Watafiti walioandika kuhusu mwanzo wa siasa Tanganyika kama Iliffe
wametegemea sana nyaraza za akina Sykes.
Katika nyaraza zile ambazo chanzo chake ni mswada wa Kleist alioandika
kabla hajafa mwaka wa 1949 amewataja wazalendo wote walioasisi AA.
Nimeeleza kuasisiwa kwa AA katika kitabu cha Abdul Sykes:
''In 1929 Kleist and some close friends, namely, Mzee bin Sudi, a Manyema
Ibrahim Hamis, a Nubi, Zibe Kidasi, Ali Said Mpima, Suleiman Majisu,
Raikes Kusi, Rawson Watts and Cecil Matola founded the African Association.
Kleist was the founding secretary. At that time the Governor of Tanganyika
was Sir Donald Cameron who was the administrator of the territory from
1925-1929.
Cameron was a liberal governor. Kleist was known to Cameron. Cameron
established the first Legislative Council and Indirect Rule in Tanganyika.
This liberal attitude of his greatly helped in the formation of the African
Association. But despite of this, the Association was warned not to indulge
in politics.
When the African Association was formed, already there were in existence
European and Asian Associations. In the Legislative Council Africans were
presented by a Catholic priest, Father Gibbons, who did not even live among
Africans but at Minaki Mission outside Dar es Salaam.
Abdulwahid remembered his father telling him the reasons for forming the
Association:
''At that time there were two Associations existing. There was the European
Association and the Indian Association. Both these were concerned with their
own nationalities.
But the Africans had no such Association to defend them. In the Legislative
Council the Africans were represented by a white missionary named Father
Gibbons, who worked at Minaki Mission several miles outside Dar es Salaam.
But in reality this European did not establish any connections with the Africans
whom he represented. For that reason the Africans, feeling unrepresented
and having no Association similar to that of the Europeans and Asians for
securing their rights, met and decided to form their own Association.[1]
The initiative to form an association of Africans free from organised religious
and tribal affiliations was a move against the established norms.
Although the Association had the support of Governor Donald Cameron
and was registered as a welfare association, missionaries cautioned Christians
not to involve themselves with the organisation as it would eventually lead to
politics against the state: ‘Christians were often warned by the missionaries
not to get themselves involved in any movements that were challenging
the government’.''
[1] Buruku, op. cit. p.101 (Daisy Abdulwahid Sykes)
Wanamajlis,
Ukimsoma Yericko Nyerere anakuja na majina katika AA sisi wazawa wa Dar
es Salaam hatujapata kuyasikia ya ''Mvuvi wa Azania,'' na ''Mpiga Filimbi
wa Hamelin,'' si hao wazee wala watoto wao hata kuona nyumba walizoishi.
Mimi binafsi nawajua wajukuu wa Mzee bin Sudi, Ibrahim Hamisi, Said
Mpima, akina Zibe Kidasi ni ukoo maarufu akina Watts hawa ni kutoka
Tanga na mwanae Dr. Watts alikuwa mganga maarufu Tanga nk.
AA iliasisiwa 1929 na si 1927 na waasisi walikuwa watu maarufu Dar es Salaam
kutoka koo za Kimanyema, Kinubi na Kizaramo.
No comments:
Post a Comment