Isaac Samuel
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An East African traveler's description of 19th century Germany.
🕑 Added 2024-09-15 13:20:06 +0000 UTC"I wandered around the city and saw women in it catching men and I thought: this city is the city of madmen, this is the end of the world, this is where you have come to get lost, Amur."
Africans had been exploring and traveling across the old world as envoys, merchants, and pilgrims since antiquity, but it wasn't until the 19th century that African travel writing became an established literary genre.
In 1891, the Swahili traveller Amur al-Omeri arrived in Germany where he would remain for about five years as a lecturer of Swahili in the school of oriental languages. Among the many compositions he left of autobiographic and ethnographic nature was a journal of his trip to Europe and the many sights of Berlin, including an encounter with the German chancellor Bismarck.
Amur's detailed account of the many curiosities he observed provides a fascinating account of an African's perception of Europe that inverts more popular narratives about the age of exploration.
This article reproduces the complete translation of Amur's trip to Germany from its original text in Swahili.
Swahili lecturer in Berlin, ca. 1911, collection of Carl Velten & Alice Carnwath. Rooftop view of Zanzibar, Tanzania, ca. 1936, Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek.
Brief background on Amour's life before his trip to Germany and some highlights from his text.
According to his autobiography, Amour bin Nassor al-Omeri (also written as Amur bin Nasur al-Omeri) was born in Zanzibar in 1869 to a wealthy Swahili widower and a less well-off man from Muscat. From the perspective of his European hosts, Amour would be "black" (as the German chancellor Bismark remarked about him) but Amour considered himself both Swahili and Arab. He studied in Zanzibar's schools and later served as a soldier in the Sultan's army when he encountered German and English soldiers whose countries were at the time vying for influence over the Zanzibar sultan's territories.
(Anthologie aus der Suaheli-Litteratur pg 149-155)
Through his contacts with the Germans, Amour met with Carl Reinhardt, the dragoman (translation officer) of the German consulate in Zanzibar, who was looking for African lecturers of the Swahili language and customs at the then-newly established School of Oriental Languages (SOL), where they'd teach German personnel serving in foreign countries. The first Swahili lecturer to be recruited was Sulaiman bin Said from Zanzibar, who also traveled to Berlin in 1889, but passed away just 15 months later. Amour was his successor, he made the trip to Berlin in September 1891, and stayed as a lecturer until his return to Zanzibar in 1895.
During this short stay, Amour composed an autobiography of his early life in Zanzibar, an ethnographic account of the Swahili of Zanzibar, as well as travelogue describing his journey and experiences in Berlin, all of which were written in Swahili, and would have been part of the reading material used by his students, such as Carl Velten. They were eventually published in their original Swahili in 1894 by Carl Gotthilf Büttner, a German Swahilist at the SOL.
(Mtoro bin Mwinyi Bakari by Ludger Wimmelbücker pg 32-34)
In the text, Amour reveals that he was motivated to come to Berlin primarily for employment, and, with some irony, relates his puzzlement about the sites of Berlin that he was shown by his companions. His account of Berlin is highly stylised, in a manner centring around the wonder he feels in observing the strange things happening in circuses, theatres, museums, zoos and pubs. While the text contains few negative anecdotes of Europeans (most likely because they were edited out just as in the account of Ham Mukasa's description of England, but also because he was writing for a European audience), Amour was appalled at the licentiousness of the women of Holland, which he says was inhabited by madmen.
Despite the rather positive description of Berlin, other evidence suggests that Nasur’s German experience was not quite so rosy. In his private correspondence, Nasur voiced dissatisfaction with Germany and its policies toward Africans, and expressed a longing for Zanzibar by chastising his German employers for delaying granting him his vacation, writing that "I have been completely removed from the habits of my homeland, my countrymen, and fellow religious believers, and been placed in a world that was originally wholly foreign to me". Contemporary German readers of Nasur's text were apparently amused by the criticism implied in the perspective that a foreigner had cast on their own society.
(Ordering Africa by Helen Tilley pg 134-135, Mtoro bin Mwinyi Bakari by Ludger Wimmelbücker pg 34)
Below is the complete translation of Amour bin Nassor's description of Berlin, i've retained some of the original Swahili words and terms. You can read the original text in; Anthologie aus der Suaheli-Litteratur by Carl Gotthilf Büttner, pg 156-170.
