Africa's Freedom Railway: How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania by Jamie Monson

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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 show more 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. show less

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siriaeve 2,427 reviews

Lucid, clearly written account of the construction of TAZARA, the main railway in Tanzania, as a joint Tanzanian-Chinese-Zambian project in the 1970s. Monson examines not just the process of the construction, but its consequences for local development and its symbolism as a high-profile development effort undertaken by two developing countries. It's a little workaday, though, and probably not going to be picked up by someone who doesn't have a pre-existing interest in African history or in global development projects.

Jun 22, 2011

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