Tanga
German Imperial Rule
The Indians had remained in the town, an indication that, from the outset, there was no prospect of a serious battle for Tanga, and that the peace party had the upper hand there. [1]
In 1902, German record establish that Tanga had 869 houses, of which 78 were stone houses with about 8,000 inhabitants.
The following have been recorded in The German Colonial Handbook 1908 as living in Tanga or the nearby Pangani during German times i.e between 1890 and 1916. Family members or other former residents of Tanga may want to help us add to this information by sending us details which we can upload. Please click on the names to read their story.
An excellent account of the ill-fated British Campaign to invade German East Africa via Tanga, during the Great European War 1914-1918, which cost lives of of thousands of Indian and other colonial soldiers and millions in losses for Indian (mainly Khojas) merchants is on this website: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/the-hungry-war-german-east-africa-in-world-war-i/
BRITISH RULE
TANGA KHOJA ISMAILIS -Late 1800s and the 20th Century-A brief survey of the community.
By Zahir K. Dhalla, August 2015 (Zahir K. Dhalla is a Toronto author and freelance writer. His book: "Poetry: The Magic of Few Words. Definition & Some Genres. With background appendix on East Africa." is available through Amazon.com)
Introduction
About? This write-up is about a community, the Khoja Ismailis, in an important coastal town, Tanga, in north-eastern Tanzania.
Tanga means “sail” in Swahili (as in a boat sail) being a nod to safe sailing in Tanga Bay and its sandbar/archipelago-protected coastal waters. It is located only 5⁰ south of the Equator, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, being the second-most important ocean port in the country after the commercial capital. Physically it is flat land, 115 feet above sea level. The Sigi and the Mkulumuzi rivers from the East Usambara Mountain drainage flow into Tanga Bay. It has one of the highest rainfalls in the country. While it gets very hot in Tanga town and the surrounding plains, it is cool / cold / frosty in the Usambara Mountains. Just about any tropical produce can be grown in the region, plus cash crops like sisal fibre (for making ropes, twines) and tea – with sisal being the mainstay and East Africa producing half the world’s total sisal production, the majority of it from Tanga region. The population is made up primarily of the Digo and the Sambaa tribes, with many Zigua and Bondei, plus a smattering of Asians and Europeans. At independence (1961) there were almost 50,000 residents, second largest population in the country, whereas when Khoja Ismailis first began settling there near the end of the 1800s there would have been only about 5,000 people. Today (2015) there are about 300,000 people!
Khoja Ismaili population size: The first permanent jamat khana (congregation place) opened in 1929 having a prayer chamber of about 1,000 square feet. About 150 people could sit in that space. But the decade of the 1930s saw a huge growth spurt and at the end of the decade a bigger prayer chamber was built connected to the original, with a little more than double the square footage. Almost 500 people could be seated and perhaps another 100-150 in the corridors and in the courtyard below. Again within a decade and a half more space was needed and this time a grand jamat khana was built in the Aga Khan property in Usagara with almost double the seating capacity. The Tanga Khoja Ismaili population peaked at 1,100 (including those in towns of the region) in early 1960s. [The total Khoja Ismaili population of East Africa peaked at about 50,000.]
The Tanga jamat khana sitting capacity can be tabulated as follows:
1929: 150-200 – 1st permanent JK, mukhi Alibhai Karmali, kamadia Bhimji Nathoo
1940: 700-750 – 2nd permanent JK, mukhi Gulamali Merali Jiwa, kamadia Hussein Dharamsi
1962: 1,200 – Grand JK, mukhi Mohamedali Shivji, kamadia Abdulsultan A. E. Jetha
The population at the beginning of the century was very small, perhaps no more than 75. Today (2015) it is less than 50. [See Exodus for explanation.]
Khoja Ismaili Settlement
Whither? In the early going, one of the first stops for Khoja Ismaili immigrants to East Africa was the island of Zanzibar. In 1840’s Zanzibar became the seat of the Omani Sultanate and much of the East African trade flowed through it. As Khoja Ismailis were already settled there, more followed suit. With the European “Scramble for Africa” in 1885, colonization began and more and more Khoja Ismailis came, largely because they could do so freely within the vast British Raj and were encouraged to do so, even by the Germans in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Many who came to Zanzibar went on or were sent on, by pioneers like Alidina Visram, to coastal towns like Bagamoyo, Pangani, Mombasa and later on to Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Kilwa, Lamu and later still, further and further into the interior of East Africa. Thus, Tanga’s settlement first began in Pangani, some 50 kilometres south down the coast. Tanga rose to prominence due to German colonial development which included sisal and tea plantations, a railway to Moshi (at the foot of Kilimanjaro), a port.
