joseph mayuni

NewsletterTANZANIA GEOGRAPHIC

The Old Tanzania civilization discovered in Mafia

Rhapta;

Edition 2, June 2017

Volume

1

Welcome to the second edition of the Tanzania Geographic Magazine! This edition benefits immensely from your support, encouragement, opinions and suggestions for improving our dear work! Our first edition, small and trial as it was, was well received by you, our patrons. It gave a conviction that the more quality work we offer, the wider ownership it will enjoy!You will see in this edition that we are slowly implementing some of your ideas and proposals, but also filling into the gaps concepts that we were originally thinking of putting across to you. Tanzania Geographic Magazine is about Tourism, about culture and rituals, about environment, about ancient narratives and stories, about wildlife and archeology, geological features that carry special meaning to people, about historical events, myths, documenting indigenous knowledge and artifacts, about religion all is tailored to enlighten you, our reader so that one is able to look at our society and oneself from a more informed standpoint.

TGM is about promoting tourism as we intend to document and promote all touristic attrac-tions around the country, starting with this edition. This explains having an article on Lake Ngosi, located on Rungwe district mountain ranges. With TGM, you shall be afforded with an opportunity to learn what cultural tourism programmes and enterprises are doing. We are reaching out to them for that purpose, and the Uyole Cultural Tourism Enterprises is our first partner. We thank them for having trust in us so soon!It is our sincere hope that you will sustain your support and your suggestions for improved and dynamic work are welcome! One more thing, we have established a blog, Tanzania Blog, which we are still working to so that future editions could be accessed there, thanks to the proposal by one out readers and patrons. In this edition you will see and read really good stuff, and we hope your appetite will be whet-ted!

Karibu sana! TGM

Email: [email protected], 0714429297

Charles Kayoka – Director of DTC, Photographer and Editor

Solo Constantine – Photographer and production manager

Bahati Ntundu – logistics manager and videographer

Hassan Mambo – Tour and birds watching manager.

Joseph Mayuni as historian and TACCE Manager

Salome Ezekiel – Journalist, videographer and Editor

Zainabu Msuya – Narrator and Marketing Manager

Kulthum Gonza – Sociologist and Community Relationship

Manager

Mike Essau KumburuCreative Graphics Designer

Our Team Members Includes

From The Managing Editor’s Desk

Tanzania Geographic Newsletter

HISTORY

ASKARI MONUMENT HAVING A FACELIFT!

The historic Askari Monument round about, has just been facelifted with a garden and water spring added to the famous location which could have received millions of photographic attentions since it was erected in 1927, and of course years before that, thanks to efforts by Green Wastes Pro and MasaiMara Designers.To Tanzania this is one of the very important memorial historical artifacts celebrating the grand contribution of our fore parents to the war they had nothing to do with, the First World War (the Great War). After the war, the British “dethroned” Herman von Wissmann, whose statue stood there for about ten years since 1908 to 1918. Von Wissmann, who died in 1905, was the former German East Africa general, explorer and governor. Von Wissmann’s monument depicted him as a general and a man above all, a conqueror of the Africans (as represented by the African Askari who looks up at him) and of the African ferocious wild, as represented by the lion who peacefully lies across his feet. It has always been a populsrf sites for visitors


live long the monument! TGM

When the British took over Deutsch OstAfrika (DOA), the statues was pulled down and, in 1922, was transported to German via London. It was placed in front of the Hamburg University, in German. In its place was place the new monument featuring an African with a rifle and in charging stance. It was made by the British Sculptor, James Alexander Stevenson. The plaques on the sides who African soldiers, who were actually carrier corps, and epithets reiterating the importance of fighting in defense of one’s country, but also thanking the gallant native African corps to the British war efforts.Since its life with the DOA the place was a photographic site, and it still is, by visitors and residents alike. When it was established it was said to be standing at the centre of the Dar-es-Salaam City, but one is not sure if it still is! Live long the spirits of the native African carrier corps.

HISTORY

Uncovering Von Bismark Monument in 1908

For bird watchers and photographers, and lovers of nature in general, the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Mlimani campus’ natural forest, small as it is, is simply irresistible! The southern part of the campus, is endowed with flora and fauna that can make nature lovers pre-occupied for days on the end. Las week the team of Tanzania Geographic photographers made a photographic tour of the small forest and was able to capture in their camera various aspects of the natural life. If one needs to do serious bird watching the one can go almost every day and his/her eyes will feast on a variety of birds, insects, flowers, trees, small animals like mongoose including monkeys.

