Tanzania’s First Chartered Architect

When the Managing Director of JD Media approached me to accompany him to interview the first Indian-Tanzanian Chartered Architect, Anthony Bosco Almeida, I went with great enthusiasm and anticipation. Almeida was born in 1922 in what was then Tanganyika. At 92 years old, he stills an active architect engineer and he contributed to and become part of the history of the country.

It took us about an hour to reach his home on Toure Drive, Osterbay, where he has lived since the early 1970s. After some confusion and liaising through phone calls we finally reach his home for an exclusive interview about the pros and cons of the booming construction industry in the country.

When we approached the house, my photographer and I agreed that the beautiful house was well designed, of course owned by a qualified architect. His library and garden are decorated in an old fashioned style with antique style doors and windows which creates a charming atmosphere aided by the flow of fresh air from Indian Ocean.

On our arrival he quickly started to grumble of the recent demolishment of a building along Samora Avenue which was built and designed by his father during the era of German colonial rule. Almeida obviously received his passion for architecture from his father who was also an architect and died in Dar es Salaam in 1943.

At first Almeida was reluctant to discuss his opinions on individual architects,

“It is unprofessional to talk or comment about whether the work done by another architect is good or bad; it is unprofessional.”

But under the promise that we would not misquote him he agreed.

Anthony Bosco Almeida is a Catholic Indian who was born in Tanzania (then Tanganyika). At the age of 10 he left Tanzania to study in India only returning to his native country after qualifying as an architect. Encouraged by his father, he originally planned to become a civil engineer, but a chance discovery of an architectural school led him on the path that shaped his life. 

He gained admission to the Sir J.J. School of Arts in Bombay which was at that time the only architectural school in India.

The school had a fierce reputation with some of the world’s best known architects as regular guest lecturers and a batch of exceptionally talented senior students. These people were the ones who inspired him and were his “gurus” who he looked up to during his time there. 

In 1948 he qualified for membership of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He reflected that during his studies he witnessed some very memorable events which shaped the country around him such as, India’s independence struggle with its non violent and civil disobedience movements, the partition and independence of India, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the 2^nd advent of “jive and the “jeep”.

Also during that time, his father who was his only surviving parent, died in Dar es Salaam. That left him questioning his choice of a career in architecture and whether he was committed enough to pursue it.

He muses that during those days the most prestigious qualifications within his community were those of doctor, engineer or lawyer, World War, the great fire of Bombay and the “Indeed these professions not only enhanced the status of the family but also enhanced the marriage prospects of the so qualified.”

It didn’t put him off and he quickly gained employment with Patki &Dadarkar-Architects in Bombay which helped him launch a successful career.

“Amongst my architectural involvements in Bombay was the designing of the then biggest covered ‘pandai’ ever constructed in India (32 feet high and 520 feet in diameter). The temporary structure was built to accommodate over 50,000 people for the first post-independence session of the All India Congress in Bombay.” 

He also designed a papier mache superstructure created to carry the ashes (in an urn) of the late Mahatma Gandhi, in the elaborate procession before the remains were scattered in the waters of the sea, off Bombay.

Almeida states that his return to Africa was partly due to necessity as properties left by his father needed to be managed. Understandably after many years in Bombay, there was a certain amount of reluctance to return to a land of which he only had childhood memories and where, by this time, he had no relatives.

He arrived in Dar es Salaam in October 1948 and upon arrival he realized that Dar-es-Salaam lived up to its name, the haven of peace. However, the city was lacking in his field with no qualified architectural practices in the city. He remembers that at this time he felt he did not have the experience, the capital or the courage to begin a practice of his own, so he decided to pursue other ventures. 

Almeida explained further that there were a few practices of structural engineers in the city. Under the difficult circumstances he accepted an offer of work with one such practice for the then princely sum of Tsh 1500.00 per month and a promise of partnership.

He remained with the engineering company for twelve months but by 1949 he was back to square one. At this point however, he had the sufficient local experience and some capital behind him to set up his own practice; in reality he had no other choice.

From 1950 to 1954 the bulk of the work he completed consisted of typical commercial and residential, storied town buildings. The demands of the time and the growing population meant architectural necessity was to utilize a building area as much as possible and create as many flats in a space as possible. 

The general lack of architectural awareness and the absence of government offers or government approved projects, proved frustrating and with few exceptions (private residences) his work of this period lacked the desired architectural inspiration and innovation he desired.

At last in early 1955 came the offer of a commission that was to change everything and remains the most important turning point of his practice. The commission came from the Goan community for a new primary school (600 pupils) which needed to be approved by the education department of the then colonial government.

After the completion of that project he started to receive government works such as Dar es Salaam Technical Institute Complex (1955), National Insurance Corporation (NIC), Central Library (1968), Harbours, Tabora Boys, The East African Community’s Regional Headquarters (1965) and the District Magistrates Courts (UWT Street) 1970.

Almeida has a reputation for being a hard worker and a disciplinarian. It is these attributes which have created the success of his career and earned him professional accolades such as the Central Library project selected for the International Architectural Exhibition in Mexico (1968) and the review of his works in “New Architecture in Africa” by Udo Kulterman.

Commenting on the recent tragedy of the collapsed building in the city, he said that it is work of the architect and therefore they must be accountable. 

Throughout his life in Dar es Salaam he has created strong relationships and made close friends with important figures such as Julius Nyerere, Oscar Kambona, Bhoke Munanka to mentioned a few. Although he is 92 years old, Almeida still going strong and continues doing his work at his home in Oyster Bay.