By turn of the 19th/20th centuries, early Khoja Ismailis had settled, first in Pangani, then later in Tanga and later still in regional towns like Pongwe, Muheza, Korogwe, Handeni, Lushoto. Some of the earliest and big families were the Somjis, the Ladhas, the Alladinas, the Nathoos. The first mukhi (chief of the prayer congregation) was Abdulrasul Somji in 1905. His kamadia (the mukhi’s assistant) was Suleman Ladha.
Khoja Ismaili Profile
German period (1885-1918): The country was then known as Deutsch Ost Afrika (DOA). Khoja Ismailis, especially men - as women stayed at home - spoke three languages: Kutchi or Gujarati in the community, Swahili with the natives and German with the colonists. Some worked for the Germans, in the government and in private companies, and of course many ran dukas (shops) as everywhere else in East Africa.
British period (1918-1961): The country was known as Tanganyika Territory, a British mandate under the League of Nations (the precursor to the present day United Nations). Again the Khoja Ismailis spoke three languages except now instead of German it was English. And again some worked for the British, in the government and in private companies, and continued to run the ubiquitous dukas. But over time, besides doing nokri (service, i.e. being employed) and keeping dukas (selling sundry goods, kanga-kitenge which were colourful printed cotton sheets from Holland later from Asia, spices, fish, toys, clothing), they diversified. In Tanga, you found among the Khoja Ismailis: the accountant, the auctioneer, the baker, the butcher, the caterer, the grocer, the hotelier, the lawyer, the miller, the miner, the perfumer, the photographer, the planter, the printer, the restaurateur, the salesman, the tailor, the teacher - and even the magician! They were also into selling hardware, furniture, they ran agencies of brand name products, insurance, and they got into automotive businesses of fuel, parts, repairs, sales, scrap and transport. However, a noticeable absence was artisans. This was possibly due to their ancient (pre-Khoja) caste heritage in which your caste and sub-caste determined what work you could do!
Independence period (1961 onwards): The country came to be known as Tanzania. The Khoja Ismailis continued in their diversification especially in the professions as they became more and more educated. Tanga produced its first graduates around independence. But soon came major upheavals – see Exodus.
Wealth: Approximately half of the Khoja Ismaili families owned their residences around the middle of the 20th century, the other half renting. Half of them owned cars, all had bicycles, some had motor cycles or scooters. Collectively this community of about 1,000 raised funds to build a grand jamat khana at a cost of 800,000 shillings. To get an idea of how much that was, a small 4-door sedan cost just over 10,000 shillings at the time.
Health
In the 19th century and much of the first half of the 20th, the sedentary Asian’s life expectancy was much less than 60 years, with a significant infant mortality rate. This was due to lack of medical services and hygiene, (including dental – flossing was unheard of and by their 50s and 60s many had lost their teeth and wore dentures and/or having had to eat mashed food). Adding to that were obesity and its attendant illnesses, tropical diseases like malaria and outbreaks of plague, smoking and lack of physical activity.
Obesity began to be addressed by firmans (instructions) from Aga Khan III to Khoja Ismailis on reducing the quantity of food devoured, on not using ghee, on eating more vegetables, on minimizing frying – and on exercising. These were made for the most part during the first half of the 20th century.
But long habits, especially with eating being a most enjoyable – and easy - pass time with all Asians, obesity did not disappear. Nor did heart ailments and diabetes.
On the plus side, a dispensary with a resident doctor, Dr Torquato, later Dr da Silva, with a pharmacy in it, was established on the ground floor of the original jamat khana, which contributed to improvements in health. [It was said that Dr Torquato used a big syringe (sooyo in Gujarati) of World War One vintage which he had found on the battlefield in Ras Kazone and which left your arm ‘paralyzed’ for days - actually, hurting for days, which was the same thing – either that or he was just heavy-handedly clumsy! Children would nervously watch him after they had been examined to see if he next reached for his prescription pad – phew! – or headed for the fridge to get a penicillin vial – oh no!] In bigger towns, Aga Khan Hospitals were established. By the 1960s all children were being vaccinated.
All in all, life expectancy and infant mortality rates slowly began to improve.
Cuisine-Diet-Nutrition
The majority of the Khoja Ismailis being of Kutch-Gujarat extraction their diet reflected these origins but also showed modifications influenced by East African cooking.
The items most guaranteed to be found on a Khoja Ismaili dining table* in Tanga were:
[*The early Khoja Ismaili settlers ate – as they did in India - on the floor, sitting on small, low wooden benches, the food laid out on a mat, but later on dining tables became the norm.]
Breakfast
- Chai, of the sweet, milky kind. The proportion of milk to water varied from 100-0 to about 20-80. As for sugar, the minimum was 2 teaspoons per cup. The most common brand of tea was Brooke Bond.
- Butter or margarine on toasts of thick slices of bread (bought whole or half the night before from Rahim Hasham Moloo’s small store near the old jamat khana, and later on from Nurdin Kaba’s Central Bakery where sliced bread was also available). Some topped it with jam or marmalade.
