Kariakoo and the Badminton Institute

This afternoon my roommates (Chris, Al), Ineke (another TNS consultant), and I set out to explore the Kariakoo area of Dar es Salaam. We had been advised to not wear watches, be on the look-out, carry no bags, and carry minimal cash. Armed with cautionary information but uncertain of what to expect, we took a taxi into commercial chaos.

Kariakoo is a place where you can find anything. Similar to other markets I have visited around the globe, it is divided by sections. Auto parts? Right over there. Cooking supplies? A few streets that way. It’s all available and bargaining is necessary.

I was looking for a small amount of Tanzanian fabric – to either bring home for a tabletop or pillow cover. Uhuru Street is the key destination for fabric – however, what we soon discovered is that the actual fabric is from China and all the prints are from Nigeria! There was no original Tanzanian fabric or design to be found! I was grateful that the shopkeepers were honest with me to divulge the Nigerian source – however, how strange! My parents in Lagos can likely find the same prints! :)

We were definitely the only muzungus around – this is not a place tourists or local expats would venture to regularly. The catcalls of “muzungu – look here” were not too bad, and always with a smile with no real harassment. Now that I know the fabric is not original to East Africa and I don’t need a new stereo, plastic stuff, or car parts, I doubt a return trip is needed, but I am glad we visited.

Our quartet wandered around the city more, ventured to the Movenpick hotel lawn for an afternoon drink and then we went to the Badminton Institute for dinner. This is the best Indian food I have had since Gaurav Batra’s mother (yay HBS Section I!) cooked for us in Delhi. For the record, Mrs. Batra’s food remains at the top of my list. Apparently, the Indian community in Dar is pretty concentrated and there are social networks rooted in these membership clubs. There are several prominent clubs throughout Dar and they denote status and reputation.

The Badminton Institute is a gated area, where we paid 1,000 Tanzanian Shillings (about $0.80) for a required day-long membership in order to enter for dinner. The large open-air space inside the gates had many, many tables and the World cricket tournament was projected onto a screen. The food was delicious. The bread of the dosa was some of the best I’ve had – and my veggie dish was spicy and well-cooked. It was a lot of food but it was fresh and made-to-order. The restaurant continued to fill with Indian families and some Tanzanians during our time there. Night falls pretty quickly here and we headed home after a long afternoon – I definitely enjoyed exploring the city center area more on foot today!