To what extent the policies established by Governor Albrecht von Rechenberg could be associated or disassociated with Maji Maji war

 

The German came in Tanganyika during the 19th century due to the development of monopoly capitalism in Europe is when explorer Carl Peters the German signed treaties in part of East Africa. The Germans used both direct and indirect rule. At the coast used direct rule and at the interior used indirect rule, divided Tanganyika into provinces and 22 districts. Administration system organized through governor, provincial administration and district officers. German used harsh rule in Tanganyika. Germans used chiefs to rule the people in organized kingdom, Arabs and Swahili used as agents to rule known as Akidas. Swahili was used as a language of administration .They introduced cash crops such as coffee, sisal, cotton and peanuts. Also the German introduced plantations in southern parts of Tanganyika that used forced labor to produce hence led to the widespread of Maji Maji war.

The Maji Maji war was a serious revolt against Germany rule broke out in July 1905 to 1907. The Maji Maji uprising was unique in the way it united a number of different tribes, in southern Tanganyika (Tanzania), within a matter of weeks it spread from the Rufiji area to Uluguru, Mahenge and Lukuledi and the Kilombero valleys, it thus brought together the Ngido, Mbugu, Pogoro and Ngoni people. What bounded them together was the belief in the power of traditional religion. A prophet named Kinjekitile Ngwale living at Ngarambe declared that by sprinkling people with water he could give them complete protection against the bullets of German guns and enable them to drive the Germans out of their country, thus because of the use of water, the war was named Maji Maji war and the water which was used came from the river Rufiji .

The German invasion in East Africa structured their administration as follows:

1885-1888 Carl Peters administration, 1888-1891 Hermann von Wissmann, 1891-1893  Reichskommissar Julius von Soden, 1893-1895 Friedrich Radbod von Schele, 1895-1896 Hermann von Wissmann, 1896-1901 Eduard von Liebert, 1901-1906 Gustav Adolf Graf von Goetzen, 1906-1912 Georg Albrecht von Rechenberg, 1912-1918 Albert Heinrich Schnee.

The main causes to why Maji Maji war emerged in those particular areas in southern parts of Tanganyika, present day Tanzania were, the imposition of taxation and brutal methods of collection; the replacement of indigenous leaders by akidas; and the introduction of large-scale African cotton-growing in 1902 by German governor Gotzen. These cotton plots were opened around normal African home environment under the supervision of local rulers (headmen). In these cotton plots each headman’s members of the community had to work for the fixed number of days, some time they had to work for about 28 days out of three months.

Following the introduced harsh and brutal treatment of people in Tanganyika by German governor Goetzen, Maji Maji uprising arose in southern Tanganyika where massive destruction experienced by both Africans and Germans. In order to reduce and avoid the emergence of the same situation the new German governor Albrecht von Rechernberg made wonderful reforms in German East African policies as follows:

Albrecht von Rechernberg made taxation reforms to ensure the success of his nativist policy. Albrecht von Rechernberg protected Africa from reacting against the colonial government, by making natives not suffering from the former introduced taxation and methods of collection by governor Goetzen. Governor Goetzen introduced harsh methods of collecting taxes from native southern people in Tanganyika, the situation which made Africans to wage the stiff reaction referred to as Maji Maji war. From then the new governor known by the name Rechernberg decided to neutralize by reducing taxation payment from local African.

Rechernberg ended compulsory village cultivation of cotton, during the period of governor Goetzen village cotton production was made compulsory and tradition hunting was prohibited by the administration whereby they forced the natives to work in their plantation. So governor Rechernberg did all these in order to avoid the occurrence of another uprising apart from Maji Maji uprising in the German’s colonies. For example he prohibited corporal punishment and reformed local government whereby the natives’ interests were considered.

Reformed local government to include native’s interests. The situation in German’s colonies especially in Africa and East Africa in particular were very worse during the leadership of governor Gotzen who treated African majority harshly. For example his policy encouraged exploitation of African resources and laborer through both purchasing African lands and human resources. His policy contributed into the occurrence of Maji Maji uprising but after governor Rechernberg took into control by 1906 he made some changes through his policy called nativist policy, and among of them were to reform local government to include native interests . Through this, governor Rechernberg formed government system which allowed the participation of local leaders such as kings in order to prohibit the reoccurrence of another uprising. 