Not necessarily every breakfast:
- Tropical fruits: bananas, papai (pawpaw / papaya), mangoes, oranges.
- Eggs: sunny side up, omelette or boiled – rarely scrambled. Part of the ritual for fried egg was using the corner of your toast to pierce the yolk head and scooping. [A few people kept chicken coops for their egg supply.]
Also to be found but not on all breakfast tables and not everyday:
- Maandazi na mbaazi kwa tui (maandazi: cinnamon-cardamom-nutmeg flavoured fried pastry; na: and; mbaazi: pigeon peas; kwa: in; tui: coconut juice extract, curried).
- [much later, post World War II] Corn flakes and milk.
Sunday breakfast specials:
- Mithai (sweetmeats – a variety of fudges and pastries).
- Puri (spicy fried puffs) with an aathano (pickle) or chutney and/or a dry curry and/or kheer (yam pudding).
- Bhajia (fried fritters of two types: ground lentils, or potato slices dipped in chick pea flour, the latter also known as nylon bhajia) with chutney.
- Mkate wa kumimina – or simply mkate mimina (mkate: bread; mimina: to pour).
- Vitumbua (banana fritters).
Mid-morning Break
At work:
- Kahawa (black coffee), optionally with tangawizi (ginger tea), served by ambling street vendors with their birika (copper kettles) on charcoal braziers and vikombe (small porcelain cups) two of which they used dexterously to click out a trademark tattoo by the fingers of one hand while they lugged their goods with the other, including a water bucket for washing their cups!
- Or chai (dispatched in Thermos flask from home, if nearby).
- Optionally, kashata (confection, often with crushed nuts, coconut flakes).
- Some took an actual break (instead of continuing to work) and went to Blue Room for their famous lentil bhajia and typically passion fruit juice, to Patwas, to Central Restaurant, to Bombay Sweet Mart, to Maimun’s, etc.
At school:
- Mahogo (cassava, fried and topped with lemon, salt and red chilli powder).
- Or bher / bhel (spicy soup of potatoes and chick peas) with chevdo and ambli jo ras (ambli: tamarind, jo: of, ras: juice).
- Or karanga (peanuts, roasted in mchanga: sand!).
- Optionally, a cold Healtho (Tanga’s soda made by Anjari Soda Factory, famous throughout East Africa), many opting to put some of their karanga in their Healtho to slurp and chew!
Lunch
- Curries: lentil, veggie, gos (gos: meat, most commonly goat, but also chicken), mahogo (cassava); machhi (fish; Tanga had an abundant supply of a wide variety of seafood); sonia (prawns / shrimps). [Prawns / shrimps were obtained in a quintessential way. During season a vendor - a Msheheri (an Arab originally from Yemen, sherio as he was called in short) - would go door to door, taking a week or so to do the rounds around town, announcing "Kamba! Kamba!" (Prawns! Prawns!), two basketfuls - and hand scales for weighing! - hanging off his shoulder sling pole. Anyone in a home hearing it would alert the mother "Maa! Kamba-waro watai to!" (Ma!, The kambaman is passing by!)]
- Maani / roti and/or rotlo (a thicker version of roti made with gram flour, which being quite dry went well with moist spinach curry).
- Rice. On the coast it used to be common to cook it in tui: coconut milk, but later on coconut usage was decreased for – dubious? - health reasons.
- Tropical fruit juice.
- Chaas (buttermilk).
- Green salad.
- Khichri, kadhi ane papad (khichri: a mash of split lentils; kadhi: a thin soup of sour milk and chick pea flour; ane: and; papad: super thin lentil flour wafer).
Sunday lunch specials:
- Pilau (pilaf).
- Biriyani.
- Khichro (a medley of grains, potatoes, meat in a thick curry).
- Muthia (a medley of small veggies, meat in a thick curry with pieces of fist-kneaded gram flour; muthi means fist).
- Kuku paka (kuku: chicken; paka: to smear; a chicken, potato and boiled egg curry made with tui with a yellow tinge).
- Kebabs and/or samosas as appetizers.
- Kachumber (veggie condiment) on the side.
- Eating out in restaurants often meant eating grilled food: chicken fillet, mishkaki (skewered meat pieces), sheesh kebab, steak.
Late-afternoon Tea
Tea with a snack of one or more of:
- Chevdo (a mix of spicy rice puffs and peanuts and/or cashews and/or lentils, sometimes with currants / sultanas / raisins).
- Spicy roasted or fried lentils.
- Gantia (fried crisps of lentil flour).
Dinner
- Lunch leftovers.
- Naandi (food offerings brought to jamat khana).
- Desserts, being most commonly puddings.
- (Children after jamat khana): Snacks bought from Rudi Masi opposite the old jamat khana or at the new jamat khana from Pakodi’s cart (whose bell was sounded by Pakodi as he pushed it across the Princess Margaret Bridge and which sometimes, when he rang it unaware that jamati ceremonies were not over yet, was heard right inside the prayer chamber, especially during silent praying, and which got children drooling a la Pavlov’s dog!
