Thursday 25th March: Breakfast with Monkeys

Karen: The need to fend of the attentions of monkeys keen on my breakfast banana was not helped by another early start, as we left Tanga and headed back ‘home’ to Dar es Salaam after two nights away.


We were held up by a couple of the all too frequent road accidents, and were late for our second meeting with Mama Africa at the Central Library. Luckily, we were still able to get some great footage of children enjoying their new space and an interview with the ever-inspiring Mama Africa herself.

Hannah: Our last appointment in Dar-es-Salaam was at the headquarters of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). They have a very good library with mostly relevant books, which according to the librarian are about 90% donated by Book Aid International. They are dealing with the problems of overcrowding as their courses become ever more popular, by seating students outside in two large permanent tents. We are more used to seeing reading tents for children, but it was heartening to see how busy it was as people finished their day jobs and got on with studying together.

Rob: We are long standing supporters of OUT, and it’s great to see opportunities given to people who may otherwise have missed out on the chances that education can offer. An early night was in order as a 5am start beckoned as we prepared to leave Dar after a packed 5 days and travel by ferry to Zanzibar.

Monday, 22nd March: Finding our feet in Dar

Hannah: The first day of any trip traditionally starts with a visit to the National Central Library, and it was a great introduction for Karen and I to meet Dr. Alli Mcharazo, Director General of the Tanzania National Library Services Board (TLSB). We were also really excited to see the first of the Children’s Library Corners, which we received funding for at the end of last year.

Karen: As a former Children’s Librarian, I was inspired by the passion of ‘Mama Africa’ the incredibly energetic and enthusiastic leader of the project. The sunny room that had been provided for the Children’s Corner, with its comfortable cushions and maps was a welcoming environment for any child visiting the library. Although they are still waiting for the final purchase of books in Swahili, the local language of primary school instruction, it was clear that the corner is already well used and well loved.

Rob: The afternoon was earmarked for visiting the School of Library and Archival Documentation Studies (SLADS). The school has expanded rapidly in the town of Bagamoyo to support over 400 students, housed in a campus on the outskirts of the town. We were able to meet the students and talk to them about our work – they had very insightful questions about how we pick partners and libraries to send books to and the use of ICTs in our work. It is encouraging to see that the rapid expansion of the college means that being a librarian is now, more than ever seen as a viable and attractive career among the young people of Tanzania.

Karen: We were pleased to be invited to Alli’s home in the evening for dinner and to discuss the future of library development in Tanzania. A busy day tomorrow means that an early night was the sensible option!