The other day I recalled a compelling New Year’s resolution from veteran journalist Jenerali Ulimwengu, shared in his weekly column in The East African some 15 years ago. He advised that every literate Bongolander should cultivate the habit of reading at least one book a month.
Such a habit, he argued, would amount to 12 books a year — a steady accumulation of knowledge capable of opening doors to a better world. I doubt many, including this writer, took the advice seriously; otherwise, the doors to a better Bongoland might already have been opened.
Perhaps this reluctance stems from a deeply rooted “fear of books” culture, where reading is often associated with passing examinations rather than acquiring knowledge or becoming agents of change.
Last month, however, I resolved to act on that advice. I chose A History of the Bena to 1914 (1999) by Prof Seth Chachage, translated into Swahili by Rev. Eliminate Lova. My choice was also personal — being a Mbena by tribe, I hoped to better understand my roots.
The well-researched 219-page book traces the history of the Bena over 300 years to 1914, drawing from early explorers’ writings, missionary records, archival materials and interviews with elders and traditional leaders. It reveals that the Benas are historically linked to neighbouring communities such as the Hehe, Sangu, Ngoni, Kinga, Pangwa and Nyakyusa, as well as people from Zambia and Malawi, largely due to migration.
Unlike some neighbours, the Benas neither conquered nor ruled others; instead, they were often subjected to foreign domination, particularly by the Hehe, Sangu and Ngoni. When the Germans arrived, the Benas initially welcomed them, hoping for relief — but this only ushered in another form of oppression through taxation, forced labour and the rule of Akidas.
This marked a turning point. Alongside other communities, the Benas joined the Maji Maji uprising (1905–1907), resisting colonial exploitation. German policies had imposed cotton and coffee farming, forced labour under harsh supervision and punitive taxes such as the Hut and Head taxes.
The brutal enforcement — including arrests, floggings and widespread abuses — together with the imposition of foreign cultural norms, fuelled widespread resistance. The uprising spread rapidly from the Rufiji basin to the Southern Highlands, reaching Ungoni, Upangwa and Ubena by September 1905.
This, in brief