Nutrition: As can be seen from the above, the diet was high in nutritional value, containing a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, omega-3, fibre, etc from all good groups, albeit the sugar, starch and fat content was high. But what also needs to be kept in mind is the quantity devoured versus physical activity which lopsidedly weighed towards quantity eaten. Thus, the nutritional value was generally over-ridden by too much of the bad stuff and lack of physical activity.
Education
Literacy was measurably high, albeit only in their mother tongues. Almost all males and many females read and wrote Gujarati, some also Khojki (a script unique to Khoja Ismailis), and a few in German or English. [A peculiarity unique to Khojas was that they had TWO mother tongues: Kutchi if one's origin was the Kutch province of the State of Gujarat in India, or Gujarati if Kathiawar province. But the amazing thing was that if a mixed group were chatting the conversation would smoothly flow in BOTH languages! And it was not uncommon to find both languages being spoken in one household because the husband and wife had different origins - the children would speak say the mother's or the father's language while husband and wife spoke the other!] The level of education in the early part of the 20th century was very basic with an average completion of about five chopri (standards, which is the same as grades) which included hisab (arithmetic). Again, as with health, things began to change with firmans from Aga Khan III, including that most famous one instructing Khoja Ismailis that if a family could only afford to educate one child let it be a female. And for extra emphasis, it was explained that a male could always, as a minimum, carry bricks on his head to earn a living. And so, early on, in the 1930s, the Khoja Ismailis of Tanga set up a primary school in a rented building near the east end of Market Street. And then, beginning in the mid-1940s Aga Khan School construction began. In 1945, the foundation stone of the primary school was laid by Aga Khan III. A dozen years later, the succeeding Aga Khan IV laid the stone for the nursery school next door, this within months of becoming the new Imam.
By the end of the 1960s, there were several university graduates and all Khoja Ismaili children were expected to finish at least 12 grades. A major shift in education policy occurred after the Second World War. The medium of instruction was changed from Gujarati to English, and Gujarati as a subject was dropped. This had a lasting impact on the then and future generations, for it eventually made all Khoja Ismailis fluent in English, opening doors to the vast world of information, leading to advancement in many different careers.
Housing
In the very early days, Khoja Ismailis settling in coastal towns would either reside in stone towns (where buildings were constructed of coral stone, lime mortar and mangrove poles) or, in the out-lying villages of mud-wattle-&-thatch huts. Certainly those settling deep in the interior of East Africa in the early days resided in such huts. But with the European colonization beginning in the late 18th century came housing of modern material namely cement, corrugated iron, tiles and glass.
In Tanga town proper were found cement buildings whereas in the Ngamiani area, immediately to its south, there was a mixture of cement buildings and many mud dwellings. But housing for the Khoja Ismailis was not easily affordable and it was not uncommon for one or more males in a family to sleep at the jamat khana in Tanga town, mosquitoes abuzz all night!
The turning point in affordable housing came post-Diamond Jubilee. The Diamond Jubilee was the celebration of the 60th year of Aga Khan III as the Imam. It took place in Dar es Salaam in 1946. [The actual 60th anniversary was in 1945 but because World War 2 had not quite ended and it certainly continued on for another year in south-east Asia the jubilee took place a year later.] The Aga Khan announced that the huge sum of money gifted by the community on this occasion be used for a number of major ventures including building schemes all over East Africa, Tanga being a typical case. [The first housing scheme was Makupa Flats in Mombasa, in neighbouring Kenya, which was highly successful.] In Tanga, an estate of detached, semi-detached and a few two-storey housing was built accommodating nearly 70 families, representing over a third of the jamat. In addition, those who could put up about half the capital needed, with the other half being financed under a Diamond Jubilee scheme, constructed their own buildings. About 20 such buildings were built, for commercial, residential and commercial-cum-residential purposes, up to five storeys high, the main street of Ngamiani - Akida (now Mkwakwani) Street - being dotted with most of the multi-storey ones. This was a substantial number for the size of the jamat then. Prior to the scheme there were only a couple of such buildings owned by Khoja Ismailis.
Social-Welfare
The Tanga Khoja Ismaili Welfare Society saw to it that no one went hungry or was homeless. Donations channeled through it went to buying grocery, clothing, paying rent and so on. The Tribunal Council counselled on and arbitrated domestic issues. The Marriage Committee was active in match-making, in marshalling proposals and helping generally with the marriage process. [And woe to any bachelor among visitors coming to town. He would be a marked man, hounded until they got him engaged – or until he secretly fled town! Much of this ‘enthusiasm’ was – again – due to firmans by which Aga Khan III, upon seeing too many unmarried daughters in the jamat, had exhorted the community to get them married as early as possible, to young-adult Ismaili males (who otherwise might get tempted by bad habits)!] There were other organizations too, such as Women’s Association, Ismailia Association, etc.
