Stories

There would not have been Mangi Meli without his father, Mangi Rindi. With a clear understanding of the events that saw Mangi Meli taking over the leadership of Moshi, we will be able to understand his times, triumphs, and tragedies.

The father of Mangi Meli was Mangi Rindi Mandara. He was the most Illustrious ruler of Kilimanjaro, a warrior and a willy politician who mastered the art of playing one outside power against another, and the ablest diplomatist known to the outside world (Germany, England, Arabia, Greece, China, Inner Centre Africa, and Zanzibar) from Central East Africa region of Kilimanjaro both in his lifetime and through writers after his death.

He was the creator of Moshi/Oldmoshi. Before him, Moshi was an obscure collection of individual clans without strong leadership and no central governance. He did all this in a space of 30 years with some brief interruptions in the early 1870s.

Why is he remembered?

In early 1888 he heard of the advent and predicament of the Germans on the coast and seemed to have no liking for the prospect of coming under German rule. In order to avoid this, he superficially flew the flag of the Sultan of Zanzibar who claimed to be a sovereign of all East Africa.

Meanwhile, Dr. Karl Peters and Dr Karl Juhnkle(two German Fakers) have been going on all over the mainland of Tanganyika falsifying treaties despite the fact that General Matthew, the Commander of the Sultan’s force visited Kilimanjaro and met Rindi in 1888 to confirm the alliance between Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro. The Germans then established a protectorate over Tanganyika including Kilimanjaro the same year using false treaties.

The 1st few years were a little peaceful because the Germans were not in a position to enforce order, being mainly occupied with suppression of rebellion along the coast. Once the job on the coast was done , they turned their guns into the hinterland.

In Kilimanjaro, it was Kibosho which was taken first on the autumn of 1890, Moshi avoided the guns due to Rindi’s diplomacy and also because he was ill and could hardly move.

The end of an era was coming . Mangi Rindi after seeing his rival,Mangi Sina being humbled by the Germans and the Moshi soldiers , he spent his time advising his successor and talking to the Elders (Wachili/ Morenja) .

He carefully selected Kiusa who would later be known as Mangi Meli upon his ascension. Rindi was a man with the capacity to foresee upcoming events so he carefully argued the Elders(Wachili) of Moshi to guide Kiusa and he should align himself with the missionaries in a bid to study the ways of the foreigners. Wars and confrontation should be avoided at all costs and if necessary fought once there is a united front in all Kilimanjaro.

By the Autumn of 1891, Rindi’s illness escalated. He spent the last few weeks of his life reciting poetry to the warriors and Elders(Wachili). Here is one of his PROPHETIC poems, he recited it every day during the last 10 days of his life.

“”” “Woe Me, Woe me,This is my fate,You men.!

I see the bull slaughtered,You heroes.

I see his skin holds only sorrows.

The skin will be stretched with pegs.

The skin will be stretched out like a lizard.”

“Once I fled to Mangi Ndetea,

Then I was told he was dead.

I fled to my mother, the dear one, who tended me, the loving one.

Then I was told Mamchaki too is dead.

Now I have none to whom I can weep in my sorrow.

Now I know none to whom I can lament my misery. “

“Now I lament to you, You old ones.

To you I lament sorrow and pain.

Now help me to bewail sorrow.

Now the distress is mine, Woe clings to me.

But I foresee It will be yours.”

“I leave my home, the Pain will remain with you.

I’m weary, the bull is ready to be slaughtered!

But you will be tied down with pegs so that you cannot move as you wish.

I’m going home to meet my ancestors.” “”””””

Then One of the Elders, a Morenja asked him “Why are you saying these things?”. Mangi Rindi replied, “the Cloud that has covered the whole land is ready to go home, You will be exposed, Woe unto you my people , I am leaving you, I am going home”, He then added ” You must guide KIUSA as I have told you before”.

The Great Mangi died 6 days later succumbing to the illness at the end of the Autumn of 1891. Moshi/Old Moshi suffered physically and psychologically from his absence. Old Moshi would not recover from this loss to this very day. Everything about his death and burial were a tight kept secret. Nobody knows his resting place.

Mangi Rindi’s final days saw him preoccupied with his state of Moshi more than the rest of Wachagga at large. He wished for the sovereignty of his people to be respected. The dark long night of long knives started in Moshi for the power struggle despite the fact that Mangi Rindi made it clear that it will be KIUSA who would take over the seat of leadership.

Mangi Rindi life and times present to us a good example of the etiquette and daily life of an African ruler who was ahead of his times. In the whole of Central East Africa there’s none to rival his diplomatic skills and bravery.

His son , Kiusa who would later be known as Mangi Meli upon his ascension rose up at the back of the shadows of his father, the Great King. The terrain of political powers in Kilimanjaro had already changed and the long knives of treason were out to get him from within Moshi/Oldmoshi and from the next neighbouring states of Marangu and Kibosho and from the Germans.