The night - friend or foe?

The choice of staying at the place of work/study until after dark in the city is a mixed blessing. The advantage is that one could start the day later but often this is not the case, in fact to beat the jam, it is customary to leave home before 6 a.m. making the day a really long one! What’s more the disadvantage of staying at work is that the wait in the queue extends even longer (until after 8 p.m.).  Often alternative modes such as bicycles are “faster” but then in the dark (especially in the city) are they safe? In fact how safe is it to stay out after dark?

Seeing an opportunity

It is good to have something to do while waiting. There are many hawkers (known as “machinga”) who specialize in selling their products to people waiting for the traffic to move. It could be something edible such as an ice-cream cone (as in this picture), groundnuts or cashew nuts in small packets, tangerine or the fruit of the season. Newspapers and magazines are also sold at some junctions but it can also be something long-lasting like handkerchiefs, plastic containers and even ironing boards! It’s all about realizing the chance and taking advantage of it!

Looking for Peace

Dar-es-Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania. The name means “Haven of Peace” but trying to get out of the city centre in the evening (or for that matter into the city on the morning) is far from peaceful. The traffic jam ("foleni" in Swahili)  is a great equalizer, all get caught up,  private  cars, buses known as “dala-dala”  and even the “bajaj” (motor cycle with three wheels).  Some try to escape the craziness of the main roads by using back routes creating chaos even in small streets at peak hours. Sometimes drivers try to force their way, passing on the other side, driving against oncoming traffic. Often there reaches a time when some people decide to “take time out” and wait for things to sort themselves out. True enough, after some shouting, reasoning, reversing and moving, traffic moves and peaceful flow is restored.