MKEKA: Mangi Meli Remains touchs down in TZ

Mangi Meli in the middle
with his close officials
(c) SLUB Deutsche Fotothek

The rhythm of their efforts is forgotten yet the skeletons of their song live on. Not so many Tanzanians choose to reflect on their own history, particularly that of during and before its colonisation period. Perhaps because too many history records of this time have an imperial Eurocentric point of view, with a demoralising storyline of our ancestors so we’d rather not look.

“For my part as a curator, what I believe can be done are cultural endeavours...which raise awareness and regularly call to remembrance, the often forgotten stories that occurred as a result of active and fierce resistance to colonial rule. So we can examine how they shape our understanding of contemporary society and citizenship today. A philosophical way if you may, of asking "how have you come to be the person that you are?" and "what do you stand for?" as a member of civil society.” Sarita Mamseri, Heritage educator & Curator from the U.K with Tanzanian roots.

Isaria Meli on seeing the
video sculpture for the first time in Berlin-
photo from Flinn Works archives.

Isaria Anael Meli-87 hasn’t allowed himself to be passive about his history. A grandson of Chief Mangi Meli who ruled one of the most powerful chieftains in the Chagga tribe of Old Moshi, Tanzania; this during the 1890’s for a little under a decade. Mangi Meli was murdered in March 1900 by being hung for hours at a public piazza in Old Moshi and then beheaded. This was done by a German led army unit his head was then presumably sent to Germany. Isaria for 50 years has been pleading the Tanzanian and German governments to look into the return of his grandfather’s skull to no avail.

In November last year Isaria’s quest reached a significant milestone, in part due to the awareness the German government received through efforts led by Konradin Kunze and Sarita Mamseri. In their work towards the exhibition ‘Mangi Meli Remains’ that they debuted this month in Berlin as part of a four chapter exhibition titled ‘The Dead as far as [] can remember’. Present at the launch was also present the ambassador to Germany from Tanzania H.E Dr. Abdallah Possi.

This exhibition shares the story of Mangi Meli with footage never before released to the Tanzanian public, in terms of photographs of the Chagga people including those of Chief Mangi Meli, taken during the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s by Germans. At the centre of this exhibition is a video sculpture, an innovative short film animation conveyed in three languages-Kiswahili, German & English. It tells the story of Mangi Meli during the time of his rule, his links with other chiefs in relationship to German colonial rule and the events leading to his death.

Amani Abeid among the illustrators of this video sculpture,
working on this exhibitoin animation film-
photo Flinn Works

Isaria was present at the debut of this exhibition and it was during this visit that he took a DNA test, after being invited by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation-SPK. Currently in Germany there’s over 5000 skulls belonging to natives of German colonies including 200 skulls from Tanzania. Among these six skulls were identified in Isaria's visit, which could be from Moshi and could date the time of Mangi Meli’s death, some of them have the inscription ‘Dschagga/Wadschagga’. Results of this test are expected to be in before end of June this year.

‘Mangi Meli Remains’ is currently showing in Dar es Salaam since the 5^th of February till the 22^ndof this month. It’s conception all began with Konradin’s surprise at learning of German colonial history.

Sarita Mamseri during an interview with
Isaria the grandson of Mangi Meli,
in Old Moshi Tanzania

“When I came first to Tanzania 8 years ago, I was shocked to learn about the German colonial history only in Tanzania. I didn’t learn it in school which would have been the proper way I think, but in school of course we were taught a little bit just maybe one hour about that ‘yes Germany had some colonies but it was a short period.” Konradin shares of the early inspiration which has allowed him to uncover and share in depth stories around German colonial rule in Tanzania.

In these eight years he has worked several projects with the theatre company Flinn Works surrounding this topic, to include a theatre production called ‘Maji Maji Flava’.

Mangi Meli Remains, has taken a little under a year to prepare, among the persons involved in the project are renowned Tanzanian illustrators Cloud Chatanda and Amani Abeid.

