Askari

I mooched in the centre centre in early afternoon, ahead of a visit to the hospital to check on the progress of our colleagues. The Askari Monument is said to mark the exact centre of Dar es Salaam and recognises the achievements of the African soldiers who fought for Britain against the Germans in East Africa in World War I.

The hospital is labyrinthine but we found the room housing Richard and Pastory. Richard was telling me more about the accident, including the despicable moment where he was semi-conscious but remembers his watch being stolen from his wrist as he lay trapped in the vehicle. True to form, I fainted again by the bedside, although luckily onto the floor and not onto Richard’s fractured leg. Thankfully Tanzanians don’t faff and fluff in such instances so I got some fresh air on the balcony and was back to full strength. The strength was used to visit another colleague from the US office in a ward in another wing who has suffered from bad food poisoning whilst on a mission with our marine team. We popped into her room to check how she was doing.

Food chat at the latter bedside whet our appetites for scran, so some of us went onto a bar for food. It coincided with a high profile football derby between Yanga and Simba clubs, the two biggest in Tanzania, facing each other in a cup tie. The atmosphere was electric and Yanga won, much to the dismay of colleagues Manyerere and Kennedy, who I was with. They asked which Tanzanian club I was going to support as I need a team to follow here. I asked about the team based in Songea, the largest city in the far south, which is my focal area. Kennedy said there is Maji-Maji Football Club, but it isn’t any longer in the Tanzanian Premier League, a comment that could be classified as glory-hunting. I decided to opt for Maji-Maji as its name derives from the rebellion against German rule which originated in the Ruvuma region, and rebellions fit with my cantankerous nature.