Kinjikitile Ngwale
Encyclopedia
Kinjikitile "Bokero" Ngwale (died August 4, 1905) was a Tanzania
n medium
and a leader of the 1905–1907 Maji Maji Rebellion
against colonial rule in German East Africa
.
(then German East Africa, later Tanganyika
). In 1904, the then relatively unknown Kinjikitile disappeared from his home in Ngarambe, Matumbi
. He returned after a few days and said that he had been possessed by a spirit medium called Hongo, believed to take the form of a snake. Kinjikitile claimed to have communicated with the deity Bokera through the spirit Hongo. He encouraged his followers to overlook tribal differences and unite against the Germans. He told his followers that their ancestors had commanded him to lead a rebellion against the German colonial empire
. This helped start the Maji Maji Rebellion. Kinjikitile gave his people holy water ("maji") to protect them from German bullets. After a group of Matumbi attacked the home of a local official in July, 1905, Kinjikitile was arrested by German troops.
He was hanged on August 4, 1905 for treason. His brother continued in Kinjikitile's work and the rebellion continued until 1907, with over 100,000 killed. Present-day Tanzanians consider the failed rebellion to have been the first stirring of nationalism, and Kinjikitile "Bokero" Ngwale a proto-national hero.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
and a leader of the 1905–1907 Maji Maji Rebellion
Maji Maji Rebellion
The Maji Maji Rebellion, sometimes called the Maji Maji War, was a violent African resistance to colonial rule in the German colony of Tanganyika, an uprising by several African indigenous communities in German East Africa against the German rule in response to a German policy designed to force...
against colonial rule in German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
.
Biography
Kinjikitile was born in what is now TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
(then German East Africa, later Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
). In 1904, the then relatively unknown Kinjikitile disappeared from his home in Ngarambe, Matumbi
Matumbi
The Matumbi are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Lindi Region in southern Tanzania, on the banks of the Ruvuma River. In 1978 the Matumbi population was estimated to number 72,000 ....
. He returned after a few days and said that he had been possessed by a spirit medium called Hongo, believed to take the form of a snake. Kinjikitile claimed to have communicated with the deity Bokera through the spirit Hongo. He encouraged his followers to overlook tribal differences and unite against the Germans. He told his followers that their ancestors had commanded him to lead a rebellion against the German colonial empire
German colonial empire
The German colonial empire was an overseas domain formed in the late 19th century as part of the German Empire. Short-lived colonial efforts by individual German states had occurred in preceding centuries, but Imperial Germany's colonial efforts began in 1884...
. This helped start the Maji Maji Rebellion. Kinjikitile gave his people holy water ("maji") to protect them from German bullets. After a group of Matumbi attacked the home of a local official in July, 1905, Kinjikitile was arrested by German troops.
He was hanged on August 4, 1905 for treason. His brother continued in Kinjikitile's work and the rebellion continued until 1907, with over 100,000 killed. Present-day Tanzanians consider the failed rebellion to have been the first stirring of nationalism, and Kinjikitile "Bokero" Ngwale a proto-national hero.