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Contents : Two missionary accounts of famine in East Africa: Famine in Ungoni by Simon Trossmann in Southern Deutsch Ost Afrika Starvation in Machakos by Mrs. Stuart Watt in British East Africa. Photograph right: Peramiho mission, Ungoni.

The text below can be read in the original German at Anno 3 and my thanks are due to 'mhudi.de' for the material. I have prepared this text in English, not being a trained linguist, in a spirit of rash and precocious understanding perhaps from an unseemly haste which drives me to do more than I should. Certainly, all the errors in the work are mine alone, and should someone feel able to correct any, I would be obliged to that person beyond what words can express.

1.Famine in Ungoni.(1)
By P. Simon Trossman, O.S.B. (Order of Saint Benedict)
Source: Mission sheets, Bd. XI, No. 8, 05,1907, 114-116.

The rebellion in German East Africa has ended, but in its wake there was wretchedness and misery, which has still not yet been alleviated. It is the ordinary people who at first took part of themselves not at all, and later only under coercion, who now have to bear most of the consequences. Hunger is quite often a consequence of wars and so it is here. The same is true here in Ungoni, among a people, who otherwise never experienced such hunger in this fertile land which so abundantly supplies life's sustenance, that a person, had he known it in previous times, would go mad looking at the picture presented by the land now. Possibly the war has mostly ended since the beginning of 1906, but martial law has been maintained in certain parts until the past April and May. During these months, which might have been most suitable for cultivation, the people have been unable to till their fields; afterwards, moreover, the people were again prevented from cultivating their fields by the auxiliary soldier who, quite often acting on his own, and even after the ending of the war, pursued them, and never let the people live in peace. Finally those, who had received some grain, kept more from the same than had been bought, because at the time there was still much of the army to cater for in the country. So it came about that the harvest was eaten up in the preceding years quite soon and early. By October 1906 a large increase in price everywhere was already noticeable. The situation at that time had not yet become that bad, because in the Matengo area beside Lake Nyasa there had been a very productive harvest and the people went there and bought what was needed. Later, however, this country was barred by the government and the supplies therein of their own were bought up for the military and so, now, the source has petered out.

The people seized by hunger, only have a few greens in the valleys. The majority of the people now live on grasses only. Early, a woman and child drag themselves outside onto the field or into the wilderness and look for food, much the same as dearly beloved cattle. A special kind of grass is discovered, its roots are excavated, but which prove, however, to be very bitter. The root must be cooked three times, before it can be pass through into the stomach. Nowadays, one sees whole basketfuls of flowers, which they gather from a plant and which are similarly prepared to be taken by mouth. The women spend the larger part of the day in order to find just enough that will keep away death from hunger. Others, especially the men, search for nests of caterpillars on trees; like squirrels, but with less speed and strength, they still climb up the trees for a bite to eat of this many-footed creature. Unfortunately all the nests have already been consumed. Rats, mice or other smaller creatures are extremely welcome to them. Thus, also, kitchens in Wangoni are very meagre, and in keeping with every economy in the home the pigs usually have better fodder than do these poor people. Moreover, if someone offers small children a handful of maize, their hunger is so acute that the hard grains are immediately thrust into the mouth. What however are the consequences of this starved existence? When the body does not have the necessary food any more, then in the long run it must surely succumb. Now these bad times have already gone on for three months. Whoever decides to go on a tour among the Wangoni and visit their huts, can convince himself that this is true. The children, whose requirement for strength-giving food is greater, are usually wasted into a skeleton, and particularly so the older infant. A person might ask himself , how it must all yet sadden their existence. Bigger ones have a bloated abdomen, despite the skinniness, caused by the unusual diet. Consequently, there is a large infant mortality. Older people, who gnaw away at a cloth out of hunger, present an exactly opposite picture: they look as if they had had their bowels taken away. Since the loss of strength with them has begun even without this as a result of age, then it is merely hastened on by the lean food, and only death can rescue them from it any more, and their suffering also. So the population decreases, and the sum of those who are exposed to death from hunger only depends on the duration of a critical period.

The survivors make a sad impression and arouse the pity of the missionaries in the highest degree. No joy in life can be observed, not even among the young otherwise so cheerful. They sit in front of their huts, and in front of their empty pots, staring melancholically into space. If one engages in conversation, it inevitably revolves around a few words, and the word 'njaa' (hunger), and from all sides one hears cries of 'njaa'. One is entreated not out of habit, but being driven by hunger to it. Even during instruction preparatory to receiving holy baptism with such-like who are going to encounter death, it is hard to keep their mind focused on God and the holy teachings, since in the middle of the lesson they interrupt with words similar to: I believe everything that you say to me, but -- -" njaa ",- the hunger.

A further consequence of hunger is the migration and this is to be regretted when it is close to the mission, because the missionary cannot sanction this. Whoever still has any prospect left of bettering his condition elsewhere moves away from his home-ground. Either the man goes and leaves the woman and child behind or he takes the whole family carrying all their belongings on their head. They trek mostly for 3-4 days and set themselves down at Nyassa, where mohogo and other food is still to be had. Thus it comes about that whole villages and sections of the population move out. Several of these migrants have already died while on the journey or in the bush; some of our Christians, also, have already met their end similarly, in this way, the flock of the mission is scattered, and one can hardly bring them together for lessons or for the service which, rightly, is all the more necessary now, since they have missed all instruction for over a year because of the absence of missionaries. That all this misery, the suffering of which the missionary sees daily, he also feels most acutely, and that he strives with strength to alleviate the need, is self-evidently clear. "The children yearn for bread and there is nobody to break it for them " (2). These words of the prophet Jeremiah apply literally now to our local children also, and for the sake of these starving children who have committed no crime, the missionary tries in any way possible to ease the need, yes, these children who also possess something lovely here, the children, who are the joy of the missionary, and the hope of a future Christian generation, cannot leave one's heart untouched by pity. Already therefore, daily since November, from the mission in Peramiho (3) the poor, and especially the children, are administered grain.

