The Chant of Savant

Wednesday 5 January 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR ESTEEMED READERS.

The  new  year  2022; which, as is customary for  my  family, found us  inside our Nansio  Parish   Catholic  Church, celebrating Holy  Mass along  with  many other worshippers; in grateful thanksgiving to the Almighty  God for  all he  had  done  for  us during  the whole of the  year   that was  coming  to  its  end  in the  middle of  that night,  to  be  followed  by a grand display  of  glittering fireworks, which I had carefully  arranged.                                
     Thus, at the  stroke of midnight,  the  large   audience,  which by  now included many  other   people who  had  gathered  outside  the Church,  waiting  to witness  this   rare  fireworks  event, were all treated to this grand   display, which    brightened  the skies  of  the  Paris  Church,  and  far  beyond.   It   was  highly  appreciated   by   all  those   who  witnessed  it;  and   has  now    become  the   ‘story  of  the  year’  here in Ukerewe.
My   ‘new   year  resolution’.
Previously,  on  28th  December  2021,  I  had   received  what I will refer to as ‘my   new  year  gift’, in the form  of  a very encouraging  message  from  one of my absolutely dedicated  readers,  which  read as  follows:- “Hongera  kwa  kuwa  mwandishi  mzuri,  na mfano kwa  Vijana. Mimi  ni  msomaji  makini wa  makala zako,    zinazochaishwa katika kile kipengele cha  Current  Affairs, katika  gazeti la Daily News. Kwa hakika,  zinanifundisha na kunipatia maarifa mengi. Mimi   mwenyewe  naamini  kwamba ili niwe  kiongozi  mzuri  na  mzalendo, ni lazima  nijifunze  kutoka  kwa  watu  kama  wewe, mliolitumikia  Taifa  letu  kwa  weledi na kutoa  mchango  mkubwa, hadi  kufikia hapa tulipo leo. Nakutakia sikukuu  njema ya mwaka mpya, na Baraka  tele za Mwenyezi  Mungu  kwa familia yako”. 
     This kind  message greatly  encouraged  me;  and  actually confirmed my resolve to continue  writing  these weekly articles during  the  coming  year. So help me God.  
The  golden  Jubilee  of  independence.  
Lest we forget, I should  remind our  readers, of  the fact that we celebrated our golden jubilee of  independence in December  of  the  year  that  has  just  ended. It was, therefore,  a historically  significant year for our great nation, in respect  of  which,  the following humorous cartoon  appeared in  one  of  the  leading   Kiswahili newspapers: “Taifa  letu   ndiyo kwanza limefikia  miaka  60.   Je, hawa wazee wetu wa  miaka  61 na kuendelea,   wametoka   wapi” ?                                       
         I  happen to be one of  these “culprits”  who,  according to that cartoon, must explain our origins! And,  yes  indeed, it is true that people like me,  and    all  those  who were born before  the  country’s  independence,  have  a  duty  to  tell  the  story  of  where   we  came  from,  or   the  history  of  our  country  before  independence;  which  I  will  attempt to do in the paragraphs  that  follow  below.
 The pre-independence ‘sad’ story of colonial  domination.
The  country  that celebrated its 60 years   golden  60- years jubilee last  December, originates from a “colonial  territory”,  previously known as “Tanganyika  Trust  Territory”. The  story starts  from November 15th,  1884;  when the  notorious  Berlin  Conference of European  Powers  started   in  Berlin,  the then government capital  of  Germany; whose  agenda  was to  discuss the   partitioning  Africa among  themselves;  which     gave the territory  of  Tanganyika to the Germans, who quickly came to the country  and  established  their first settlement at Bagamoyo where, on  February 27th 1885, the Germans formally  declared  that  Tanganyika was their  colony,  and    hoisted  their colonial flag in Tanganyika  for  the  first  time; and  established their  government  headquarters. It  is  from  there  that they made   rapid   inroads  into other parts of  the country,  an  operation  which  was managed by one  Karl  Peters, who  tricked many  native rulers   into  signing  false ‘ Agreements of “friendship” with  the  Germans.
        The  German  colonizers  are  reported  to  have  been   very  cruel  to  the  natives   in  the  management  of  their     administration.  Hence,  in  many  cases,    they   met  with  stiff  resistance  from  the  native  rulers, specifically  from  the   Wanyamwezi  of  Tabora;  where  the  gallant   Chief  Isike  Mkasiwa  committed  suicide,   rather  than  surrender  to  the  Germans; and from  the  Wahehe  of  Iringa; who bravely fought   the  “maji   maji”  war  against  the  Germans,   and,   eventually on  June 19th, 1897,  Chief   Sigonyangili  Mkwawa  of  the   Wahehe  committed  suicide,  rather  than  surrender  to  the  Germans.  