Konradin Kunze with Sarita Mamseri
in the background during
the earlier stages of this
exhibition's work in Tanzania

In acquiring the research for the video installation, Konradin together with Sarita made several trips to Kilimanjaro. Where they met Isaria and other members of the Old Moshi community including Gabby Mzei, an experienced local guide of the Old Moshi cultural tourism centre. All who provided relevant information of the period during Mangi Meli’s lifetime from the locals’ perspective. Konradin came to access journals in Germany from the army generals who ruled at the time of Mangi Meli’s rein. This shed further insight in creating the script for the video sculpture used in this exhibition.

“I found most of the pictures in the archive of the Ethnological museum, others in other archives mainly online. It took me quite a while to find them more or less accidental sometimes...” Konradin shares of the collection of photographs he uncovered that show vivid images of the Chagga people during the late 19^th C to the early 20^th C as never seen before in any Tanzanian museum.

Mangi Meli (c) SLUB Deutsche Fotothek

“He was so gentle…look at the quality of the photo” Amani Abeid explains to me on an earlier visit last year, while he was working on the video sculpture. He together with Cloud Chatanda had learned of Mangi Meli in their schooling years but had never seen his photo till then. They shared how humbling it was to see the photos Konradin had dug up and the rich information they were given.

“So the main goal for this project is definitely education yeah, this story should not be forgotten and on the other hand it was to give something back to the community...To permanently install something in Old Moshi, although it is not the skull which we’re still trying to find which is very, very difficult to find. But instead of bringing back the skull at least I can bring back the information that I have gathered back in Germany.” Konradin adds as to why he has been passionate about this project.

The Video Sculpture as shown first in Germany
late last year, it is now in Dar es Salaam

He is of the view that the photographs he uncovered as well the archives from this time now in Germany, should be readily available in Tanzania as it is a relevant part of their history.

“You get the picture that these Europeans saw us savages it was their clear perspective. They were actually trying to prove that we aren’t real human beings.

Did you know that Mangi Meli’s father Mangi Rindi actually sent his best soldiers to meet the Kaiser in Berlin. He gave his two best soldiers ivory, minerals and leather to give the Kaiser, asking in return for military for a few weapons. The Kaiser sent the soldiers back with a music box and a sewing machine!” Cloud Chatanda shared with me what he was uncovering in working on this project. Including the truth that scientists in Europe were spreading the theory that Africans had smaller brains and such were inferior humans hence the sending of the skulls for investigation.

Photos of community leaders
in Old Moshi upon Konradin and Sarita's visits

“I disagree that any project we do will provide 'closure'. The atrocities, tragedies and theft/looting/"acquiring" of personal items of significance, of human remains, cannot be undone or indeed forgotten when still so much is to be (politically) acknowledged and then repatriated... It also continues to amaze me how much of Tanzania's history can be found in foreign collections, both private and state. It just reinforces my opinion that efforts to counter balance the influencing role of colonial archives and collections on European-located peoples' understanding of Africa must in part be re-addressed through the collecting and presenting of Tanzanian oral histories.”—Sarita Mamseri.

The exhibition will finally come to Old Moshi on 2^nd March this year, where it will remain there permanently. I was asking Sarita if she felt this was at least some closure for Isaria and his community, to which she answered me above. I can tell you as a native Tanzanian just looking at the photographs Konradin had uncovered was eerily humbling.

Illustrator Cloud Chatanda working on the video
sculpture for this exhibition ealier last year in Bagamoyo

Mangi Meli Remains is a collaborative project between Flinn Works (DE), BSS Projects (TZ/UK), Old Moshi Cultural Tourism (TZ), ArtEver (TZ) supported by Ethnological Museum Berlin and TA T at Humboldt University Berlin; funded by the Goethe-Institut Tanzania, the Berlin Senate Department of Culture and Between Bridges.