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As already mentioned in the short review of the origins of the African press, the Anglican missionaries were the pioneers of Tanzanian print media production.

Therefore, it is rather astonishing that the first German mission paper only appeared in 1904. The „Evangelisch-Lutherische Mission zu Leipzig”

(Evangelical-Lutheran Mission of Leipzig) had already been in German East Africa for 14 years when Mbuya ya Vandu Veu (The Friend of the Black People) was published in Moshi. Written in dialects of the Chagga language, it appeared at irregular intervals until 1914 (cf. Schnee 1920, p. 99).

In October 1905, a Shambala monthly called Mkoma Mbuli (The Storyteller) was launched by the „Evangelische Missionsgesellschaft für Deutsch-Ostafrika”

(Evangelical Missionary Society for German East Africa) in Tanga. Editor Röhl reproduced the newssheet with a type-writer. It is believed that Mkoma Mbuli ceased publication in 1914 (cf. Lemke 1929, p. 41).

Adopting the ideas of their theorist Gustav Warneck, the Lutheran missionaries were convinced that the country’s vernaculars should be utilised to propagate their belief. This was just the opposite of the language policy pursued by the administration and the Roman Catholics. But when isolation threatened their work, the Protestant missions decided to rethink their attitude and, consequently, favoured the spread of the Swahili.

This consideration was taken into account when the Evangelical missionary societies resolved to launch a joint Protestant Swahili paper at a meeting in Halle/Saale on February 16^th 1909. The ulterior motive of the plan was to stem the circulation of the „godless“ Kiongozi (cf. Lemke 1929, p. 32). After nearly one year of preparations, in January 1910, the first issue of the monthly Pwani na Bara (Coast and Hinterland) came off the presses, and, until July, the paper was produced by the DOAR’s printing works. Then, the editor, Superintendent Klamroth, opened a Lutheran printing office in Dar es Salaam.

First and foremost, the paper aimed at „unobtrusive“ christianisation, and second, it tried to inform and entertain the indigenous readers (cf. ibid., pp. 32 - 33).

Moreover, as a side-effect, it introduced Kaiser Wilhelm II. and German customs.

A case in point is the following poem of Yakobo Ngombo praising the Kaiser’s birthday:

„Afrika furahi, mshukuru sana kaisari wee.

Baraka na amani kakupa kaisari yee.

Chuma pendo, umpende sana kaisari saa.

Dola yake ni kubwa, miji yote kaiwasha taa.

Eleza ya kale kama sasa yakufaa.

Fundisha watoto wako wapate kumtii.

Ginsi gani wafanya matata wala hutulii?

Hura! hura! mpigie, umwombee na uhai.

Itokeapo hatari, aikingaye ni yeye tai.

Jina lake la sifa na lenyi ufahari.

Kumbuka waasi, wafanyavyo ni kaisari.

Lazimu umwogope wala usimkosee.

Mheshimu sana na kodi umletee.

Nani aondoaye shida zako kila pahali?

Nguvu hizi ni za watu walio wakali.

Ona ujue, ya kwamba ni hii serikali.

Palipo na vita, aendaye ni yeye shujaa.

Raiya wote salama katuondolea mabaa.

Salamu, bwana wetu wee, baada ya salamu, Shujaa mkuu ndiwe, wote twakufahamu.

Tangu Bushiri na majimaji akusubutuye nani?

Umewatibu kwa nguvu wala huwezekani.

Vuruguvurugu waondoa kwa watu wakaidi.

Wakristo mwombeeni maisha, aishi zaidi.

Yee, Mwungu azidi kumpa nguvu na uzima, Ziondelewe shida zote za hapa Afrika daima.”¹³ (Pwani na Bara, Vol. 02, No. 01, January 1911, p. 1)

13 „Rejoice Africa, be very grateful to your Kaiser. Blessing and peace the Kaiser has given to you.

