Message of Greeting of the German Ambassador to Tanzania on the occassion of the commemoration of the MajiMaji insurrection on 27 February 2006 in Songea
100 years ago this place witnessed one of the most cruel punishment operations of the German colonial troops against insurgents in the so-called “Maji Maji War’. The last victims of this operation against the Ngoni people and their chiefs were buried in mass graves here on 27 February 1906. Therefore the Organizing Committee of the Maji Maji Centenary has chosen this site as one of the places to commemorate this courageous uprising of the native population against the German colonial rulers.
As German ambassador to Tanzania I would like to extend to this solemn ceremony my sincere greetings. The brutal and inacceptable repression of this revolt will always remain one of the darkest chapters of the German colonial history.
The reasons for this war were manyfold, the structure and the process of this insurrection was complex. The German rulers were confronted - for the first time – with insurgents from different tribes united in their will to resist the inhuman German colonial system. However, there is no justification and no excuse for the brutal repression and the collective punishment used by the German forces. In the end even more people died of hunger than on the battle field. During the Maji Maji War a lot of critical voices, i.e. in liberal and left political circles, were raised in Germany at that time. They questioned the inhumanity and the necessity of having colonies as a civilized nation. However, the conservatives prevailed and the colonial system was maintained.
The collective identity of modern Germany is based on the assumption that a nation will only be able to create the future if she is aware of her past. In this sense the Maji Maji War will always remain part of the German collective memory as yet another example of inhumanity, which should never happen again. On the other hand, it will always be remembered as a positive example of the fight against inhumanity by the Tanzanian people.
I am grateful that within 100 years the relations between our two countries have developed so intensively in a positive direction. 100 years ago, nobody would have projected the friendship which prevails between our two countries today. Unfortunately we are not able to change the past. We cannot eradicate the bad things that happened. However, we can always keep the memory and continue our efforts at deepening our common friendship. In this regard I am glad to announce that the German Foreign Ministry has pledged 8.5 Million TSh for the renovation of the Maji Maji Memorial Museum in Songea.