Labour policies were another issue arose when Rechenberg came as governor in East Africa, under these Rechengerg influenced and encouraged peaceful relation between African and Europeans, he ensured Africans’ rights relating to the employment with Europeans and planters. The ordinance stipulated that African could only be employed under the legal contract registered with a labour commissioner that the maximum employment period would be limited to seven months, and provision of food allowances, even if the employee was absent from the work, medical care, free housing or transport obligatory. Also Rechenberg introduced disciplinary measures on African and Europeans when contract was breeched by Africans rather than give them corporal punishment that were done against Africans who failed to provide labour in cotton plots during the Gotzen period but under Rechenberg when punishment was used by Europeans were prosecuted in court with certainty of a lemient treatment. 

Rechenberg prohibited whites from purchasing native lands. Before the introduction of this policy, (1906-1912) by Georg Albrecht von Rechenberg Tanganyika had already dominated by number of governors and the successor of Albrecht was Gustav Adolf Graf Von Goetzen who ruled over Tanganyika between 1901 and 1906. Before 1906 there was a policy which was encouraging white settlers in Tanganyika. This policy influenced them to come in the country in large extent since they were favored by their governors. The white men had a legal rights to buy Africans’ land as they were able to purchase. These portions of land were used by settlers to establish settlers’ farms as well as for settlement. This resulted into shortage of Africans’ land. The white’s interests were on fertile and conducive land which had large opportunities to them to maximize profit. Soon after the coming of Albrecht Von Rechenberg, he prohibited German settlers from buying African land since was exploitation of Africans. He decided to prohibit whites from purchasing African land in order to end the Maji Maji war which happened just because of German exploitative policies employed by Gustav Von Goetzen which had accounted as one among the causes of MajiMaji uprising. This enabled Africans to own fertile land contrary to the previous time something that reduced this resistance. Therefore, Rechenberg contributed much to prevent the continuation of Maji Maji uprising in one way or another. 

Again he introduced the policy in East Africa which geared to incur minimal expenses and safeguard the peace in order to divert attention on Eastern Europe. His diplomatic background is again evident in his assessment of the Maji Maji revolt as he said, “From what I have seen so far, I have not the slightest doubt that the recent rising was due to economic causes, and this accords with experience gained in other lands” from there people started to live their normal life although there was no full freedom as it was early. This situation reduce the possibility of the reoccurrence of another war since to some extent some problems were solved.

In 1907 Dr. Bernard Dernburg became the first colonial master and he achieved to end corporal punishment and forced labor. He appointed the reforming governor Albrecht von Rechenberg (1906-1912) who also care about Africans and promoted health and education, for stance in 1911Catholics and Protestant were each educating about 30,000students in primary schools and 2500 were in senior or trade schools. Rechenburg influence firsthand experience and violent disagreement, he realized that sometimes Maji Maji uprising had arisen due to corporal punishment and torture of Africans by European who punish them so as to work for their benefits, in order to avoid further upraising Rechenberg developed the policies which favored and protect indigenous peasant society.

Although the Germany Governor Albrecht Rechenberg tried to make those efforts so as to make the Africans to be benefited from their wealth’s but Africans remained under the control of colonialists especially after the First World War which spearheaded East African countries to be under the British control. Later on Maji Maji played the great role for the African Nationalists who organized their fellow Africans during the struggle for African independence by imitating some of the methods used during Maji Maji war.

REFERENCES

Frank Lahmann: The Influence of colonial office and Reichstag in German East Africa and South West Africa and South west Africa After 1907, Namibiana Buchdept files(2004)

James, S. (2008). The History of Africa up to 21th Century, Dar es Salaam: The General Publishing Houses Ltd  

John Iliffe, The Organization of the Maji maji Rebellion, The Journal of African History, vol. 8, No. 3, 1967.

Maxon Robert M.” East Africa an Introductory History”, (Morgan: West Virginia University Press, 1986)

Odhiambo, E. S. et. al (1977).A History of East Africa, England: Longman Group UK Ltd.

Stearns, P. N (2008).The Modern Word; Imperialism: The Germany colony, Oxford University Press.

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