Gather love, now you should love the Kaiser very much. His empire is large, he has kindled light in every town. Describe the past and how useful it is now. Educate your children to obey the Kaiser. Why do they cause problems instead of being quiet? Hurrah! Hurrah! Applause, pray for his life. If there is danger ahead, he, the eagle, will stave it off. His name is glorious and full of pride. Remember rebels, your actions are against the Kaiser. It is necessary that you fear him but you should not misunderstand him. Pay honour and taxes to him. Who takes away your problems anywhere? It is the strength of strict persons. Look and take notice that this is the government. Where war rages, he, the hero, goes there. Every citizen is doing well, he has relieved us from mischief. Hail to you, great lord, and after the greetings, you are really the great hero, we all know you. Since Bushiri and Maji Maji (African riot which took place between the years 1905 and 1907, annotation of the author), who should measure his strength with you? You have cured them by force which is not impossible for you. You took away the confusion from selfish persons. Christians, pray for his life in order that he will live long. God may be willing to give him strength and health, all problems may disappear from Africa forever.“

When Klamroth travelled to Europe in October 1911, a missionary called Krelle took over the editorial office, and after the superintendent’s return to German East Africa in mid-1912, the post changed between them several times. From August 1912 onwards, Pwani na Bara appeared in new, more clearly arranged layout and supported the development of the Swahili by publishing vocabularies. At the beginning of 1914, the two-page supplement Mdogo wa „Pwani na Bara“ (The Child of „Coast and Hinterland“) was attached to the newspaper in order to separate religious from secular items. As a result, the paper’s print run increased to 2,000 copies (cf. Lemke 1929, p.

35).

A factor completely neglected by the missionary papers up to this stage was topicality. But when the First World War broke out in Europe, people became more and more interested in current affairs. As a result, on August 18^th 1914, Klamroth published a special edition dealing with the situation on the fronts, and, furthermore, a column was reserved for the latest telegrams from Europe in the following issues. Nevertheless, also Pwani na Bara became a victim of the war and disappeared in April 1916.

Considering the success of Lutheran newspaper production, the Roman Catholics had fallen behind. Therefore, a paper called Rafiki Yangu (My Friend) was published by the „Sanct Benedictus Missions Genossenschaft” (Saint Benedict’s Missionary Association) in 1910. Bishop Thomas Spreiter, a resolute advocate of the Swahili, was appointed the editor. Spreiter believed that the periodical would ensure the usage of the lingua franca among Catholic school-leavers, and through them it would be spread throughout their community (cf. Schäppi 1937, p. 209).

Figure 6: The monthly Pwani na Bara was the joint Swahili paper of the Lutheran missions in German East Africa (from Lemke 1929, Tafel 4).

Similar to other missionary publications, the religious contents of Rafiki Yangu were not conducive to the paper’s success. Consequently, Spreiter gave way to the market pressure and accepted secular items, too. As an alternative, he added a religious supplement called Mweleza (The Explicator) in January 1912. Apart from practical advices, e. g., health care, Rafiki Yangu also tried to entertain by telling anecdotes and jokes:

„Seit 1912 ist eine für die Eingeborenen wichtigsten Ecken in der Zeitung die Schnurren-Ecke, in der kleine Witze sowohl in Kisuaheli wie in deutscher Sprache erzählt werden. Daß diese Späße den primitiven Eingeborenen ebenso viel Freude machten wie die Rätsel-Ecken der anderen Zeitungen, ist wohl sicher.“¹⁴ (Lemke 1929, p.

39)

During the following years, the monthly was more and more accepted by the readership. It was distributed by 500 retail shops throughout German East Africa and gained a print run of at least 5,000 copies (cf. Lemke, p. 40). And because of the paper’s commitment to the spread of the Swahili, its production was supported by the administration (cf. Scotton 1972, p. 30).

In 1916, the First World War escalated in German East Africa, and the most important towns and regions of the territory were conquested by the Allies (cf.

Dülfer 1973, pp. 34 - 35). The press, still in its infancy, completely disappeared.

14 „Since 1912, one of the most important parts of the newspaper for the natives has been the drollery corner in which little jokes in Swahili and German language are narrated. Without doubt, these jests pleased the primitive natives just like the riddle corners in other papers.“

Figure 7: The Catholic paper Rafiki Yangu was utilised for the propagation of the Swahili (from Lemke 1929, Tafel 5).