TGM PHOTOGRAPHERS DOING BIRD WATCHING AT UDSM

As for birds the forest offers a bird watcher more than 80 species and sub-species. TGM is planning to have a bird counting of the area, to identify which is resident(endemic), vagrant or migratory. We are waiting to get equipment for the purpose!


TGM PHOTOGRAPHERS

The sewage ponds in the area offer birds a sustainable sanctuary for food and reproduction. With change in seasons, one can see various birds who temporarily stay as long as the food supply is appropriate to them. Long-tailed cormorants, common sandpipers, Egyptian geese, hadada ibis, Pangani longclaw, bush bell-shrikes, are among the visitors. African jacanas, less bee-eaters, Village indigo, speckled mousebirds and ther cousins, blue-napped mousebirds, common bulbuls are almost endemic. The list is indeed long. A full checklist of birds in the campus is on the offing! We present here a few birds of the many birds we managed to capture on camera during the trip!

PhotographersTGM

Cattle egret

Pin Tailed whydah Blue waxbill

African Jacana Marsh wabler


ANCIENT TANZANIA

RHAPTA;

In the old historical town of Bagamoyo there is less known small and ordinary restaurant, located opposite the old bus station, which goes by the name of Rhapta… it is Rhapta Restaurant. One wonders why did the owner decide to use that name for his restaurant! Probably is in the know that the ancient civilization of Rhapta was on the shores of Tanzania, over 2000 years ago. Incidentally there is an avenue in the city Nairobi with the same name- Rhapta (Road)! But would the Kenyans take that same name for their street road, were they also thinking that Rhapta was probably on the shores of Mombasa coast strip, probable against river Tana!Rhapta, an international trade city along the coast of Azania (meaning lands of the Black), as this part of Africa was known then by the Romans, was mentioned in several travel documents the very famous of which was the Periplus Maris Erythraei (or ‘Voyage around the Erythraean Sea’), which talked of presence of great civilization along these shores.

Due to inability to provide exact location of the town Rhapta, the document only says the big town was situated facing a big river mouth. These descriptions fitted places like Pangani, Bagamoyo, Sadani, Rufiji or even Mtwara where we have big river inlets into the Indian ocean. Probably our restaurant owner in Bagamoyo thought that Bagamoyo was the place where Rhapta was once located. But he missed one point. The travel document says the town is about two days of travel from an island known as Menouthias, a name then used for Pemba. Bagamoyo was not that long in terms of days of travel from Pemba if the southward winds were fast enough, and the weather was favourable!

The Old Tanzania

civilization discovered in

Mafia


Ancient Tanzania

For years since 1902 when the renewed interest in the historical Rhapta was re-invigorated experts in history and archelogy were kept guessing as where exactly the international ancient village was located until about three years ago when a flyer from Mafia Island found interesting submerged structures along islets of the Mafia, thanks to the article published on the internet (April 22, 2016, Seaunseen website) by Hannah Jane and Allan Sutton, which propelled the writing of this article.

So Rhapta was in Tanzania, and was one of the major Islands in Mafai which was submerged, may be due to tsunami or some other geological factors, scientist are speculating, but serious academic study is going on, but for sure this was the town. Another touristic addition to the already abundant historical heritages the country prosses.

Some of stuctures found sub mergded

THE LOST METROPOLIS OF RHAPTA For years, the 'lost city' of Rhapta haa baffled scholars, divers, and archaeologists. The city of Rhapta is mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy the Greco-Egyptian writer, in his work 'Geography', dating back to 50 AD.It was described as Africa's first metropolis and a trading hub for tortoiseshell and metal weapons.It was one of the wealthiest cities of its time. But little has been added to Rhapta's story since its disappearance more than 1,600 years ago.Its location has not yet been firmly identified, although there are a number of candidate sites.

THE RIGHT LOCATION? Ptolemy's text describes an account of Diogenes, a seaman on the India trade, blown off course who visited Rhapta.A German explorer also visited Mafia Island in the early 1890s and mapped the island. The map mentions the Portuguese fort as having been washed away by the sea. 'For several years we have been looking for the fort in this area without success,' Mr Sutton said.'Its location is not questionable if one relies on the Roman document, put at Lat. 7.7 south and at the sailable river,' added Professor Chami.