Extra-curricular Activity
The Khoja Ismaili pass time was highly varied. (It has to be kept in mind that there was no TV, much less DVDs!)
Boys and girls joined the scouts, guides, cubs and brownies; guides leader Mrs. Roshan Vellani went on to become Guides Commissioner for Tanga. Adults – young, old, males, females – volunteered for community service through the Volunteers Corps, through various committees such as safai (cleaning), gusal (funeral) and so on, as well as through appointments as jamat and religious service mukhi-kamadias and as council members, all such work being considered sewa (volunteering). Aga Khan Primary School pupils, upon leaving for secondary education, joined the Former Students Association under which they organized debates, produced printed magazines, organized social events and so on. On the purely diversion side, they flocked to Bollywood movies on Sundays (after an excursion to the Ras Kazone sea-view area), while the younger generation were partial to Hollywood movies. They played cards, with satio (seven set) and rummy being popular. Picnics to Mwambani beach to the south, just outside town, were popular.
Organizing and running annual jamati festivities involved many members of the jamat. There were four major events in the year with Imamat Day (Imam’s ascension) the prime event, the others being Idd-ulFitr, Salgirah (Imam’s birthday) and Navroz (Persian New Year). All four involved congregating where everyone dressed in their finest and they were fed, at least confectionary and sherbet, but also at important festivities, a feast. Two of them - Imamat Day and Idd - involved outdoor festivities, dandia (sticks, being a stick dance) played on Imamat Day and a fete (carnival) during Idd. [In Tanga, only after Amir “Ami” Murad opened his accordion and played “Koi mere saponon mein aaya” (Someone came into my dreams) – a Bollywood blockbuster number – the dandia began in earnest!] In pre-Independence days, a sargas (parade-procession) used to be held on Imamat Day and whose centre-piece was a manwar (a float in the form of a ship, constructed by S. Amirali outside his canvas sewing shop) and if anyone dressed up in naval togs, they were allowed to get on board. Also in pre-Independence days a taak (an archway over the road) was erected congratulating the Imam. Post-Independence, the sargas and taak were discontinued so as not to be seen as competing with national celebrations.
And – of course - they played sports.
Traditional volleyball was very popular. It was a stationary version of the common athletic variety. Some of the accomplished players over time were Aziz Dharsee (centre), Badru Jamal (net centre), Abdul ‘George’ Hasham (centre), Karim S. Amirali (net centre), Nurali ‘Chabho’ Ibrahim (serviceman). The Tanga Khoja Ismaili teams became dominant in town! They also played cricket, badminton, table tennis, tennis, soccer. Some of the very good players were Gulu Kaba (cricket, his Googly being nasty), Jamalu Nanji (cricket, badminton), Nurali ‘Chabho’ Ibrahim (cricket), Farida ‘Gulabai’ Bhanji, Shoki Nanji, Nazir Jamal Poonja, Hadimohamed Jiwa and Shokat Kaba (badminton), Vazir Kassam (tennis). And being a coastal town, they all swam in Tanga Bay’s calm, warm waters.
A good number of Tanga’s Khoja Ismailis developed skills in the fine arts especially the Alladina clan. Karim Alladina became an accomplished playwright, his brother Shariff Alladina a great classical vocalist, Karimbhai’s sons Sadru ‘Tarimbho’ and Mehboob ‘Meblo’, pop-singers, Shariffbhai’s son Safder, an artist and author. Younger generations produced more good singers: Nasim (Suleman) Bhimji, Rozy (Karmali) Karim, Rubina (Bhanji) Harji, Karim Moloo and many others.
Exodus
The first decade of Independence in East Africa saw major upheavals. There was a revolution in Zanzibar right after Independence and seemingly overnight the 10,000+ Khoja Ismaili population there emptied out on to the East African mainland, including to Tanga. Hot on its heels came nationalization by government of properties and big business, accompanied by political scape-goating of Asians to divert attention away from political corruption and incompetence, followed by Africanization and one party rule, which all led to economic collapse. In Uganda, brutal dictator Idi Amin expelled Asians from the country and now it was Uganda’s turn to empty out its Khoja Ismaili population. All these upheavals and attendant uncertainty was seen as the proverbial ‘hand-writing on the wall’.
By the 1980s, Tanga too seemingly emptied of its Khoja Ismailis. Today (2015) less than 50 hardy souls remain.
History Gaps
Like all Asians, Khoja Ismailis notoriously lacked for the most part, in recording their history and so not surprisingly, gaps abound. What to do?
