Dodoma

My second time in Dodoma, this time for work, and it’ll only be slightly longer than the stopover I did during the Christmas break. As Dodoma is a purpose built capital, as soon as you step into it, there’s much more of an orderly sensation than in other cities of a similar size. It’s very rare to step out of an arrivals hall and not be harangued by taxi drivers. In Dodoma the taxi drivers line up and wait to be approached. Unheard of.

It’s orderly but I still saw evidence of rude boyz driving around with music, loud revving and lots of testosterone. Organised versions of rude boyz. I suspect the general air is due to a top down government system that is quite repressive, especially as government institutions are gradually being centralised and relocated to Dodoma (hence our visit). My colleague reckons the calm vibe is because Dodoma is quite a ‘new’ city and the people residing there haven’t yet acquired bolshie habits as they have in mega-cities. This seems like a ridiculous theory but is also plausible. Long may the citizens of Dodoma remain genteel, as it’s much more peaceful walking around Dodoma than other cities.

The image is of Dodoma in a nutshell. Huge government buildings being constructed, and not yet inhabited. This is the edifice that will eventually house everything to do with environment and wildlife. Our meetings are taking place in a temporary thing out of shot, a fraction of the size.