Tanzania is situated on the equator in East Africa, divided roughly in to two regions.

Initial contact with Europe was via the coastal port of Dar Es Salaam. In the nineteenth century this was already a well established trading port for Arabs, who traded in ivory and slaves. They sent raiding parties inland to capture or buy slaves to sell on the coast. They rarely penetrated into Northern Tanzania because of their fear of the Masai. They also established the ‘Spice Island’ of Zanzibar.

The British explored the interior via Dar during the middle of the 19th Century. Mungo Park, Livingston, Stanley, Burton & Speake, all seeking the great geographical puzzle “The source of the Nile”. Livingstone the most famous of all African Explorers / Missionaries only had one convert to Christianity , who later changed his mind and reverted to traditional beliefs . Livingstone believed that opening up trade routes for the British would give fellow missionaries a way into the interior

The Germans formed loose trading associations with local chiefs in the late 19th century and Tanganyika eventually became a German protectorate.

After the First World War, as a result of the treaty of Versailles, Tanganyika became part of British East Africa. There was not as much settlement or development by Europeans as there was in Kenya , but Britain established the system of local and national government which still exists today.

Tanzania gained independence in 1961. Julius Nyerere, was the dominant political figure for 30 years . He introduced various schemes in radical socialism which failed economically , but his strong control and the peaceful attitude of most Tanzanians meant that there was very little tribal conflict . Tanzania remains one of the most stable and peaceful African countries.

Tanzania has had strong trading links with China , which continue today . Most of the manufactured goods in the shops are Chinese. However Tanzania has now embraced capitalism and is encouraging Western investment. It has good natural resources but very little capital investment or experience in developing its mineral and other resources.

Tanzania is going through rapid cultural change especially in the towns. When we first visited in 1994 there were few TVs, no cell phones, intermittent electricity and few manufactured goods.

Now there are a lot more manufactured goods and Tanzania’s economy is growing . There is still however a long way to go before everyone has access to clean water and proper sanitation.

In the villages, things have not changed much since Livingstone’s time. 90% of Tanzanians live in villages. There is...

Despite all this , Tanzanians are generally very hospitable and happy people .

Many experts now believe that Tanzania needs small scale development as well as bigger schemes such as infrastructure projects .The Anglican Diocese of Mara puts a lot of effort into self help schemes for farmers and we in Go MAD are fortunate to be involved in this type of work with the Diocese.