Dar es Salaam Diary

What follows is an ode to the dala-dala, my preferred mode of transport these days. Dala-dalas comprise the public bus system here in Dar and indeed all over Tanzania. Though perhaps ‘bus system’ is a bit misleading, since calling a dala-dala a bus is a bit of a stretch – and their operation is not exactly systematic…

Dala-dalas are usually 12-seater, Hitachi minivans, though again this is a bit of a misleading description as I’ve had the pleasure to ride with at least 25 other passengers at one time. I remember the first time I rode one with my coworker Elisabeth. She let me enter first and I initially thought we’d have to get off, as all the seats were taken and there wasn’t much standing room. But then the other passengers folded down two tiny seats in the aisle. Ah, I thought, now it’s full. (We were about 14 at that point). But no, at the next stop I counted about seven more people get on, and by the end of the ride we had proceeded to pick up a few more.

As for etymology, the term has something to do with U.S. currency. According to my Swahili teacher, there was once a time when one Tanzanian shilling was equal to one U.S. dollar (a bit hard to believe as the U.S. dollar now buys about 1,200 Tanzanian shillings…) and that was how much it cost to ride. So “dala-dala” = “dollar, dollar,” which is what the “conductor” would have called out for passengers to pay. Something like that. (A brief aside: An American friend and I were discussing some of the great, English-influenced names we’ve encountered here. He told me he once met a guy named U.S. Dala. Clearly this person is destined for a successful career in the hip-hop industry…)

Fortunately (for those of us on a budget) it no longer costs a whole dala but a mere 200 Tanzanian shillings (about 17 cents) to go anywhere in Dar. The route the dala-dala will take is indicated by a colored band around the bus, as well as a placard announcing the destination on the front. In addition, most dala-dalas are adorned with graffiti-style paint announcing various slogans or names, which pay heed to Islam and American pop music. For instance, “INSHALLAH” (God willing), “ALLAH AKBAR” (God is Great), “Boyz II Men,” and my personal favorite, “TRACY CHAPMAN,” emblazoned in sparkly, silver bubble letters at the top of the windshield.

Most of the stops are clearly designated, but there are no schedules. A classmate of mine at Swahili school recalled asking someone what time the dala-dala was scheduled to leave. The response: What time? Why, of course when it’s full!

As an mzungu (literally, European, but generally used to refer to all white folks in Tanzania) riding the dala-dala, one is bound to be a bit of a novelty, since most ex-pats prefer to get around in Land Rovers. Perhaps they are heeding the warning featured in the State Department’s Consular Information Sheet for Tanzania, which I recently received in my e-mail inbox. It describes the dala-dalas thusly:

Travelers should be wary of using the ubiquitous microbuses (dala-dalas), which are frequently overcrowded, poorly maintained, a common site of petty theft, and whose operation is generally unsafe.

Nothing like living on the edge…