Asian communities in Tanzania : a journey through past and present times For centuries trade links have connected South Asia with the East Coast of Africa. This study analyses the major changes on the political economic and societal level in past and present Tanzania with their respective effects on Asians in this country. The empirical data are based on fieldwork in Dar es Salaam in 1995 including interviews with 70 Asians of various communities. Tanzanian Asians are a typical diaspora population according to the diaspora concept of Gabriel Sheffer. Most Asians are fairly optimistic about their future in Tanzania and are determined to stay in the country which is their home.