   Brutal hangings performed in public.
This  was  another  brutality, which  was  committed  by the German colonial  rulers  in  Tanganyika  Territory. For example, in February 1906, the Wangoni tribal  leaders were hanged  at  Songea by the Germans, for the crime of their  participation in the  Maji maji war. Members of  the  public were forced  to witness these cruel  acts. 
But  prior  to  that  on  March 2nd, 1900;  nine  tribal  leaders  of  the Wachaga in Kilimanjaro were  also  publicly hanged at Moshi. The victims  included Mangi Mollelia  of  Kibosho, Mangi Ngalami  and  Meli  of  Moshi; who were  accused  of  conspiring “ to  frustrate the German  rule” in  Kilimanjaro.
The  German  rulers  positive  side.
But there is also a positive  aspect  of  German   colonial  rule  in Tanganyika  which  must  be  acknowledged;  which  is  the  construction  of  railway  lines:  (a)  from Dar es Salaam – Tanga -  Moshi; which  was  inaugurated in 1911 when   the    charcoal-powered steam  locomotive coughed  its  maiden  journey  from Dar es  Salaam, amidst  glaring  publicity attended  not only by the  local  people, but also by  invited guests  from
the  colonial  Authorities  in  Europe; and  (b)  the  Central  railway line from   Dar es  Salaam  to  Tabora and Kigoma, which was completed in  1914.                                                   
The  termination of German colonial rule: the   first  world  war.
This war lasted from 
1914 until  1918. Germany’s initial successes led to the occupation of nearly the whole of Europe by the German forces, under Hitler’s leadership. Although the war was fought mainly in Europe, but the Germans were also fought in their various colonies; Including Tanganyika, where, on August 29th, 1915;  the  British  forces attacked and captured the  German fort at Iringa.  And elsewhere in  Tanganyika, bloody battles took  place in October 1917,  between the British and  the German forces  at  Mahiwa,  Lindi.                                                                    And on September 1918,  the German forces  entered Songea from  Mozambique, in a vain  bid  to salvage what had remained of the ‘German  empire’ in colonial Tanganyika. But the war  eventually ended on November 11th, 1918; with  the defeat and surrender of the German forces to  the  Allied forces in Europe. 
        And  that  was  when,  as  a  severe  punishment  to  the  defeated  Germany,  all  its  colonies were  taken  away,  and  redistributed  among the winning  European  countries  by  the  League  of  European Nations.  They  were    to  be  administered  not  as  colonies,  but  as  ‘mandated  territorie’ under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  League  of  Nations. 
     Under this  arrangement, Tanganyika Territory was handed over to the  British; who quickly  established  their  Administration of  the  country  by  appointing the first  British colonial  Governor  to  Tanganyika,  H.A  Byatt,  on 22nd  July, 1920..
British Administration in  Tanganyika,1920 - 1961.
The  fact that Tanganyika was a “mandated  Territory” administered  by the  British under  the  supervision  of  the League of Nations  (which  later  became known  as  the United  Nations  Organization  (UNO),  apparently had a  major  influence  on  nature  of  the  development  policies  which  were  adopted  by  the British  Administering  Authorities.       
        For  example,  they  did  not  acquire   large  areas  of  fertile  from the  natives  land   and  turned  it  into  exclusive  restricted   European   settlements;  as  happened  in  neighbouring    Kenya   in  relation  to  the  “white  Highlands”  which  were   forcibly   taken  from  the  Kikuyu  natives.                                                                               Generally,  the British Administration in  Tanganyika  seemed   to   have   adopted peripheral  interest  in  matters  of  the  country’s   social  and   economic  development.  
The establishment of a Legislature for  Tanganyika.
 On  19th  March,  1926,  the  British  Parliament   passed  a  law    for  the  establishment  of   a  Legislative  Council  (LEGCO) in Tanganyika.  The  Legislative  Council subsequently held  its  first  session on 7th  December,  1926; with all its  members nominated by  the Governor.
        The first African members to enter   that  Legislative Council, were nominated in 1945,  when,  on November 24th, 1945, the Governor nominated Chief Abdieli Shangali, and Chief Kidaha  Makwaia,  to be members  thereof.   
