Site 14: Bagamoyo (Mar. 17th – 23rd)

As we descended from about 1400m down to sea level on the drive from Lushoto to the coast on March 17th, the temperature rose alarmingly quickly. What started as a cozy 20°C drive from the Usambara Mountains ascended to the high 30°s of the humid coast. We rolled into our campsite in the late afternoon, and after a quick safety briefing and the most efficient tent setup ever, every one of us rushed across the beach and into the Indian ocean. Much to our collective disappointment however, the water itself was nearly as hot as the air, making it seem like warm bath water – not quite as refreshing as we had hoped.

An amusing sign found along the way. Note the email address!

With but a few days remaining in the third term, both courses set out to make the most of the historically fascinating town of Bagamoyo. Indeed, on our very first morning there, we all set out for a 4-hour town tour, which, though very interesting and highly relevant to both classes, proved to be difficult due to the oppressive air temperature and humidity. We learned that the town was first a trading post for the Indian slave trade, as Arab slave drivers would stop there on route from the inside of the continent, where the slaves were purchased, before crossing to Zanzibar, where they were sold. When Germany officially made the region its colony of German East Africa, in the late 19th century, they made Bagamoyo their capital. However, it was only a few years before the capital was transferred to the nearby city of Dar es Salaam, where the port is much deeper and thus better suited for commerce. It appears as though Bagamoyo has been on the decline ever since, with many buildings falling into disrepair, some literally crumbling onto the streets.

On separate occasions, the Geography class went into town to carry out field exercises on Islamic land tenure (known as waqf), as well as on urban graffiti; whereby they had to ask locals what certain pieces of graffiti meant in English, and later discuss the significance of their findings. The Anthropology class, on the other hand, visited a youth art and culture center, where they joined a local dance troop’s impressive rehearsal. We invited this dance group to perform on the beach for our final night in Bagamoyo; an epic spectacle of pure talent, strong shirtless men, and fire.

The view at sunrise, from our beach-side campsite. Could have been worse.

Final exams and assignments were gradually submitted in the days leading up to March 22nd, when the final presentation of the students’ research projects were to be held. Indeed, since our first few weeks in Kenya, back in January, the students have all had research projects to carry out, on various topics ranging from healthcare and education to wildlife conservation and local water management. Conducting interviews and collecting data at every site along the way, all groups were able to synthesize an impressive amount of information into final 15-minute presentations. On the final day of the program, each group presented their information and explained any trends they found significant from their research.

After 70 days of non-stop class and travel across 3 countries and over 4000 kilometers, freedom glistened on the horizon. The evening was filled with festivities, beginning with an exceptional mix of local specialties including coconut prawn pasta, stir-fry and badjia prepared by our superb cooking team, who will perhaps be missed most of all. Following dinner there was an unofficial graduation ceremony, commemorating the half-dozen students for whom this was the last semester of their degrees. Finally, some crisp Serengeti and Kilimanjaro lager was enjoyed into the late hours of the night, as the pressure of a brief yet incredibly intense semester in Africa slowly lifted from everybody’s shoulders.