A CRITIQUE OF MAJI MAJI: LIFTING THE FOG OF WAR

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The Maji Maji Rebellion which took place in Tanganyika between the years 1905-1907

and resulted in over 10,000 deaths is perhaps one of the worst atrocities committed by the

German colonialism. However, due to a shortage of historians in the Southern part of

Tanganyika, little relocation of events that took place during the war went down histories books.

However, decades later, after Tanzania gained independence, different scholars and historians,

including the Dar es Salaam School of historiography, tried to give an interpretation of the events

surrounding the war based on the assumptions made on different missionary writing, colonial

reportage and Africa Oral History. However, it was not until the turn of the millennium that a

comprehensive book that gives an account of what transpired during the Maji Maji war. Several

conferences were held between 2001 and 2007 under the leadership of James Giblin and Jamie

Monson, who are the editors of this book and which brought together nine other authors from

Europe, North America, and Africa. The result of these conferences and joint research is the

book Maji Maji: Lifting the Fog of War.

The two authors, that is, James Giblin and Jamie Monson, have been actively involved in

the research about the Maji Maji rebellion since the 1960s and 1970s when the first literature

about the war was written. The other authors were also active participants in the research about

African history, and some of them begin their research as early as the 1950s, making the volume

Maji Maji: Lifting the Fog of War a rich collection of experience1. But even more important than

the author's experience is the subject that the book seeks to address. For many years, the Maji

Maji war has been thought of as a resistance movement that was supposed to rebel against the

colonial. In as much as the movement like many other movements and formation that were

taking place in Africa at that time was meant to resist the colonial rule, the Maji Maji War had a

set of unique characteristics that made it different from other movements as the book points out.
1
James & Monson. Maji Maji: Lifting the Fog of War. Brill, 2010, 11
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The war brought about members of more than 20 ethnic communities who tried to fight the

colonial administration through a medicine known as water or maji in the local dialect.

Allegedly, as the editors claim, this medicine had the power to make its followers invisible to the

white men and turn the white man weapons or guns into water.

Giblin and Monson try to paint a picture of confusion and anxiety during the war. They

link the term "fog" to a state of ignorance brought about by propaganda and fear. The war was

started and propelled by rumors. This truth can further be reinforced when the editors later on the

book say that the African fighters discovered that the Maji Maji could not save them from the

white man2. At the beginning of the book, the editors attempt to make the record straight by

describing historical events of the war by comparing different narratives amongst historians and

analysts. The introductory part of the book, which is left for Moson and Giblin, tries to give a

summary of the views of the other authors and coming up with a common theme that summaries

the views from the different authors.

Perhaps what makes the book outstanding is how the views of the different authors

harmoniously contribute towards establishing a common theme for the book. In the second

section, which follows the introduction by the two editors, Moyd and Sunseri further reinforce

the concept of fear and anxiety by showing how the business of hunting and ivory trading helped

to spread the false information of this medicine referred to as maji. In the subsequent sections

that are the third and fourth sections of the book, Schmidt and Mapunda bring a new twist to the

narrative by introducing the concepts of regions. Here the two authors focus on the war at

Ungoni and later Ngindo. Similarly, the two authors also introduce the theme of confusion and

anxiety and little information when they talk of the region of Ngindo where very little is known

of.
2
James & Monson, 65.
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The primary reason for writing this book was to build on the body of knowledge, which

already existed from previous literature, by coming up with a comprehensive book that gives

complete information about Maji Maji war3. While this may seem like a little task, it may prove

to be complicated owing to the scarcity of information and contradicting narratives about the

topic. The editors, however, excel in accomplishing this task by creating a link from the different

narrative and showing how these narratives all contribute to building their theme. The two

editors are also aware of the needs of the audience by trying to communicate in a language that is

fairly easy to understand. While the historical events that took place in this book are over a

century old, the editors of this book did a good job of trying to explain the events in a language

that would be most understandable to the 21-century audience. James Giblin and Jamie Monson

also excel in the use of language through the use of different stylistic devices such as similes,

metaphors, and repetition. One such example used in the book is a metaphor when the editors

compare fog used in the title of the book to a state of confusion, fear, and anxiety.

However, there are some areas in the book which portray areas that the editors ought to have

done better or points of weakness. While it may be claimed that the authors of this book did

a remarkable job in trying to combine different narratives to unearth discoveries and insight

about the war, they did very little in differentiating between the new approach and the old

nationalistic approach. It would also help if the authors had gone further and explained the

difference between the present way of life in Tanzania and the one which was present when the

historical event that was taking place at the time of war. Besides, the Maji Maji revolution was

3
Alexander De Juan, “Extraction and Violent Resistance in the Early Phases of State
Building,” Comparative Political Studies 49, no. 3 (September 2015): pp. 291-323,
https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414015617962)
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an African affair, and the editors would have included more African authors, given that the

majority of the authors were from North America and Europe.

The editors of MajiMaji: Lifting the Fog of War do a remarkable job in providing a more

in-depth insight into the events surrounding the war. The fact that the book was written by nine

authors, all of whom are very experienced in Africa history, gives the book more credibility. The

striking thing about the book, however, is how the editors use different narratives from different

authors and source to come up with new insights about the war while using simple and clear

language that any audience can understand.

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Bibliography

Giblin, James, and Jamie Monson. Maji Maji: Lifting the Fog of War. Brill, 2010.

Juan, Alexander De. “Extraction and Violent Resistance in the Early Phases of State Building.”

Comparative Political Studies 49, no. 3 (September 2015): 291–323.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414015617962.