48 hours in Bagamoyo

It was at Pumbuji, which literally means wetland, that they made their
first settlement. The area was suitable for both habitation and
agriculture. It was also suitable as a port for their dhows Ms Rosalia Buretta,tour guidess, Bagamoyo.

By Elias Mhegera

An interesting episode of the history there explains how eventually
the name Kaole came about. Thanks for this to Ms Rosalia Buretta, a
friendly host at the site, whose selection by the Ministry of Tourism
was not just an accident.

She managed to bring back the history of the place vividly to my eyes,
as if the Arabs had left just recently. The natives were surprised by
the daily shouting when their visitors were making the calls that
summon you to prayer, from the Arabs they never knew what next to
expect.

So they said “tukaole waarabu vino atendile” which simply means: let
us go and see what these Arabs are doing, hence the name “Kaole”, so
the area which used to be known as Pumbuji now assumed the name Kaole.

The whole of Bagamoyo, whose name came from
“bwagamoyo” meaning “lay down your heart”, has a lot to tell in
history.

The story goes that there was an Arab couple who died in a sea
accident but their bodies were recovered, while hugging as if they
were alive. Their grave is frequently visited on Valentine’s Day, in order to seek their blessing for other couples of beloved.

There is Sharifa’s grave, this is the grave of a girl who died at the age of 13, while still a virgin. It is assumed that she had certain powers that were unique for a person of her age. She could predict things which eventually
happened exactly the way she had foretold.

Moreover it is a fact that there is a deep well which has survived
since the 13th century. It is believed that the well has waters that
are blessed; people do indeed come to fetch this water for washing and
drinking in order to clean their bodies and spirits as well.

If you thought that I am over with Kaole you are wrong! There is the
baobab which historians say has existed in the area for over 500 years
now. Nor to forget the artifacts; these were excavated by archeologist
Nivle Chittick in 1959.

But while moving back to the new Bagamoyo town; please do visit the Mamba (crocodile) ranch where you will find more than 130 of them, this is also a good site for picnic purposes (-make sure you avoid being the crocodiles’ picnic yourself!).

So my next stopover was at the prestigious Bagamoyo College of Arts,
currently it has assumed a new name, Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni
Bagamoyo (TaSUBa). This is iconic in the area, as a cultural centre.


From TaSUBa my next stop was at the Old Fort, a building which
has served different purposes and regimes. It started as the residence
of an Arab sultan. My host was Ms Rachel Simon, the conservator of
antiquities and of all of what today is known as Mji Mkongwe.

Rachel ushers me inside the fort, which was built in 1860 by Abdallah
Suleiman Marhabi; she says this was both a residential and an office
building. Later on the ownership was transferred to Sultan Seyyid
Said, in 1870.

The ownership remained so until 1885, when the Germans turned the
building into a military base. The Germans constructed the third floor
of it, to which the British added a top roof.

The Old Fort assumed different names accordingly, from German Fort,
to British Fort. It was turned into a prison by the British and
remained so throughout their tenure.

The newly formed government under Julius Nyerere also accepted the
fort remaining a prison from 1961 until ‘74, when it was turned into a
police station. This was the situation until 1991.

Bagamoyo is not complete if there is no mention of the Caravanserai,
which was the last destination of slaves before they were shipped off
on long safaris, particularly to the sugar plantations on the Reunion
Islands.

The journey is not complete if one does not visit the St. Elizabeth Mission, which has a museum rich in artifacts and archives.

My host there was Fr. Daniel Bouj who said that the museum, which was recently rehabilitated, started with a single idea from Fr Versteijnen
Menschel, who was teaching the history of the church at the Bagamoyo
Seminary, and who saw the need of preserving the history of Bagamoyo
for future generations.

At the mission stands the oldest building, that was built as a house
for the missionaries in 1872. The whole of the mission indeed suits
many purposes apart from worship, this is also a learning, historical
and tourist centre.

Indeed in Bagamoyo there are tourist attractions that cater for both
indigenous people and foreigners. Talking about tourist hotels, you
are talking of many such places like the Travelers Lodge, Millennium
Park, Palm Tree Village and many others, just be there!