outside of the stone town, the change from stone houses to African houses is gradual and many of the African houses are quite large. Fences made of palm leaves hide the gardens and create a streetscape. The streets are confusingly similar and it is difficult to separate one from the other.