Oral history: These can be requested of family members or collected first hand from, especially senior members of the jamat. And they can be even in point form as seen in the following profiles from Tanga:
Research: Council records*, public records*, passenger ship logs and rosters, newspaper archives, etc. [*birth, marriage, death, business registration]
Maps, Counts: Every town that had at least one Khoja Ismaili family needs to be identified on maps. Wherever possible one or more people of these towns need to be tracked down to, as a minimum, come up with profiles of Khoja Ismailis by town.
Personal Journals: Some – albeit few – did keep journals. The task here is two-fold. The first is discovery and cataloguing. The second is translation/transcription if allowed to do so.
THIS IS MY LIFE - Gujarat, East Africa, Canada - A FAMILY BIOGRAPHY
A personal biography by Naznin Hebert, which is also a lively, poignant life history of both sides of Naznin's large family.
Tanga means sail in Swahili. It is a port which lies on the coast of East Africa, on the Indian Ocean just below the Equator. It is a bay with a view of Totem Island in the center of the bay. On the bay, yachts, small boats, ocean liners, water skiers, and swimmers were often seen. In the ’50s, Tanga had a population of around 50 000. Majority of the people were native Africans, about 25% were Indians, of which about 1 000 were Khoja Ismailis, and some Arabs. It was a peaceful town during my stay there in the ’50s and ’60s.
Tanga was divided into different areas:
Downtown Center where you would find government buildings, post-office, main town market, fancy shops, cinema, office buildings, hotels, and some residences.
Chumbageni was mostly a residential area where mostly Indians lived. *
Raskazone was an area near the ocean where affluent people lived. There were some huge, private dwellings where Indians and Europeans lived. The Swimming Club and the Yacht Club were located there. The Swimming Club was open to all, but the Yacht Club was private, for European members only. This was an obvious example of racial discrimination that existed then.
Ngamiani was mostly a business area although there were a lot of people who lived there too. This was a vibrant and busy section of business of mainly Indians, Arabs, and Africans. The main bus terminal was here. The main bus routes were to and from Mombasa, Moshi, Dar es Salaam, and all the towns in between. The streets were all numbered instead of names.
Around mid-mornings, late afternoons, and evenings, one would see women and men walking around in their traditional clothing of bui-bui or hijab. The kahawa walla (coffee vendors) would carry their coffee kettles sitting on charcoal to keep warm. They would have little coffee cups like the expresso ones in their hands, that they would click together to attract people’s attention.
Business in Tanga
people earned their living in different ways. Some had either wholesale or retail businesses. Since Tanga was a port, a lot of business was done through shipping and forwarding. A good friend of Mummy’s by the name of Guli Babul used to work for a shipping and forwarding company. Tanga Harbor That was music to the ears of coffee lovers. You have never tasted coffee like that or maybe you have if you have been to East Africa or Zanzibar. With the coffee they would offer a piece of halwa which is sweet, a real treat. Sisal estates were plenty. Tanga was one of the largest producer and exporter of sisal. Lorries would transport sisal from the factories to the port to be exported. A lot of people were employed in that business. There were teachers, medical staff, secretaries, police, travel agencies, government workers, and hotel staff. So, most people had jobs and were thus gainfully employed. Languages
Tanga was a multicultural town. Main languages spoken were Swahili, English, Arabic and Gujarati. Then there were the tribal languages spoken in villages. Staple food The staple food of the Africans was ugali. It was made with cornmeal and water. I would see Abdulla, our house boy (name given to servants during the colonial times), eating it. He would pull off a small ball of the mush with his fingers and make a little dent with his thumb and used it to scoop up the stew that he had made with vegetables. I would often ask him to give me some. It had an acquired taste. It was mostly the sauce that gave it its taste, a bit like tofu. I used to like it!
Regions around Tanga: Pangani, Korogwe were some of the regions around Tanga. Soni and Lushoto were higher up in the Usambara mountains where the weather was much colder. Those were Mom’s and papa‘s favorite towns. They had often made trips there both with friend.
Entertainment
Weekends were always fun. We would go on picnics to one of the beaches with other families. On Sundays we would go for ice cream. Patwa Ice Cream was well known for their ice cream. They had an outdoor terrace with tables where we were served our favorite flavors. I enjoyed going for a drive to Raskazone on a Sunday late afternoon before going to JK. Raskazone is the area by the ocean front. There is always a nice breeze there. There was a special place where everybody congregated. Papa would park his car there, among hundreds of other cars. We would walk around, and definitely bump into some of our friends. People dressed in their best clothes. The pakoris would be there also with their pushcarts of vegetarian snacks. That was the place to go to on a Sunday evening.
Tanga Social Life
Mummy and papa had an active social life. One thing they liked playing together was cards. They had a group of card players and they played mostly at our house in the evenings after dinner. One family by the name of Sadru Nanji, had three sons, Amin, Jamalu and Shoki. The boys were around the same age as Feri and me. So, as you can imagine, we loved it when they came to play at our house. I remember dressing up for the occasion. There was a lot of laughter and joy. Mummy also loved to go to the cinema. There were about five cinemas in Tanga at the time. One of their good friends, Badur uncle, used to work at the Majestic Cinema in the ticket office, and Mummy in the center. Sherbanubai and Shamshu uncle to the right. Sultanmama and Roshanmami to the left.
