Tanganyika

TANGANYIKA. - Territory of southern Africa, which together with Ruanda and Urundi formed (from 1891)

German East Africa; it was later renamed with its current name by the English, to whom it was granted as a mandate in 1920 and as a United Nations trusteeship in 1946.

(by courtesy of the Missionary Fathers of the Consolata)
TANGANYIKA - The former pro-cathedral of Tosamaganga. In the background the new Cathedral. Apostolic vicariate of Iringa.

T. is more than three times the size of Italy (936,330 sq. km.) and extends between roughly 1° and 11° S., from Lake Victoria to Lake Nyasa, facing the Indian Ocean with a coastline of 850 km. It consists on the whole of a vast plateau (about 1,000-1,500 m. in height), with a tropical climate tempered by the relief, except on the coastal strip, which is moreover rather narrow (20-30 km. in depth). Rainfall, which increases from S. to N., is as a rule concentrated in the summer season, in the S. and in the center, and in two wetter periods, in the N., separated by two dry seasons. The country is for the most part covered by steppes and savannas, which give way to forests in the low coastal strip and to mountain pastures in the higher regions. Everywhere the large fauna of ruminants and feline carnivores is abundant, and the birdlife is very rich.

The country has substantial agricultural, forest (40% of the territorial surface) and mineral resources. The main products today are sisal agave, cotton, coffee and peanuts, to which are added not negligible quantities of rice, sesame, tea, etc. Livestock raising is flourishing (6.4 million head of cattle; 3.5 of sheep; 2.3 of goats, etc.), although the scourge of the tse-tse fly reduces its great possibilities. From the subsoil are extracted gold, diamonds, tin and mica; but the large reserves of coal near Lake Victoria are still untouched. Notable progress has been made in recent years in internal communications (2,600 km. of railways), which have given a strong impulse to trade, in which imports everywhere exceed exports.

The population (7.3 million inhabitants) is made up almost entirely of Bantu and Nilotic negroes, with Swahili on the coast; Europeans number about 20 thousand and Indians 45 thousand. It is divided into 8 provinces, of which the most densely populated are the southern ones. The urban centers are numerous, of which the most populous, Dar es Salaam (70 thousand inhabitants), on the coast S. of the Island of Zanzibar, is the seat of the government; Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika (25 thousand inhabitants), is the most important in the interior.

Giuseppe Caraci

EVANGELIZATION

Setting out from the island of Zanzibar, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit in 1867 began the mission of Bagamoyo in the territory of present-day T., founding schools and orphanages for the numerous young slaves who had been ransomed, and then a Christian village.

From 1877, with the founding of the station of Mhonda, a further extension of the mission into the north-eastern region of the territory began.

In 1878 the interior of the land near the great Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria Nyanza was entrusted to the White Fathers. Very great obstacles to effective missionary activity were the hunting of Black people and the influence of the Mohammedans, which was checked by the occupation on the part of Germany and by the creation of the colony of German East Africa in 1885. In 1887 the southern part of the coast was entrusted to the Benedictines of St. Ottilien. Then the missions were able to make great progress, above all through the systematic founding of schools. A setback to this progress was the rebellion of 1905, during which Msgr. Cassian Spiss, O.S.B. (St. Ottilien), apostolic vicar of southern Zanzibar, was slaughtered together with 2 brothers and 2 sisters, and many stations were destroyed. Another setback was the First World War: the Benedictines, because they were German, were expelled. They were succeeded, when the territory fell under an English mandate, by the Swiss Capuchins and the Swiss Benedictines. Moreover, the Missionaries of the Consolata (1922), the Passionists (1935), the Pallottines (1943), the Maryknoll missionaries (1950) and the Rosminians (1950) took charge of certain districts. On 25 March 1953 the ordinary hierarchy was established. Thus there are at present in the territory of T. 18 flourishing missions: BAGAMOYO, in 1906 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, now the diocese of Morogoro. BUKOBA, in 1929 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), now a diocese. DAR-ES-SALAAM, in 1887 an apostolic prefecture of southern Zanguebar, in 1902 an apostolic vicariate, in 1906 its present name, entrusted to the Capuchins. DODOMA, in 1935 an apostolic prefecture, entrusted to the Passionists, now a diocese. IRINGA, in 1922 an apostolic prefecture, in 1948 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the Missionaries of the Consolata of Turin, now a diocese. KAREMA, in 1946 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. KIGOMA, in 1880 a pro-vicariate of T., in 1887 an apostolic vicariate, in 1946 its present name, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. KILIMA-NJARO, in 1910 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, now the diocese of Moshi. MASWA, in 1946 an apostolic vicariate, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. MBEYA, in 1932 the mission of Tukuyu, in 1938 an apostolic prefecture, in 1949 an apostolic vicariate with its present name, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. MBULU, in 1949 an apostolic prefecture, entrusted to the Pallottines, now a diocese. MUSOMA, in 1950 an apostolic prefecture, entrusted to the Maryknoll Society. MWANZA, in 1894 an apostolic vicariate of southern Victoria Nyanza, in 1915 the name of Victoria Nyanza, in 1929 its present name, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. NDANDA, in 1931 an abbey "nullius", entrusted to the Benedictines of St. Ottilien. PERAMIHO, in 1913 the apostolic prefecture of Lindi, in 1927 an abbey "nullius", in 1931 its present name, entrusted to the Benedictines of St. Ottilien. LOWER KAGERA, an apostolic vicariate in 1951, now the diocese of Rutabo. TABORA, in 1887 the apostolic vicariate of Unyanembe, in 1925 its present name, entrusted to the White Fathers, now a diocese. TANGA, in 1950 an apostolic prefecture entrusted to the Rosminians. - See plate CXXII.

Giovanni Rommerskirchen.