Figure 1. Site of Bwagamoyo Africulture's outdoor stage in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. This is a project was completed in the summer of 2023 and was the product of a collaboration between Bwagamoyo Africulture and The Radical Archive of Preservation.
This project was conducted as part of the CIS 668 (Social Justice and Inclusion Advocacy) class during fall 2023. It involved collaborating with Bwagamoyo Africulture, a dance and performance group located in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. At the conclusion of this project we established a community library and archive. On this page, I present the project's scope and plan.
What Do I Plan to Do?
In my social justice project, I plan to establish a community library and archive in the historic village of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Bagamoyo is very important to the history of Bagamoyo as it has been recognized as a major site of the East African Slave and Ivory trade. Access to books and resources are limited and are only available through the government-run Maktaba (library). While this is considered a public library, it is not free of cost and therefore creates a real barrier to information for locals. This library and archive will provide underserved peoples with access to resources and historical materials that will assist towards their personal and professional development.
Why Is It Important?
Bagamoyo's Maktaba is open daily; located near the coast and the main business area. There are also no steps at the entrance of the building making it physically, as well as, geographically accessible. However, the library struggles with traffic and use. After some preliminary research, I learned that the user-fees create an economic barrier for the local community. Patrons are required to pay a yearly user fee of about 100,000 Tanzanian Shillings, the equivalent of about $40 USD. While this may not seem like a substantial impediment to some, Tanzania's 2022 income per capita was $1200 USD compared to about $65,500 for the United States.
How Do I Plan to Do It?
Since 2011, I have been visiting Bagamoyo, Tanzania. My first trip was part of a volunteer program, Cross Cultural Solutions, where I worked with local artisans at the Old Slave Market. I taught conversational English and computer basics. It was there that I established relationships with locals and have maintained connections over the years.
Last year, I established a partnership with Bwagamoyo Africulture, a local dance, drumming, and storytelling group. In this partnership, I have committed to the preservation of this company by establishing some business, administrative, and archival practices. I plan on using this relationship to build a library and archive within this organization for the benefit of the local community.
Potential Collaborators and Partners @ the Setting?
Tanzania's socialist background and Ujamaa culture cultivates collaborative ways of working together. I am very interested and inpired by these political, social, and cultural concepts.
In addition to working with Bwagamoyo Africulture, I plan to work with the local Maktaba; Taasisi Ya Sanaa Na Utamaduni Bagamoyo (TaSUBa) and the School of Library, Archives, and Documentation Studies (SLADS). These are local organizations that are deeply connected to the community and provide programming to the community. Other partners include Ballethnic Dance Company, in East Point, Georgia, Spelman College, in Atlanta Georgia; and The Radical Archive of Preservation (T.R.A.P). These are companies that I am affiliated with and act as my professional network.
References
Nawe, Julita. 2001. “The Future of Library and Information Services in Tanzania.” Library Review 50 (3): 138–45.
Salyers, Jake, "A Study of the East African Slave Trade in Bagamoyo" (2009). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 939.
Statista. Tanzania: income per capita | Statista.