Whenever there was a good movie coming up, mostly Indian, he would ask: "Zerabai, do I reserve four tickets?" And of course, you know Mummy’s reply. One special event I remember vividly, is a dance party held at our house. prior to that, papa had gone on a European tour with some friends, and when he got back, he had brought a suitcase full of clothes for us all. For Mummy he had brought skirts and blouses that she wore at work. But there was one beautiful evening dress which she wore at the dance party at our house. we were all young and supposed to be sleeping, but Feri and I crept out of our beds and peaked through an opening into the sitting room to see all the couples dancing the foxtrot. Mummy and Papa looked so beautiful dancing together.
papa was a member of the Swimming Club Association. A wealthy Indian gentleman by the name of Prabhudas was the chairman and always keen to organize activities at the club. Often, they would organize swimming competitions during the day and presentation of trophies in the evening or dinner parties to raise money. At these parties of course, there was always food and music. The parties were held on the terrace of the Swimming Club which was located on the bay of Tanga. Looking out on to the bay, one could see the Totem Island, and occasionally, a cruise ship all lit up.
Community Life: Mummy was the Chairman of the Ismaili women’s Association. under her leadership, with the help of the members, they organized several activities, helped build homes for the local Africans, visited children in the hospitals and gave out packages of dry foods and treats to the children. She had a lot of empathy for children, animals, and people in need. Mummy sitting in the middle. Mummy would attend the parties, dressed up in one of her beautiful saris. She was often asked to present the trophies to the winners of the swimming competitions. Generally, most people have, but cannot find time in their busy schedules to act upon it. Mummy acknowledged the problems and did something about it. One event she had organized that I can remember, was a play that was held at the Aga Khan Club House which was just across the road from our house. I used to go to these practice sessions, in the evenings, and there were many. The play was a huge success and talked about for a long time after. Mummy visiting children’s hospital. She was the only female member of the Ismaili Council in Tanga. Their role was to promote and oversee the socio-economic, religious, and educational wellbeing of the Ismaili community. Mummy’s role was crucial in the Council since in colonial Africa, women did not have the kind of rights and privileges that are enjoyed today. And the attitude of society in those days was paternalistic. So, mummy was the spokesperson for women’s rights. She was way ahead of her times. There were other charity works that she used to do behind the scenes that nobody else knew except the people involved.
Tanga Family Life: Although mummy led a busy life, there was always time for family. In our younger days, when there was just Feri and me, Mummy and Papa would take both of us swimming at the Swimming Club in Raskazone. They each had a bike and we used to sit on the carrier in the back. Later, when Mina and Aziz were born, we all used to go by car. we all learnt how to swim at a very young age. On Sundays, we would go on picnics to Pangani Beach in the outskirts of Tanga. Mummy was an excellent cook. Her specialty was cooking seafood. Living by the ocean, she would buy fresh fish and prawns from the local market. When Lutuf Chacha visited us from Mombasa, masala prawns or machi bhatt (fish cooked in coconut milk), was a must. It was Chacha’s standing request. Her other specialty was dhokra (a steamed savory snack) with garlic and red chili chutney. When she made dhokras, almost the whole neighborhood would receive a plate of them to savor, that was the tradition in our family. We all still remember Mummy’s dhokras. Today I have her original recipe of dhokras, given to me by my Shiri Masi, which I use, but my dhokras will never be like Mummy’s.
Lushoto: One of my memorable trips was to Lushoto. That whole area had beautiful scenery. Mummy and papa had rented a house up on a hill in Lushoto where we all spent a month, like our Airbnbs here. Mummy’s brothers, Badrumama and Sultanmama, were visiting us with their wives, my mamis. Shiri, mummy’s younger sister, was living with us at the time. There were eleven of us altogether. The house was on a hill with steps going up to it. Halfway up the steps, ran a stream underneath. I used to think there were one hundred steps going up. But I am sure there were not as many. It was my nine-year-old imaginary mind thinking that. Mornings and evenings were crisp, due to the high altitude. There was a hill right in front of the house. I remember, us running up that hill to warm up, and then enjoying the view up from the top and admire the mountains. In mid-morning, after breakfast, the ladies would go down the steps with their laundry baskets and do their wash in the stream. At times, the ladies would lose a piece of clothing in the rapid current. we would all chase after it to recover it. we found that very amusing. The whole family cooking and eating together, and telling stories was a very memorable moment for me.
