British Online Archives HomeBBRITISH ONLINEARCHIVES
 

Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857–1965

  • Home
  • Collections
  • Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857–1965
Start your free trial
Sculpture of enslaved people dedicated to victims of slavery in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Records of the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa (UMCA)

We have more than one hundred & fifty of the people of this & neighbouring lands, living with us, calling me father, & receiving from us every day their food, an arrangement which must continue until next harvest
Bishop Mackenzie, Oct 1861,  The letters, journals of and material relating to Bishop Mackenzie c.1861-62; img 12

Access the full collection

Access the full archive of Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857–1965.

Institutional Free Trial

Start your free trial 

Register for a free 30-day trial of Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857–1965, for your institution.

Institutional Sales

Visit Sales Pagesell

For more information on institutional access, visit our sales page.

Single User License

Purchase a license below to view the full collection.

Already have a license? Sign in.

See how missionaries to Central Africa promoted Christianity

An Anglican Church that was located on the site of the former slave market.

The Universities’ Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) was an Anglican missionary society established in the late 1850s. In 1965 the UMCA merged with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) to form the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG). The main aim of these missionary societies was to spread Christian values and to convert people to Christianity.

This collection contains documents relating to the UMCA’s activities in Tanzania and Malawi during the period 1857–1965. The papers provide insights into the spread of Christianity in Central Africa through the personal accounts of missionaries, details of their competition with Muslim missionaries, and the process of translating the holy word into Swahili. Personal journals of Bishops show how missionaries tried to form connections with people in Tanzania and Malawi and the records include the names of some individuals who converted to Christianity.

There is also evidence of the mistreatment of native peoples under both British and German rule and the resistance to missionaries, seen in accounts of the Masasi Disaster. Slavery was still prevalent and there are numerous examples of this in the collection, as well as suggestions for how to treat both wives and enslaved women.

Contents

Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857–1965...

Records of the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa (UMCA)

Discover 
Illustration of enslaved people carrying timber in Unyamwezi region, Tanzania.

Highlights

Section of an article titled The Masasi Disaster, dated 1 January 1883.

Licensed to access 1883

The 1883 edition of Central Africa includes a report of the Masasi disaster, which occurred against the Wagwangwara tribe. Around forty Englishmen were captured.

Front page of a document titled Synod and Conference 1906, listing various subjects of discussion suggested by the Bishop-designate.

Licensed to access The "Dini" Book and other items

The Dini Book is a religious knowledge book contains information about confirmations, marriages, and masses. This document also details the mistreatment of native peoples under both German and English rule and how it was justified by bishops.

Section of a typed document.

Licensed to access Correspondence of Bishop Trower and other miscellaneous material, 1881–1910, part 2

This document includes Bishop Trower’s personal correspondence containing newspaper clippings, financial accounts, and his reaction to bishop Mackenzie’s death. It also includes accounts of the presence of Muslim missionary activity.

Section of a handwritten list, numbered 20 to 25.

Licensed to access Letters and material relating to Dr. Steere part 1

This document includes written correspondence from Dr. Steere to slave traders in an effort to stop the trade by preaching his Christian values. It also includes written complaints concerning the sale of enslaved people.

Insights

  • The Central Africa magazine included descriptions of events that the missionaries had experienced. The Masasi Disaster, a conflict with the Wagwangwara tribe, is covered from image 7 of the 1883 edition.

  • Missionaries adopted a researcher's style of reporting, learning what they could from native peoples and sharing what they had learned in reports. These documents engaged with both tribes and the local Swahili language.

  • This collection includes Bishop Steere's journals between 1863 and 1868. These records name places that he passed through and describe native tribes that he heard of or saw, naming their leaders in some documents.

  • The “miscellaneous” items include the “Dini” book of religious teachings which describe the mistreatment of African people by the German rulers of East Africa. They also include a Decree against slavery by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1890.

View All Volumes 
lock_open

Unlock Historical Research for Your Institution

Provide your students and researchers with direct access to unique primary sources.

Start your free trial  Visit Sales Pagesell

Related Collections

View all Collections in Colonialism and Empire  
A tobacco plantation in Nyasaland. Two men stand under a shelter smoking pipes while a carriage drawn by long horned cattle, loaded with crates, sets off in to the distance.

Licensed to access Malawi Under Colonial Rule, in Government Reports, 1907–1967

1907   1967
British Foreign & Commonwealth Office logo
An image of a Māori statue, created by Māori people, who are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Behind the statue is a mountain range.

Licensed to access New Zealand & Polynesian Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1838–1958

1838   1958
Bodleian Library logo
The launch of the Missionary Ship The John Wesley at West Cowes, Isle of Wight, September 23rd 1846. People gather at the dock to watch the ship.

Licensed to access Colonial Women Missionaries of the Committee for Women's Work, 1861–1967

1861   1967
Bodleian Library logo
Female Elephant pursued with Javelins, protecting her young. Arrows are being thrown at the elephant by a crowd of people.

Licensed to access South Africa in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1819–1900

1819   1900
Bodleian Library logo
Back to Top