The Rise of Maji-Maji

The cause of the uprising was the growing repressive measures and stricter laws of the colonial authorities, which increased the production of cotton in the southern regions of the colony. All this happened to the detriment of the interests of the local African and Indian population and the small sultanate that existed in the region. Repressive laws, such as a garbage tax or a ban on hunting, increased the discontent of the population and eventually resulted in an armed uprising.

The uprising began on July 20, 1905, three rebels: two men from the Mvuri and Opunda tribes, and a woman from the Opunda tribe. They destroyed cotton plantations near the villages of Kipatumu and Nadette, in the territory of the Matumbi tribe in the continental sector of the port city of Kilwa . A little later, other various tribes and nationalities joined the uprising.

An important role in the history of the rebellion was played by a man named Kinigiktil, a native of the Matumbi tribe, who since the incident in June-July 1904 was recognized by people as a prophet, and founded the cult of Madji-Madji (“Madji” in Swahili means “water” ).

The native population believed that it could defend itself with the help of Magi-Maggi magic, which would turn the weapons of the German colonialists into water.

Yet most of the victims of the uprising did not die from German weapons, but from starvation, since the German colonial troops in 1907 burned down all the villages, fields and forests. By the end of the rebellion, virtually the entire local population was exterminated.

Some rebel groups continued the guerrilla war until, in July 1908, they were arrested and executed.

In Tanzania, the Maji-Maji uprising is considered a very important milestone in national history. Julius Nyerere - the first president of the united Tanzania - called the rebels the pioneers of the movement for the national unification of the country, which in 1964 was marked by the creation of a single independent state.