"HANDS OFF TANGANYIKA"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

"HANDS OFF TANGANYIKA"

[ Mr. Steer, who has visited the I territory specially for The Daily j iTelegraph and Morning Post, London, describes the growth of s -Nazi, propaganda and also re- j fers to,the pro-British Tangan- I yika League, which, meeting at ! Bulawayo lately, decided unani- j motisly to oppose the return to 1 Germany of African mandated [ territory. I

TANGANYIKA to-day is the key of Africa. The Power that holds Tanganyika controls British Imperial communications by air, between north and south, at their narrowest point. If friendly with the other Power, namely Italy, whose large military and aerial concentrations dominate Eai|t Africa north of Kenya, the proprietor of Tanganyika has Kenya also "ait his mercy, and at the same time, might enable his friend to divert enough force effectively to threaten the Sudan. AJew Defence League These are the fears that lie behind the formation of the Tanganyika league in 'Tanganyika and Kenya. To the majority of the Union Cabinet the problem shows another face. While they would not like to see a great foreign Power established in a territory which is within bombing distance °f the Rarfd, and has between Lakes Tanganyika , and Nyasa, a 250-mile frontier with Northern Rhodesia, their basic iear is that if Tanganyika were transferred to Germany it would only be a -matter of years, perhaps of months, before South Africa, forced to yield Sputh-West, were herself absorbed into an alien trade and propaganda system. . For the Union Cabinet, therefore, the issue raised' by Germany's Colonial claims is not so much one of Imperial mtegrity as of practical independence. South Africa is freer to live her own hfe under the present system than Under its alternative, and she knows it. *,? le formation of the League, by Major Cavendish-Bentinck during the

By GEORGE L. Copyright Reserved)

early months of this year has been the most stirring political event in East Africa since the battle for the white highlands in the '2o's. Crowded meetings have been held all over both territories with the object of securing froni Britain's Prime Minister, in the words of most o'f the resolutions, " an early, open and irrevocable declaration that Tanganyika Territory for ever remains under the Britisli Flag." The organisers feel that they have gained a certain measure of success in Mr. Malcolm Mac Donald's recent statement, when the Colonial Secretary stated:

South African (of whom about 1600 were officials, with wives and children), nearly a thousand Greeks, and about 30,000 britisli Indians.

of the reckoning British officials and their families. The Germans of Tanganyika are not quite such a lively unit as their brothers in South-West Africa; perhaps a tropical climate does not lend itself so well to Nazi energy. They are, nevertheless, kept under discipline, by the A.0., the National - Socialist party's overseas organisation. Berlin's authority is assorted through the Usagara Trading Company. After Munich

pleasant, for ho " bumps off " all his friends, and, more discreetly, that the British are having difficulties in Palestine, which they want to divide into three parts.

In Kenya the corresponding figures are, roughly, 15,000 British and div pendable European supporters, and 40,000 British Indians. Clearlv these people, who can be reckoned as supporters of the Tanganyika League, do not represent a very large part of the population of the British Empire. But that is not the point of their organisation. They are by far the biggest part of the civilised and —one must add, because they emphasise it themselves —armed community in East Africa. In Kenya, as in old South Africa, there exists the tradition of the armed demonstration. The future is unpredictable, but I have little doubt that with the temper prevailing in East Africa to-day a settlement in Europe involving the transfer of Tanganyika would lead to resistance and to the shedding of British blood. Agents of the Nazis And the Germans of Tanganyika? After the post-war repatriations and until 1925 there were no Germans in the Territory except by special licence of the Governor, but in 1925 the discriminatory Ordinance lapsed and they began to stream back. Gradually, they recovered some of their old planations, already sold as ex-enemy property. Thus, of a total of 1870 square miles of farm arid plantation so disposed of, the German community had, in 1921), only 44 square miles (the British, 973). To-day, of about 3200 square miles alienated, 1300 are in British hands, and 700 in German hands. The German population, at 3132 in August of last year, is the biggest national European group in the country if ono leaves out

This is the first time that German printed propaganda is known to have been issued to natives. It is a dangerous innovation. So far as I know, the police have done nothing to stop it at the source. There are over 5,000,000 natives in Tanganyika. In the past 50 years they have seen three different regimes in power at Dar-es-Salaam and Bagamoyo.(Fifty years ago there was no part of East Africa more systematically raided for slaves; to-day there is none where native authorities and tribal institutions, whether despotic or.democratic, arc given more power and weight. They must be astonished by this revolution. They have . seen greater changes, in peace and devastating war, than any other people in the world outside the llussias.

