ABSTRACT

Dar es Salaam, the 'harbour of peace', idyll in name nonetheless its establishment was a pragmatic venture intended to secure the Sultan's firmer influence over the mainland caravan trade. Islam and its attendant Arabisation had prevailed as a strong detribalising force on the coast since the ninth century, and the Germans did not discourage it. In contrast to the rapid population growth of the late nineteenth century, Dar es Salaam grew at only two per cent per annum between 1907 and 1939. The relationship between heavy food imports and crisis that was to become a recurrent theme in the twentieth century first appeared during World War I. Over the century Dar es Salaam has witnessed many changes. In comparison with the heavy demand for staple foodstuffs exerted by the plantation labour force, Dar es Salaam's food demands were minimal. Unofficial markets were very pronounced in the environs of Dar es Salaam.