“ 16. Two days' sail beyond, there lies the very last market-town of the continent of Azania, which is called Rhapta; which has its name from the sewed boats (rhapton ploiarion) already mentioned; in which there is ivory in great quantity, and tortoise-shell. Along this coast live men of piratical habits, very great in stature, and under separate chiefs for each place. The Mapharitic chief governs it under some ancient right that subjects it to the sovereignty of the state that is become first in Arabia. And the people of Muza now hold it under his authority, and send thither many large ships, using Arab captains and agents, who are familiar with the natives and intermarry with them, and who know the whole coast and understand the language.

“ 17. There are imported into these markets the lances made at Muza especially for this trade, and hatchets and daggers and awls, and various kinds of glass; and at some places a little wine, and wheat, not for trade, but to serve for getting the good-will of the savages. There are exported from these places a great quantity of ivory, but inferior to that of Adulis, and rhinoceros-horn and tortoise-shell (which is in best demand after that from India), and a little palm-oil.” Periplus Maris Erythraei

From Cultural Tourism Enterprises

Uyole Cultural Tourism Enterprises

ZIWA NGOSI(NGOSI CRATER LAKE)

Ngosi ni ziwa la kreta (crater lake) lipatikanalo Mkoa wa Mbeya kwenye milima ya Uporoto, Wilaya ya Rungwe lipo katika nyuzi 9.008°Kusini na 33.553°Mashariki, ni ziwa la pili kwa ukubwa barani Afrika katika crater lake baada ya lile lililoko nchini Ethiopia.Hata hivyo, wataalamu wanasema kwamba Ziwa Ngosi lina sifa za kipekee linazolitofautisha na lile lililoko Ethiopia. Moja ya tofauti hizo ni kwamba

Ziwa Ngosi limezungukwa na milima na misitu minene tofauti na lile la Ethiopia ambalo liko eneo lililo wazi na hufikika kwa urahisi kabisa kwa gari kitu ambacho hakiwezekani kwa Ziwa Ngosi. Wataalamu wanasema kwamba kuwepo kwa ziwa hilo sehemu hiyo kunasaidia kuzuia milipuko ya mara kwa mara ya volkano kwa kuwa linasaidia kupunguza misukumo ya gesi inayojijenga chini na kuanza kutafuta upenyo wa kutokea chini ya ziwa.

Kitu cha kushangaza ni muonekano wa ziwa hili linakaribia kuwa na muonekano kama ramani ya bara la afrika pamoja na visiwa vyake kama ilivyo kule njombe ambapo kuna mwamba wenye ramani ya bara la Afrika unaitwa Lwivala, uliopo katika pori la hifadhi ya msitu Lwivala kijiji cha Igodivaha. Wilaya ya Njombe ziwa hili pia lina ingiza tu maji na hali toi maji kwa sababu liko katikati ya milima hivyo kuonekana kama liko shimoni alafu halina ufukwe.Ziwa hili linalopatikana katika Hifadhi ya msitu Uporoto (Poroto Ridge) yenye eneo la hekta 9,332 ipatikanayo karibu na vijiji vya Kisanga 4.3km Uyole (24.4km) na mji mdogo wa Tukuyu upatikanayo wilaya ya Rugwe. Yapo masimulizi mengi sana juu ya ziwa hilo la maajabu watu husema ziwa hili lilichomwa moto na wakazi wa kijiji cha Mwakaleli kwasababu lilikuwa likileta mikosi mingi kijijini hapo ikiwemo vifo vya mara kwa mara kwa watu na wanyama, Zipo imani miongoni mwa watu kuwa ziwa ngosi watu wanapotea kimazingara, Kuwapo kwa sauti za watu wasioonekana ndani ya misitu, wengine huamini huruhusiwi kuzungumza kinyakyusa, huruhusiwi kunywa maji wengine husema ziwa hilo limekuwa likigeuka rangi mara kwa mara na kuwa na rangi za kijani, bluu, nyeusi na nyeupe kitu ambacho kinawafanya waamini kuwa ziwa hilo sio la kawaida. (tulikunywa maji pia tulizungumza kinyakyusa mpaka leo hatujaudhurika)


Names of Indian Ocean fish in Kiswahili

Kambakoche Kamba Janja

MsusaPalaweGongola

ChewaKowana Ngisi

Ngisi


FROM OUR FILES

The photo shows the former South African President, Thabo Govan Mbeki, talking to Oliver Tambo (bespectacled) soon after the arrival of some black South African students’in Dar-es-Salaam in 1962. During the struggle for majority rule (against apartheid) in South Africa Tanzania was home to thousands of refugees from that country!

joseph mayuni

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