Admittedly not everyone can be satisfied, because whole crowds come, and when one imagines that they have been seen to, then, on the following days still more present themselves. They come forward with a small basket, many already tottering and limping out of weakness. Despite the sad things it by no means misses out on more cheerful little stories. Thus several weeks ago a boy came daily, who is portrayed in the book, "Before the Storm", on page 146, as 'a Peramiho school-boy', and said with full conviction: 'nitakufa juma nyingine' - I will die the next week. When one reassured him, that he was still completely healthy, he persisted in his assertion: "I will die". We frequently asked him afterwards, jokingly, how long he had yet to live, and the answer was always: "Until next week “, and so he still lives today. Since the duration of the famine depends on the harvest, we have given to our Christians and also Catechists over 100 loads of corn as seeds, as where will the harvest come from, if nothing is sown, and how can it be sown, if no seed is available? We can only certainly provide for our immediate existence, because the stores at the mission also, which likewise can be relied on for 2-3 days long, once again draws to an end. Recently, we sent a co-brother out to purchase additional food, in order to control the increasing need, but the prospects are very unfavorable, as it becomes scarce and dear.

Among other bad influences, the rain this year has been absent for an uncommonly long time or falls very sparsely, and if it were to fail yet again, then the future will be altogether exceedingly bleak. The heathen Wangoni are strengthened in their superstition even more. With the insurgency since some of the Wangoni were hung,(4) who were considered 'rainmakers', and while it is at present unusually dry, then the fault must lie in the fact that those men now no longer exist and others do not yet understand this profession. We have to be grateful for the provision for our Christians and the poor of the neighbourhood, that in the vicinity of the mission the people who are still most numerous can value it, and also learn ever more about the benefits of the mission, become attached it to ever more truly, and get to know the missionaries better and better. Thereby the seed for cultivating the shoots of the future is laid down. The faithful readers of these lines may obtain, however briefly, an overview of the sad situation of the people and the mission in Ungoniland, and by the same token, be encouraged into donating charitable gifts both, for the reconstruction of the ruins of Peramiho, and for the support of the needy, anticipating their reward from the Lord who said: " What least ye have done for my brother, ye did that for me."(5)

Notes:

2. Starvation in Machakos(1) by Mrs Stuart Watt in British East Africa.

"The country was also void of any kind of grain worth propagating. We had, therefore, obtained from various parts of the world small quantities of quick growing wheat seed which might be found suitable, and out of these we had discovered one species of Egyptian grain which seemed quite adapted to tropical conditions. A small plot of this corn was in full ear and the new fruit trees had just thrown out some succulent branches when there came a locusts upon the country, which blighted the high expectations we cherished and spoilt our prospects of obtaining comparatively inexpensive bread.

Never can we forget the day the locusts came. Out on the northern horizon we saw a cloud rising from the earth heavenwards, until it assumed almost alarming proportions...Some natives close by seemed apparently interested in the strange phenomenon, and calling them to us we enquired what it might be. With a gesture expressive of calamity, they replied, 'Ngie'(locusts!)(2).

Before we had ended our conversation with them, the huge living cloud had reached us and was soaring overhead. In a few minutes the entire heavens were covered by the passing myriads, and so dense was the mass that the midday sun was blotted out and the sky covered by a moving pall of blackness. The rushing sound of their wings was like the roaring of the sea in a mighty storm...

Soon the locusts touched the earth, and struck us on the faces and clung to our clothing. While we stood amazed at the descent of these aerial hosts, we found that the ground was actually covered by their bodies, and they were still falling in undiminished numbers until the ground was strewn with a seething, living mass several inches deep....

The scenes around our mission were appalling. Skeletons were tottering hither and thither with every bone and joint in their body exposed to view. No matter where one went corpses strewed the tracks. Little skeleton babies were found crying by the dead bodies of their mothers.

One day a tiny tot came toddling into our house scarcely able to put one foot past the other. It was not weeping - its weeping days were over, but the forlorn expression which rested on the thin little face can never be forgotten. Taking the baby I went out to see if I could find its mother. Yes!, there she lay, stark and stiff, two hundred yards from our station. We took the little one in, and placed it among the fifty or sixty we were endeavouring to support....

At that time the railway, which the Government was building from the Coast to Lake Victoria Nyanza, was thrusting out its long arm into the interior, at the rate of half a mile a day, with the aid of tens of thousands of Indian coolies who had been imported for work. This section of the line, which had cost the lives of so many Indians to build, for they died like flies in the early days of the construction, was now used in saving the lives of tens of thousands of native savages. Over the stretch of rails which had already been laid the Government brought up large quantities of Indian rice and opening free food depots at various forts in the country, distributed food to those wrecks of human beings who were able to reach the dispensing centres. Some reached the area of distribution too late, and soon passed away, while hundreds ravenously bolted the uncooked grain and immediately died, but withal many thousands of lives were saved. The train which the savages had called 'The great serpent', to whose advent they had attributed the famine, became, in the goodness of God, the means of their salvation.

Extract from ' In the Heart of Savagedom: Reminiscences of Life and Adventure During a Quarter of a Century of Pioneering Missionary Labours in the Wilds of East Equatorial Africa.' Watt, Rachel S. (1)(British). London: Marshall Brothers. 1912. 422p.

Notes:

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