My good friend Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein has written a fine piece about Bagamoyo, one of the most peculiar, I think, places in Tanzania. But it is also several stories about history, people, change and development. Of politics and whom it benefits. Lots of observations, analysis and real people who are granted air time to share their views. It is about a place where you can have your fruit trees and property evaluated one year. The next, a port may be constructed. Or maybe not. Bagamoyo is not the only place in Africa where this dynamics is at play, it is just rarely so well described.
From the conclusion of the article: 'Looking far out on the horizon, it is hard to imagine how this now-quiet town may soon be catapulted into the future as a transoceanic trading hub far beyond what any Shirazi, Portuguese, German or British ruler might have ever imagined. As Bagamoyo braces for yet another period of historic change, the clockwork of the Indian Ocean’s tides lulls the collective anxiety. With Kikwete’s legacy projects in place, it seems only a matter of time before residents will join a new geopolitical matrix, and no one knows yet how many more hearts may be unburdened, or how many laid down, along this historic shore. '
Read the full article here at Aramco World.