Gold in the mines, dust in the streets: The story of Geita
Though Geita boasts the top position as producer of gold among rural districts in Tanzania, it has little to show for it. Photos/ File/Courtesy/TEA Graphic
A cloud of red dust welcomes you to Geita. It chokes the air and colours life throughout this mining community, which hosts Tanzania’s largest gold deposits. It cakes houses, plants, trees, eateries, and the general merchandise shops that line the town’s main streets and back roads.
For an area that tops all upcountry districts in Tanzania in revenue collection from mining, Geita, 1,050km north-west of Dar es Salaam, is a telling commentary on how natural resources have failed to profit communities where they have been discovered as well as the country at large.