        And  later,  on  May  12th,  1954;  Mwalimu  Nyerere  was  also  nominated  to  be  a  member  of  this  Legislative  Council,    but  he  resigned  only  six  months  later,  on  the  principle   that    he  had  realized  that   his  membership  was   not  helping   to  promote   the  people’s  aspirations,   as  he  had  hoped    and  expected   when  he  accepted  that  nomination. “ kila  nilichokipendekeza,  kimekuwa kinakataliwa”  lamented   Mwalimu  Nyerere.  “Kwa  hiyo  najisikia  kuwa   ninawadanganya  Watanganyika  kama  nitaendelea  kuwa  mjumbe  wa  Baraza  hilo,  nikifurahia  posho  zake,  na  hivyo  kutoa  muonnekano  wa  udannganyifu,   kwamba  kuna  kazi  ya  maana  ninayoifanya  huko;                         wakati  kumbe  sina  manufaa  yoyote  yenye  kuleta  faida  kwa  nchi  yangu!”  he   said.
Mwalimu   Nyerere’s  trips  to  the  United   Nation’s  Trusteeship   Council.
  The   establishment of  the Tanganyika  African  National  Union (TANU) on  7th  July,  1954;  was  the  beginning of the  political  struggle  for  the  country’s  independence   from  colonial  rule. At  TANU’s    inaugural  meeting   on  7th  July,  1954;   Mwalimu  Nyerere   was    elected    President  of   that  party;    and   On  March  7th,  1955;    Mwalimu   Nyerere  addressed  the  United  Nation’s  Trusteeship  Council  in   New  York,  where  he  made  a  moving  plea  for  Tanganyika’s  early  independence .            
        His  seemingly  successful   political  activities   alarmed  the  Administration  Authorities,  who  then  conspired  with  his  Missionary  employers  at  St  Francis   College   Pugu,  who  gave  him  the  difficult  choice  of  either  giving  up   his  political  activities  and  just  concentrate  on  his  teaching  job ;   or   resign  from   this    lucrative  teaching   and  concentrate  on  the   risky  career   of  politics.                                 After  serious  contemplation  and  deep  meditation,   Mwalimu   Nyerere,  in  a  moving  resignation  letter  addressed  to  the  School   Headmaster  written  on  22nd  March,  1955;   Mwalimu    Nyerere    chose  to  sacrifice    his   lucrative   teaching  job  at  that  School,  in  order  to  offer  his  full  time  services  to the struggle  for  the  country’s  liberation  and shame of  being  governed   by  foreigners. “I am sad about the  adverse economic consequences of this decision to my young family,  but  principles are principles. I must  quit”  said  Mwalimu  Nyerere in his resignation  letter.                            
    And he  later again went to New  York,    to  address the United Nation’s  Trusteeship  Council  for the second time , on  20th  December,  1956;  when he stressed  Tanganyika’s continued quest  for  early  independence.    
The  indictment  of  Mwalimu  Nyerere.
On  July  9th,  1958,  Mwalimu  Nyerere  appeared  in court  in  Dare  Salaam,  to answer alleged   ‘libei    charges’ against two colonial  District  Commissioners,  of Musoma  and Geita  respectively.  At  the  end  of  the  trial  on  August  12th,  1958,  he    was  found  “guilty”,  and  sentenced to paying a  fine of Tshs  3000;   or  six months  imprisonment  in  default. Nyerere  paid  the  fine,    and  thus  escaped   being  a  “prison  graduate”. 
Tanganyika’s   first  general  election.
 Tanganyika  held  two separate general elections; in  September 1958,  and again in  September  1960;  in both of which,  TANU won all  the   Legislative Council seats that had been  established. The 1960 general election is what  ushered  in  Tanganyika’s  independence on 9th  December, 1961; thanks to the personal sacrifices  made by our  principled  leader, the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. 
        That then is the authentic story that answers  the  question  that  was  posed in the humorous  cartoon referred to  above,  namely “Taifa letu  ndiyo kwanza limefikia miaka  60;  je,  hao wazee wetu wa miaka 61 na kuendelea, walitoka wapi? Basi huko  ndiko wazee wenu tulikotoka! “Kuishi kwingi, kuona mengi” ( Kiswahli  proverb).
piomsekwa@gmail.com /0754767576.
Source: Daily News tomorrow.


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