The northern section, stretching between the sea at Tanga and the mounttain Kilimanjaro, at Moslii, is the most active. Here, the German community keeps itself more to itself than anywhere else in the country. Party cells are organised on the sisal and coffee estates, and the Fuclircrprinzip thrives.

I do not believe that there is to-day, any section of opinion in Britain which is disposed to hand over to any other country the caro of any of the territories or peoples for whose government we are responsible, either as a colonial or as a mandatory Power ... and that view, is shared by his Majesty's Government. Nervous Atmosphere But this, for them, is not enough. The continual postponement of the final, decision, which must one day be made, is beginning to wear upon their nerves. In Tanganyika itself business is almost at a standstill and investment is gun-shy; the infection is spreading to Kenya. There is a feeling abroad, not yet verging on desperation but clearly moving that way, that the Imperial Government must be persuaded to - say that it will stick, to Tanganyika, and say it soon. "Numerically, the League is not important, but its strength, like that of the best armies, is less to be gauged by its size than by its position. It represents the mass of> the British, the British Indian, the South African, and the Greek' communities. At the end of August, 1935, there were in Tanganyika 4240 British and British

After the Munich settlement the community, which during the crisis had kept quiet, became aggressive. Posters announcing a Tanganyika League meeting in Tanga were torn down, and Indian supporters of the League were menaced. A battalion of the King's African Rifles is going to be moved to Moslii, and two companies of the Dar-es-Salaani battalion are. to remain in Tanga. Before September last, the area was ungarrisoned.

In Tanga weekly Nazi meetings are held in the* German hotel, and extraordinary meetings whenever a German ship comes into port. A certain amount of .propaganda is done on the sisal estates, which employ a long labour list; propaganda generally is based on the . simple concept, easily believed by the native so long as the local Government do not deny it, that the Germans will re-enter Tanganyika at a given date in the near future.

Unsavoury Cases Recently also, there have been one or two unsavoury cases in which Germans have beaten up native labour, presumably on the assumption that this will soon be a legitimate practice. There is a certain amount of evidence that some estates have organised their labour on military lines, that there has been training with weapons, and that in case of trohble, there are parties prepared to sabotage the Pangnni Hydro-Electric Supply, which provides current to the district. Elsewhere the Germans are not known to be so active. At Mbeya, the German school is decorated with Hitler busts, swastikas, and maps of " Deutsche Ost Afrika." The Germans hold their club meetings throughout the territory, and at Dar-es-Salaam last September all Germans wore issued with a lapel badge portraying a German soldier in the field-grev uniform Recently, calendars in •Swaliili wf're distributed in the streets. These apparently harmless publications were issued on behalf of a German Protestant Missionary Society, for they extolled Protestantism generally, and Oliver Cromwell in particular. On their last two pages they have a line picture of the Fuehrer, with a short commentary on world affairs. Tho native, is informed that ,Herr Hitler, a big man, lias added considerably to tho sizo of Germany in l the past year; that Stalin's rulo is most un-

What Natives Think.

Let them speak for themselves. Every 18 days there is published in Dar-es-Salaain the ono independent native paper of the territory. It is called "Kwetu," which signifies "Home," and it is not run by missions or Government, but by an African. It is much liked by those natives who can read, and many of those who cannot spell it out have it read slowly to them. It is often highly critical of the British and the Administration, and some of the though probably few others, regard it as seditious. This is what "Kwetu" said about the Mandate and the past. I quote it because it shows the quiddities of the African mind, its preferences, and its doubts:

c TANGANYIKA To-da,v lot us say a • little about the way in which Tanganyika was ruled from old times until tho present. The Arabs were the first/ people to rulo the country, and they gave it • tho name of BandaliSalaam This regime concentrated its efforts on' trade and teaching people religion. The people were taught Arabic language, and the retpmo set up schools or domestic scholastic institutions for teaching people religion and other subjects. Tho kanzu, long cotton shirt, that mark of , civilisation, was brought in by the Arabs. To-day the chief garments of East and West Africa are tho kanzu and tho cloak that goes over it. The regime also taught tho inhabitants how to trado in men. They sold and bought Africans, who wore called Watumwa... Rule of Germans Then came the rule of the Germans., They also taught religion and other things, and many schools were built by them. The natives at first did not like their children to be taught in a European fashion. The Government made great efforts to hustle parents into sending their children to school, but tho parents did not understand what use it all was, and only used to send slave children Later, however, they sent their frceborn sons and daughters. Slaves at that time were called Watwana and Wajakazi. Many people got to know th* German languago, nnd several men ant women went to Germany. The German Government showed a special preference for tho, people who used to work for them, namely, houseboys. clerk* and Askaris. They were not fond of listening to any other of their subjects at all. Whatever a boy or clerk or Askari said the Government believed him. although what ho said was a lie. If a nian was condemned to imprisonment ho had to bo given 60 strokes, 25 whoa lie wont into goal, and 25 when ho

Public Feeling in East Africa Germany s Claims for Return of Former Colonies

ANY EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT INVOLVING TRANSFER WOULD LEAD TO BLOODSHED

came out, or the whole 50 at once. Prisoners were not given clothes. If their clothes wero worn out they were Kiven a sack They were chained night and day by the neck, and could not shave. Under the German regime slavery still went on, for although there were no slave markets, the natives and others "had domestic slaves.

