German East Africa Company - The Impact of German East African Company On Indigenous Peoples

The Impact of German East African Company On Indigenous Peoples

Nearly all of the indigenous people who were affected by the German East African Company inhabited what are now Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The local people who lived in these three countries were forced to do intensive labor such as constructing roads, railways, collecting cotton for export and many other things. They were not allowed to live according to their traditions. John D. Hargreaves explained in his book of Decolonization In Africa that “Europeans would bring scientific and technological expertise and mature political wisdom.” ethnic people did not acquire any benefits from German technology during German East Africa Company because Germans were exporting most of the products from colonized countries to Germany. The colonial authority disrupted the normal family lifestyle because men were contrived away from their home to work and as result women were obliged to take the men’s role in their society. In addition, the tribes were forced to practise Christianity and their traditional beliefs were disallowed. The German authorities came to their villages and baptized them and provided them with Christian names. The graves of people who died during the German East Africa were marked with two names, traditional names and Christian names (VisWiki, Maji Maji Rebellion). The native people determined to combat against German East Africa to overcome German oppression. Their struggle led to wars such as the Maji Maji war, the Abushiri Rebellion and the HeHe war. During these wars, many of the indigenous people fought against German gun machines and other sophisticated weapons with their spears and arrows.

Maji Maji was one of the serious wars that took place in East Africa, a genocide that was performed by the Germans in East Africa. During this war hundreds of thousands of native people were killed. The Maji Maji was known as the war of water, Since Maji in Swahili is water. The tribal chief named Kinijikitile Nywage influenced the local people to fight the war in which Germans had murdered many people. The chief told his followers to mix the millet seed powder into a river and then told them to soak themselves in a river. He convinced them the powder would turn the German bullets into water. Unfortunately, the result was tragic, causing the death of countless people.

The Abushiri and HeHe could maintain their force for some time against German East Africa. Abushiri received help from the Arabs to fight against the Germans because the area was already dominated by the Arab traders. Arab traders and local tribes who advocated for them did not like the German East African Company; but they could not win the war because German could crush them with their modern military power.

The HeHe war was also led by a tribal chief named Mkwawa, who could fight against the Germans. “Armed with Spears and few guns, the HeHe had a notable victory against a German column” HeHe was able to operate successful fighting against German East Africa. “The German commander Zelewski was one of the first killed along with 360 men of his command” In this conflict not only local people were killed but Germans died as well, and the Germans confronted many challenges before the HeHe were defeated. The HeHe armies fought until the last minute and HeHe ultimately killed himself when he knew that he lost the war.

Besides the war against native people, the German East Africa Company used the local tribes to fight for them after they controlled them. During World War I, there was a war between German and British forces in East Africa. Germany recruited local populations to fight for them. “These were divided between the British and the German chartered companies, which were beginning to occupy what are now Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda”. Many of the native people who did not like the German East African Company had no choice but to fight for Germany.