In Dar es Salaam, "mbongo" is the way to be.
An "mbongo" is a cool person, and using the slang term is the first step to becoming one.
The next step is to speak the lingo, often stealing from English. For instance, instead of saying you're "mzuri", you might say you're "fit". This kind of high-school level English sets you apart from your rural countrymen and marks you as a legitimate resident of Dar es Salaam.
I suppose English is one sign that you're worldly.
So I wonder: is the exclusively white-person sign in the above picture aiming for mbongo appeal?
At any given moment near that advertisement for thousand-dollar equipment, dozens of Tanzanians wait for sweaty, 25-cent seats in the public transit system. They may be mbongo, but I wouldn't think they're the type to spend on fancy electronics.
But when I finally took that picture, I noticed something in it that could change my perspective.