Tribute to Britain

In 1014 tho nations quarrelled, and the Germans fought with the English. Before the war the Germans were very fond of calling the English " women." On November 11, 1018. the war finished in German East Africa, and now Tanganyika came under tho rule of the English, by authority of tho League of Nations. During the war tho common thing to hear the inhabitants saying was that they should let tho English take the country and then they could use the £. This petition was acceded to by the King, and we now use the ii (which contains '2O shillings). • So Tanganyika has been ruled by three regimes, and there arc people who have been brought up by Arabic education, by German education, and finally, by English education. There is a great difference between these types* of education," and it is difficult to combine them in a way which makes for success. Since the came to rule the country, there have been many schools opened for the inhabitants, and to-day practically all the joung men have been brough up with an English education. For Tanganyika, Kenya, Zanzibar and Uganda, we have ono college at ilakerere,' and, in fact, these four countries can combine in nil matters. Whenever a subject makes, a statement to the Government he is listened to. Hero in Tanganyika associations and so on, have been started which did not exist under the previous regime. The English regime has made efforts to get its subjects freedom, security, justice, happiness and dignity, and to confirm and establish thecountry. Because of this, the British have

had 11 greater success than any other nation in the world.

Germany entered a Tanganyika halfeaten by the Arab slave-raiders. She suppressed slave-raids, but totally disregarded tribal laws and affinities. This led her into two costly wars —one with the Wahehe in the 'nineties, the second, the so-called Maji-Maji Rebellion, a concerted inter-tribal movement against the European, which was only suppressed at the cost of 120,000 native lives. 1 ' : ;; t;

If it is possible for Tanganyika to be ruled over by another Power, it will be as if a man has been stripped of his clothes and bidden to go vralk in nakedness.

In other words, wliat the natives did not like about the German rule, besides its severity, was that it destroyed the local authorities and disregarded the local customs of the tribe, and in their place set up a tyranny. of "house-boys, clerks and Askaris." v A New Dignity Secondly, the modern native, particularly the native of the coast ports and the inland cdnceiitrations'of population, has been weaned away from the slave mentality of 40 years back, which accepted flogging quite passively; he thinks now in terms of " diguity." The first of tliese criticisms finds an echo. not only in the coast ports, but wherever tribal authority- has-been restored by Sir. Donald . Cameron's reforms. Last year if; was most powers fully expressed in appeals'. to the Government by prominent chiefs. They have been . worried .by the-story that' Tanganyika is going. back to Germany, and they have, sought, reassurances.

Great powers were left in the hands of native subordinates, whose non-tribal organisation the Germans borrowed from that used by the Arabs before them.

On top of this revolutiojn came the Great War. Alone of all African countries, Tanganyika suffered for the whole four years of its duration in Europe, for licttow-Yorbeck did not surrender until after the signature of the Armistice. The loss of life among native Askaris* was great, but the losses among the native Porter Corps were immeasurably greater. This, next to 'the fear that their customary - institutions may be upset again, is the fear that most affects! the African; will the division of power in East Africa once more between British and German lead to another war, and still more terrible loss ? ' Belief in One Master The first years after the Great War were simply years of economic and administrative restoration. It was with the arrival, in 1925, of Sir Donald Cameron, trained to indirect rule in Nigeria, that policy struck out on a new line. A real effort was made to get the African to rule himself according to his own lights. As in all reforms, there have been failures. But the sum total of what was once an experiment, and is now a living system, is that Tanganyika, before the present crisis, was a thriving and contented country, in spite of the permanent uncertainty of her status as a mandated former German colony. The great niass_ of natives want Britain to remain in Tanganyika and Germany to be kept out. They do not want to be bossed, and they like sterling. Somehow or other, they think, they will be cheated with marks; perhaps they will be forced to buy German goods at high prices, whereas now they can buy goods from anywhere at the cheapest. • - . - Most of all, they dread the prospect of war, which a division of power might mean in Africa. One master is better than two. To-day Uganda, Kenya, Zanzibar, and Tanganyika are under the same Government, and .tliey . '' can combine in all matters," whiiti the natives think is not a bad tiling.