THE PROMISED LAND

A large train carriage, painted a faded blue and white, rolls loudly into the station in Tanzania’s financial capital Dar es Salaam, several hours late. Passengers clamber to enter the train compartments, pushing their luggage through the narrow aisles and taking their places on the cracked red leather seats.

One of the passengers is Mwombeki Fabian, who lives in Dar es Salaam. He is travelling to Mbeya in the south of Tanzania, which will take him around 24 hours, provided there are no unexpected delays. ‘The train goes through some beautiful landscapes,’ says Fabian. ‘Every stop has a unique feel. Some stations are old, some are new – so you are seeing parts of Tanzania’s history through the journey.

‘When the train stops, women come to sell fruits and drinks, and kids come to greet us. The kind of commodities change as you travel too. In Morogoro, you often get rice and dried fish. You are given