Dodoma
Aerial view of Central Dodoma
Dodoma
Coordinates: 6°10′23″S 35°44′31″E / 6.17306°S 35.74194°E / -6.17306; 35.74194
Country	Tanzania
Region	Dodoma
Government
• Mayor	Francis Mazanda
Area
• Land	2,576 km2 (995 sq mi)
Elevation	1,120 m (3,670 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	324,347
• Density	125.9/km2 (326/sq mi)

Dodoma (literally "It has sunk" in Gogo), officially Dodoma Urban District, population 324,347 (2002 census), is the national capital of Tanzania,^[1] and the capital of the Dodoma region. In 1973, plans were made to move the capital to Dodoma. Tanzania's National Assembly moved there in February 1996, but many government offices remain in the previous national capital, Dar es Salaam, which remains the commercial capital.

Geography[link]

Astronaut View of Dodoma

Located at 6°10′23″S 35°44′31″E / 6.17306°S 35.74194°E / -6.17306; 35.74194Coordinates: 6°10′23″S 35°44′31″E / 6.17306°S 35.74194°E / -6.17306; 35.74194, in the centre of the country, the town is 486 kilometres (302 mi) west of the former capital at Dar es Salaam and 441 kilometres (274 mi) south of Arusha, the headquarters of the East African Community. It covers an area of 2,669 square kilometres (1,031 sq mi) of which 625 square kilometres (241 sq mi) is urbanized. It is located near Ihumwa, another largely populated area.

Demographics[link]

Out of the total population, 157,469 people (48.5 percent) are male while 166,878 people (51.5 percent) are female. The estimated total number of households is 74,914 with an average household size of 4.3 people. The Roman Catholic Church reports that 19.2% of the population are Roman Catholics.^[2] Dodoma is populated by different ethnic groups because it is a government administrative centre, although the indigenous ethnic groups are the Gogo, Rangi, and Sandawe. There are also small Arab and Indian minorities.^{[citation needed]}

History[link]

During the German wars^{[citation needed]}, the town of Dodoma was founded at the same time as the construction of the Tanzanian central railway. American architect James Rossant developed a master plan for the new capital in 1986, sponsored by the United Nations.

Infrastructure[link]

A major highway connects Dodoma with the former capital of Dar es Salaam via the Morogoro region in the east. To the west, there are roads to Mwanza and Kigoma going through Tabora. The Great North Road links the city with Arusha to the north, via Kondoa. The city is also served by the Central railway line which connects it over a distance of 465 kilometres (289 mi) with Dar es Salaam in the east. The city's airport is managed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority; the size of planes is limited to small private aircraft. There are plans to build a new airport outside the city with increased runway length and weight-bearing capacity. Dodoma municipal authority is also responsible for the upkeep of the nearby Hombolo Dam.

Climate[link]

Dodoma features a semi-arid climate with relatively warm temperatures throughout the year. While average highs are somewhat consistent throughout the year. Average lows can dip to as low as 10 °C (50.0 °F) during the course of the year. Dodoma averages 570 mm of precipitation per year, the bulk of which occurs during its short wet season between December and March. The remainder of the year comprises the city’s dry season.

Education[link]

There are two universities in Dodoma: St Johns University of Tanzania, owned by the Anglican Church of Tanzania, and University of Dodoma, currently with 22,000 students. The latter is projected to have a total of 40,000 students in three to four years' time. Both universities officially opened in 2007.

Culture and sport[link]

The city is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by football clubs Polisi Dodoma and JKT Ruvu Stars.

Twin cities[link]

• Jaipur, India
• Bangui, Central African Republic
• Watsa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Dodoma Guide - Gateway to the Capital City of Tanzania
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodoma
• Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika
• Dodoma Tanzania Health Development
• St Johns University of Tanzania
• Institute of Rural Development Planning - Chuo cha mipango
• University of Dodoma
• DONET - Dodoma Environmental Network of Tanzania
• Pictures of Dodoma and its surroundings on Flickr

Harrison Mungai "Harry" Kimani (b. ca. 1982) is a Kenyan musician and composer.

Biography[link]

Kimani grew up with music, teaching himself to play the guitar by watching an older brother perform. He attended Kirangari High School in Nairobi, where he already showed a great interest in music; he sang, composed songs, participated in music festivals and, at one time, conducted the school choir. His first love in high school inspired him to compose a song called "African Woman," which was well received among his friends; they urged him to record the song.

In 1999, Kimani left school to look for a recording studio. Eventually, in 2000, he met producer Maurice Oyando of Next Level Productions; with Oyando's assistance, he recorded "African Woman," which was released as a single. The song began to receive air play on several radio stations in Nairobi. Encouraged by this early success, Kimani returned to the studio to record a complete album, tentatively titled African Woman. A second single, "Tuohere" (God Forgive Us), was released for radio play. Although the African Woman album was completed in 2001, it was not released due to lack of funds. Undaunted, Kimani returned to the studio to work on another album while his first one waited for release. He has since recorded and released two albums, Unborn and Tiushi Mi Nawe.

When the Festival Mundial officials visited Kenya in September 2002, they were impressed by Kimani's talents. He performed at the 2003 Sarakasi Festival in Nairobi and was part of a group of Kenyan artists invited to perform at the Festival Mundial in June 2003 in the Netherlands.

Harry Kimani was also featured in the award winning African hop-hop documentary Hip-hop Colony.

In 2009, Harry released his latest album, "the Quest".

Style[link]

Kimani's musical style has been described as "African soul and a little bit of rumba and R&B." He sings in three languages--English, Kikuyu and Swahili—and his lyrics address the issues of everyday life and society. His recent performances have included the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, North Sea Jazz Salutes Nairobi, and Bløf's Umoja Project launch in Amsterdam.

Discography[link]

• The Quest - 2009
• Tuishi Mi Nawe - Sawa Sawa Fair Trade Label 2006
• Unborn - 2005 (collaborative effort with Bamboo, Attitude, Mercy Myra and more)
• African Woman - 2001 (unreleased)

Awards[link]

Won:

• 2005 Kisima Music Awards for Best Music Video & Best Song

Nominated:

• 2005 Kora Awards - Most Promising Male Artiste ^[1]

References[link]

• Kimani's biography on Sarakasi.org

External links[link]

• Harry's MySpace page

Ramadhani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala (1947 – 13 December 2010) was a Tanzanian guitarist and singer. Ongala was born in Kindu near the Tanzanian border, in what was Belgian Congo at the time, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.^[1]

A rising musician since the late 1980s, Remmy Ongala was part of the soukous scene (a Congolese kind of Rumba), which in conjunction with his Orchestre Super Matimila he helped to transmute to the Tanzanian music often called Ubongo, the Swahili word for brain, in Tanzania, which in turn led to Tanzanian hip-hop particularly in the city of Dar es Salaam during the 1990s. Ubongo is usually perceived by artists and listeners alike as "conscious" music, one that actively contributes to Tanzanian soundscape with socio-political commentary. Believing in the abolishment of racism and social injustice, Ongala infuses his lyrics with these messages.^[2] His inspiring message has led him to be nicknamed "Dr Remmy". Following the end of British colonial rule in 1961, Julius Nyerere introduced the value of Ujamaa, or familyhood, which emphasized equality and justice. Such became a recurring theme in many Tanzanian artists' music, including Remmy Ongala.^[3]

He was reported to have died at his home on 13 December 2010 in Dar es Salaam.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Remmy Ongala's obituary on Real World Records
• Ntama Journal of African Music and Popular Culture