"HERITAGE HISTORICAL BUILDINGS UNDER THREAT"

“HISTORICAL HERITAGE BUILDINGS UNDER THREAT”

The one-day international symposium on historical buildings  held at the British Council in Dar es Salaam,  succeeded in hitting the point that the “urban heritage was heavily threatened”.

The symposium organized by DARCH (Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage) and sponsored by European Union, Goethe Institute, British Council, Technische Universitat Berlin, Kulturstiftung des Bundes. The attendees was a mixture of mainly local and foreign architects, scholars and professors who numbered nearly seventy.

In a hand-out to the participants it was revealed that Dar es Salaam being among the ten fastest growing cities in the world, due to economic pressure competing particular interests and added by a weak regulatory environment, threatened heavily the heritage of the country. Numerous demolitions of historical buildings are being replaced by tall buildings of which some are of generic architectural design with alarmingly poor quality.

Historically, Dar es Salaam was founded by an Omani Sultan from close-by Zanzibar which at that time was a flourishing country. Under colonial rule the “Haven of Peace” in the then Tanganyika was ruled by colonial Germans as well as the British. Today the city, to some extent still reflects the old colonial structure with African, Islamic, Colonial, Indian and early modernistic architecture or influence.

After a welcome remark by Aida Mulokozi on behalf of DARCH and introduction by Rachel Lee of Habitat Unit, interesting in- depth papers were presented by examples of modernism and relevant issues pertaining in Ghana, India, Turkey, D.R. Congo, Kenya, Zanzibar. 

In one of the chapters, the Tanzanian Case was presented by  Muhammad Juma who referred to Urban Heritage in Zanzibar; African Architecture matters by Ng’ambo Tuitakayo; re-presentation of shared history by Annika Seifert, the mapping for community resilience in Dar es Salaam by Deogratias Evarist Minja and Simulizi Mijini which was an urban narratives of Dar es Salaam  by 13  students from Ardhi University and T.U.  Berlin.

Among the prominent people who attended the symposium and also participated in the round-table discussion included a publisher (Mkuki & Nyota) Walter Bgoya; Prof. Mascarehnas from the University of Dar es Salaam and others. The Director General of Tanzania Museum Dr. Mabulla and the author of  this story in the capacity as Chairman of Community Advisory Committee of the Museum & House of Culture (Abdul Hai) also attended the symposium.

STORY & PIX BY ABDUL HAI

BAGAMOYO NEWS

AIMS DIRECTOR

Director of AIMS Prof. Mark Roberts is busy setting up the institute in Bagamoyo. The institute will train postgraduate talented students, with an initial intake of over 50 students who will become African Scientists in their respective fields.

TRAINING AFRICAN SCIENTISTS

OPPORTUNITIES TO PRODUCE MORE AFRICAN SCIENTISTS

The scope for producing more African Scientists will be broadened with the introduction of a highly specialized African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Tanzania, to be specific in the historic town of Bagamoyo.

Tanzania will be the fifth country in Africa to benefit from the AIMS expertise in delivering postgraduate training to talented students and conducting research on applications of the mathematical sciences. Next year, a sixth centre will be established in neighboring Rwanda. The masterplan of the organization, the AIMS Next Einstein Initiative (NEI), is to establish fifteen such institutes across Africa, all nurturing highly trained scientists in a range of specialisms.

AIMS NEI centres are currently also operational in South Africa, Senegal, Ghana and Cameroon. So far 731 high caliber African Scientists from 41 African nations have graduated to take up further academic options, such as PhDs, and to pursue careers in professions such as education, IT and business. 

In Bagamoyo plans are being made to set-up the AIMS Tanzania campus at the historic German Boma, the use of which has been granted to AIMS Tanzania by His Excellency the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Jakaya Kikwete. Renovation of the ocean-facing building and further development of the campus might take longer time to complete, but the Institute is moving to temporary premises in the town in August 2015, in time for the next intake of students.  

The initial intake in Bagamoyo will be 55 masters students from 13 African countries, with one third from Tanzania. Financial implications in terms of travel, academic tuition, boarding and lodging facilities, and pocket expenses will be covered by AIMS. Funding for AIMS NEI comes from host governments and international donors such as the Canadian IDRC, the UK DFID and the Mastercard Foundation. 

In an interview the Rector of AIMS Tanzania, Mark Roberts, who is a Professor of Mathematics, highly praised the support of the Honourable Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Dr. Shukuru Kawambwa and his Ministry colleagues, and that of the District Council and people of Bagamoyo, in the exciting job of setting up the Institute.

AIMS Tanzania is a partnership between the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and AIMS NEI, established by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August 2014 that sets out their joint aims of establishing centres for postgraduate and teacher training, research and public engagement. The agreement was signed in the presence of high ranking Government officials by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Prof. Sifuni Mchome, on behalf of the Government, and the President and CEO of AIMS-NEI, Thierry Zomahoun.  

Prof. Roberts was enthusiastic about the prospects for producing greater numbers of African Scientists to speed up the development of the continent. The mathematical sciences play essential roles in a wide range of African challenges and opportunities, including health, agriculture, climate, ICT, business and finance. Prof. Roberts also said he looked forward to AIMS Tanzania working with other local institutions to contribute to the development of Bagamoyo as one of the leading educational, research and cultural centres in East Africa.   

Story and Picture by Abdul Hai

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