ABSTRACT
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is often described as the cornerstone of the friendship between Africa and China. The geo-political context that led to its construction and close exchanges among Chinese, Tanzanians and Zambians during and after the construction era gave rise to distinct meaning-making and narratives about the railway’s history and political significance which still reverberate among decision-makers and ordinary citizens in Africa and China. This chapter traces the origins of this ‘TAZARA spirit’ and assesses its enduring relevance for contemporary South-South cooperation, in the light of profound changes in the country’s foreign aid regime and China’s more mercantilist motivations since the 1990s. This chapter first recounts the geo-political context in which the so-called ‘Freedom Railway’ was constructed. Drawing on secondary literature and interviews, this chapter then identifies dominant narratives and certain essential characteristics of the ‘TAZARA spirit’. This chapter documents social, economic and cultural long-term effects of the railway that have often been overlooked, before discussing changes in China’s aid regime and how ongoing negotiations about the commercialisation of the railway have resulted in reinterpretations of the TAZARA spirit. This chapter concludes that some 50 years after its emergence, the TARAZA spirit and its inherent internationalism based on solidarity, equality and friendship remain highly relevant ideational yardsticks, as challenges in contemporary Sino-African relations and global development at large are mounting.
