Mpwapwa
Encyclopedia
Mpwapwa is a market town, in the Dodoma Region
of Tanzania
.
. It has long been an important educational town, with the oldest teachers' training college in Tanzania (Mpwapwa TTC) and a secondary school dating back to the turn of the century that was originally called the central primary school. This was the only school for local residents who would form the work force for the colonial administration. The school was renovated during colonial rule to become a secondary school for boys. The school had the first African secondary school headmaster in the country, Mr Matthew Ramadhani, a Zanzibari, who died in an underground (subway) accident in the UK while on a study tour. Mpwapwa had one of the oldest veterinary research institutes in Tanzania, at Kikombo, which was later moved to Temeke
in Dar es Salaam
in the late 1950s. Mpwapwa was a resting post for the reporter/explorer Henry Morton Stanley
, where he is believed to have etched a note (in remembrance of W. L. Farquhar) on a rock that is still present near the Anglican missionary Cathedral (All Saints') at Ving'hawe. The district is populated by the Gogo (ethnic group)
ethnic group in the center and north, and the Hehe ethnic group in the south bordering Iringa region. It is located at 06°21′0"S 36°29′0"E, with a population of about 40,000 serving an area about the size of Wales.
While traditional ways abound with the fabric of society still enriched by a strong embodiment of the predominant Gogo culture, the district is pretty cosmopolitan in its population. Several tribes have made Mpwapwa their home, like the Bena, Nyasa and a few Chaga. The south is populated by the Hehe and the eastern region by the Kaguru.
station approximately 12 miles south of Mpwapwa town. On June 24, 2002, the Igandu train disaster
occurred along the central line at Igandu
station close to Dodoma town when a runaway passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled downhill into a stationary goods train, killing 281 people, the worst railroad accident in Tanzanian history; many of the injured were treated at the small district hospital in Mpwapwa town. This hospital was opened in 1964 at the behest of the first member of parliament, Ali Saidi Mtaki. He was instrumental in rebuilding the current downtown shortly before independence. Kongwa, a nearby town, had all the amenities left behind after the failed groundnuts scheme in the late forties and early fifties. During the project, Kongwa had a robust European community with schools and paved roads, the remnants of which can be seen in Kongwa today. After independence, Mtaki managed to bring the main electrical power station to Mpwapwa and the current hospital. The hospital was opened in 1964 by Saidi Maswanya, who was then minister of health.
Dodoma Region
Dodoma is one of the regions of Tanzania. The region covers an area of 41,310 km² and has 1,698,996 inhabitants . The region is the 12th region of Tanzania in area and covers about 5% of the mainland of the country . The capital of the region is the city of Dodoma.The region produces beans, seeds,...
of Tanzania
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...
.
Overview
It is one of the oldest colonial districts in Tanzania, boasting local German colonial government headquarters, or bomas, in the early 1890s, and British administrative offices after World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It has long been an important educational town, with the oldest teachers' training college in Tanzania (Mpwapwa TTC) and a secondary school dating back to the turn of the century that was originally called the central primary school. This was the only school for local residents who would form the work force for the colonial administration. The school was renovated during colonial rule to become a secondary school for boys. The school had the first African secondary school headmaster in the country, Mr Matthew Ramadhani, a Zanzibari, who died in an underground (subway) accident in the UK while on a study tour. Mpwapwa had one of the oldest veterinary research institutes in Tanzania, at Kikombo, which was later moved to Temeke
Temeke
Temeke District is the southernmost of three districts in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with Kinondoni located to the far North of the city, and Ilala being located in the downtown of Dar es Salaam. To the East is the Indian Ocean and to the South and West is the Coastal region of Tanzania. The 2002...
in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
in the late 1950s. Mpwapwa was a resting post for the reporter/explorer Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
, where he is believed to have etched a note (in remembrance of W. L. Farquhar) on a rock that is still present near the Anglican missionary Cathedral (All Saints') at Ving'hawe. The district is populated by the Gogo (ethnic group)
Gogo (ethnic group)
The Gogo are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in the Dodoma Region of central Tanzania. In 1992 the Gogo population was estimated to number 1,300,000...
ethnic group in the center and north, and the Hehe ethnic group in the south bordering Iringa region. It is located at 06°21′0"S 36°29′0"E, with a population of about 40,000 serving an area about the size of Wales.
While traditional ways abound with the fabric of society still enriched by a strong embodiment of the predominant Gogo culture, the district is pretty cosmopolitan in its population. Several tribes have made Mpwapwa their home, like the Bena, Nyasa and a few Chaga. The south is populated by the Hehe and the eastern region by the Kaguru.
Transport
Mpwapwa is a fairly mountainous area and takes many hours to travel by car from north to south along the dirt roads that serve the district. The one-time well-kept main road north from Mpwapwa town to Kongwa eventually links to the tarmac road that connects Dar es Salaam to Dodoma. The central line, the railroad from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma and western Tanzania passes directly through Mpwapwa District, at GulweGulwe
- Transport :Gulwe is a station on the Central Railway of Tanzanian Railways.It is the railhead for Mpwapwa....
station approximately 12 miles south of Mpwapwa town. On June 24, 2002, the Igandu train disaster
Igandu train disaster
The Igandu train disaster was an accident which occurred during the early morning of the 24 June 2002 in the East African country of Tanzania when a large passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled backwards down a hill into a stationary goods train, killing 281 people in the worst rail...
occurred along the central line at Igandu
Igandu
- Transport :Igandu has a station on the Central Railway of Tanzanian Railways. It is near the site of the disastrous Igandu train disaster....
station close to Dodoma town when a runaway passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled downhill into a stationary goods train, killing 281 people, the worst railroad accident in Tanzanian history; many of the injured were treated at the small district hospital in Mpwapwa town. This hospital was opened in 1964 at the behest of the first member of parliament, Ali Saidi Mtaki. He was instrumental in rebuilding the current downtown shortly before independence. Kongwa, a nearby town, had all the amenities left behind after the failed groundnuts scheme in the late forties and early fifties. During the project, Kongwa had a robust European community with schools and paved roads, the remnants of which can be seen in Kongwa today. After independence, Mtaki managed to bring the main electrical power station to Mpwapwa and the current hospital. The hospital was opened in 1964 by Saidi Maswanya, who was then minister of health.