In the region of Soni and Lushoto, there were plenty of rose bushes. Mummy would bring back several of them and planted them in our garden. I do not think I have ever smelt the fragrance of the roses anywhere like the once I did in our garden in Tanga. Mummy took good care of them. The other great fragrance I remember, was from jasmine flowers. we had a shrub of it in front of our house, and when we used to sit outside, we could smell the flowers from a distance. For special occasions, Mummy would ask us to pick the flowers and she would make a beautiful corsage with it and pin it on our dresses, on special occasions. Talking about fragrance, she also loved perfume. we had a neighbor who used to travel to Europe periodically. Whenever he went, mummy would ask him to bring her a bottle or two of her favorite scent. She would use it only on special occasions. She had sophistication and class about her.
Rudimasi and her snacks: Opposite the JK, there was an elderly lady named Rudimasi. On the front porch of her house, she had a snack shop where she sold roasted peanuts, chana bateta (a typical Indian delicacy), among other delicious snacks. There were always full of youngsters around there buying something since it did not cost much. I have memories of buying mostly roasted peanuts and sharing it with friends.
Swimming Club: Papa used to go Swimming Club, Tanga. Swimming every day at 6 a.m. before going to work. On weekends, it was later, around 7ish. I remember us going with him for years.Breakfast would be for everybody who was present at the Club. This was the generous contribution of Mr. Prabhudas.
Greeks of Tanga: Across the road, was the Tanga Hotel that used to belong to the parents of my Greek school friend, Sofia. They lived in the hotel, and that is where I visited her at times.
courtyard as you entered. You walk through it, take off your shoes and go up the stairs to the JK itself. There was a balcony on the front of the JK looking down on to the street. After the communal dinner in the courtyard, there would be live music, singing, and dancing. The traditional dance was dandiya (stick dance). People would be everywhere, on the balcony, on the stairs, in the courtyard or outside on the road, or in front of Rudimasi’s snack shop.
Yes, JK is a prayer house but there is a big social component attached to it. The first hour is for spiritual and religious ceremonies, but after that, in the Social Hall, adjoined is for socialization. There is always chai and snacks for everybody, and people just gather around and socialize. Kids play together, teenagers hang out together, women sit on the floor in a circle and talk about what women usually talk about, and men do the same.
In 1955, the Ismaili Council developed a plan to purchase a huge lot near the Usagara area where the Aga Khan Schools were located. The plan was to build mostly semi-detached Aga Khan flats to accommodate 70 Ismaili families. This concept was adopted by the Council for all the big cities of East Africa. Upanga flats in Dar es Salaam, Makupa flats in Mombasa, and Ngara flats in Nairobi. A majority of the Ismaili community in Tanga lived there. The nursery school, Primary School, the Club House, and even the secondary school was in this area.
The Aga Khan nursery school and primary school were just across the road from our house. That is the school we all went to. we had a good schooling system. primary School was Standard I to VI. Then there was Standard VII and VIII. Secondary School was for four years, Form I to IV. After that was the Cambridge Higher School Certificate exams. Then two more years of A levels which was the prerequisite to applying for admission to university.
Photo Gallery of German Tanga
Tanga Boma (German Fort & Administrative offices) and Harbour circa 1880-1890.
Tanga Train Station, Circa 1894
Tanga's Kasierstrasse (King street), normal hours, circa 1897.
Tanga Market, circa 1903.
Tanga Harbour,circa 1903.
Bismarck Statue, Tanga, circa 1906.
The German Post Office, Tanga, circa 1906.
Tanga (now called Bombo Hospital), built by the Germans, photo circa 1920's
Magila town from the East, circa 1906.
Tanga circa 1910.
Tanga Main Street, circa 1906-1914
Tanga Lighthouse, circa 1914
Tanga Post Office circa 1914
King Street, Tanga circa 1914.
Indian "Bohora: Traders, Tanga, circa 1914 (Photo Credit German Colonial Society)
King Street, circa 1914.
Some of British Indian soldiers, who died in Tanga Campaign and are buried in Pangani, circa 1917
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Indian Traders recorded to be in Tanga in the German Colonial Handbook 1903.
Indian Traders recorded to be in Tanga in the German Colonial Handbook 1908.
Photo Gallery of British Tanga
Main Street circa 1920.
Tanga Old Market, circa 1920's.
Tanga Harbour, circa 1920's
Tanga Harbour 2, circa 1920's
Graham Road, circa 1920's
Hospital Road Crossing, circa 1918
Indian Bazaar, Tanga.
Akida Street, Tanga circa 1930's
Tanga Scene, date unknown
Tanga Cricket Club pre-1970
Photo Gallery of Khoja Tanga
List of Khoja Ismaili community leaders appointed by the Agakhan since 1905.
Notes & References
- ↑ A HISTORY OF THE ARAB REBELLION IN EAST AFRICA (GESCHICHTE DES ARABERAUFSTANDES IN OST-AFRIKA) An Account of the "Abushiri Rebellion" in Tanzania and its Aftermath, 1888-1891 by Rochus Schmidt Translated (with an introduction) by John W. East.
