Africa's Freedom Railway: How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania [Paperback]

The TAZARA (Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority), or Freedom Railway, from Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast to the Copperbelt region of Zambia, was instrumental in fostering one of the most sweeping development transitions in postcolonial Africa. Built during the height of the Cold War, the railway was intended to redirect the mineral wealth of the interior away from routes through South Africa and Rhodesia. Rebuffed by Western aid agencies, newly independent Tanzania and Zambia accepted help from China to construct what would become one of Africa's most vital transportation corridors. The book follows the railroad from design and construction to its daily use as a vital means for moving villagers and goods. It tells a story of how transnational interests contributed to environmental change, population movements, and the rise of local and regional enterprise.

Don't eat the oranges: they're laced with knockout drops. That's what Westerners hear, but there is far more to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) story than expatriate anxieties. Built from 1970 to 1975 with assistance from the People's Republic of China, TAZARA was a major international development project embodying Third World solidarity during the Cold War. Designed to end African nations' dependence on the southern African line of rail and provide a secure outlet for landlocked Zambia's copper exports, the railroad became crucial to the transport needs and livelihoods of Tanzanians along its route. Despite fears of foreign sabotage, political struggles concerning TAZARA mostly protested closing of local stations in the 1990s. Drawing on 20 years of research in Tanzania, Monson (history, Carleton College) details TAZARA's planning, construction, and economic impact, along with changing settlement patterns, land use, and vegetation cover. The book's main shortcoming, literally, is brevity; it is mostly about Tanzania, and broadened coverage of China and Zambia would be welcome. Still, depth ofl3B