Countess Marianne von Zastrow and her husband moved to America from Tanzania after their large coffee farm was nationalized by the government in 1973 and all foreigners were forced from the country. While living in New York City, she was a sought-after designer and decorative artist. Her work was featured in a 1992 issue of Architectural Digest where a client recalls "A countess in overalls came with her little paintbox and a sponge, and she applied gold dust like eye makeup to the walls." Following the death of her husband, Countess von Zastrow returned to Tanzania and served on board of The Msingi Foundation, which built and administers the Agricultural Secondary School in the village of Mtakuja, near Moshi, Tanzania, East Africa.