The traffic situation in Dar Es Salaam is pretty crazy. At certain times of the day it is worse than others, but it is usually difficult to get anywhere fast. This is bad for those of us who are trying to get somewhere, but it is an excellent economic opportunity for machingas. Machinga is the “Swahili” word for street sellers or hawkers. It comes from “marching guy”. It is possible to buy pretty much everything but the kitchen sink from these guys who walk the streets selling their wares! The funny thing is that pretty much every machinga at a given intersection will be selling the same few things. For instance, I know that if I want to buy flowers, magazines or newspapers, I can get them at the intersection of Haile Selassie and Ali Hassan Mwinyi. Machingas are very persistent. If you even glance in their direction they will see it and will come and stand next to your vehicle until you wave them off 2-3 times. I have definitely appreciated their entrepreneurship at times when they have things I need and I don’t have to stop somewhere else. However, at other times it can get a little old having to say no to each one after a long day of field visits. I wish I could include a picture, but they would not be happy if they caught me taking one. Just for fun, I thought I would make a list of all the things I’ve seen the machingas selling:
- Fish (freshly caught)
- Ice cream
- Cashews
- Newspapers
- Flowers
- Cheap Toys
- Kites
- Used Teddy Bears
- Coat Racks
- Shelves
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Phone Cards
- Cell Phones & Chargers
- Bootleg DVDs
- Juice
- Water
- Gum
- Clothes Hangars
- Bed Sheets
- Pillows
- Puppies
- Mosquito Zappers
- Fruit
- Clothes
- Bumper Stickers
- Soccer Flags
- Hair Accessories
- Fresh Coconut milk
- Soap
- Pieces of Sugar Cane
- Pots & Pans
- So many more things that I haven’t thought of here.