Safari Ya Berlin: 'A trip to Berlin'.
And this is the story of my trip to Berlin, which i will explain on this page. I, Amour bin Nassor al-Omeri , will first return to all the information relating to my trip to Berlin, Ulaya ya maJermani [ie; the 'Europe'/Capital of the Germans].
Before I left Unguja [Zanzibar], I said to my mother: Hama, If I am lucky, I will travel to Ulaya [Europe].
My mother said: "what are you going to do, my son? "
I told her: "I'm going to get to know people and look for a living".
Mother said: "Go my son, but do not forget us, or anything you leave here ".
I said: "no".
"Insha Allah Tala, then".
When I left, I said goodbye to my wife binti Rashidi, I said goodbye to my mother, and I didn't say goodbye to my neighbors or other people but these people. I boarded the ship that day. And the one who took me to the coast my grandmother Siyenn and my brother Khalid bin Mohammed; I slept even in the morning and we traveled until we got to Tanga at nine o'clock and we slept even when it dawned in the morning. We left and traveled even on the sixth day and saw Aden.
We entered its harbor in the afternoon, at the time of the alasiri prayer. I got off and took a cart to enter the city. I went to the market and the port where I saw Somalis: they are the ones who protect the customs. Aden is like Pangani: there are, as there, hills and large mountains. On the heights of the mountains, I saw cannons and people passing under the mountains.
On the seventh day we weighed anchor, and after five days we reached the Suez Canal. I went down to the city and saw the train, horses, and the Suesikanali [Pasha's palace]. I observed everything well. On the seventh day, we resumed our voyage, after a day and a half of sailing we entered a narrow stretch of water. This stretch of water was dug by the French from Suez to Port Said. The next day we reached this city; I went down to visit it and in the evening I saw pigs wandering the streets. I went into several shops and bought a hat. Then I rejoined the ship and slept until morning. We set sail again and after three days we came out into the sea of Stambuli [Istanbul]. After six days of sailing, we reached Ulaya wa Italia [Capital of the Italians]. I went down to see the city, I saw a big lighthouse and a high mountain from inside which smoke was coming out. (possibly Mt. Vesuvius, it appears in other contemporary African accounts of Europe). I asked what it was but I was told: "We don't know where this fire comes from, we always see it like this."
We left on the second day and traveled until the fifth day when we found a town and I asked: where is this? People told me: this is the city of the WaReno [Portuguese] called Luzboa [Lisbon] is the Capital of Ureno hun [Portugal]. I went down and saw the castle in the sea and in the port. I saw cars. In the end, I got on the boat and slept even in the morning.
We traveled for five days and we saw a city and I asked: which city is this? I was told: this city is the Capital of the WaHolandi [ie; Amsterdam, Holland]. I asked: what language do these people speak? I was told they speak like the MaDachi [Dutch] language, but these people are not Dutch, you know. We entered the city and I went down and went inside the city and I saw that the whole city is covered with rivers and I saw iron bridges, at the bottom boats pass and at the top, a train passes; I was very surprised by the news, it means that since my birth I have not seen news like that.
I wandered around the city and saw women in it catching men and I thought: this city is the city of wazimwi khasa [madmen], this is the akheri duniya [end of the world], this is where you have come to get lost, Amur. I went back to the ship and slept.
We left again for two days; even on the third day, we traveled until nightfall when we saw candles burning. I asked: where is that place where the light is shining? People told me: that is London, the Capital of the Wangereza [British]. I observed everything, even when it was dawn in the morning we saw buildings, but we didn't go down into the city. I also saw a ship that had sunk.
We went until we found a town and I asked: where is this? I was told that this is Hamburg, the city of the WaDachi [Dutch], this is our capital, you have arrived at port. [Hamburg was still an autonomous state within the German empire, the author appears to have been in the company of both Dutch and German sailors]
I asked: have we arrived or not yet? I was told that we have arrived, but you must continue. Suddenly I saw a man come and say: you are Amur bin Nasur il-Omeiri. I said to him: "yes, I am Amur bin Nasur". He replied: "Very well, disembark." At last I got off and was put in a horse carriage and I went and when we arrived at the train station I was told: today you will go to Berlin in a very big city and that is the city where our sultan lives and his name is Kaiza Wilhelmu. [Keiser Wilhelm II r. 1888-1918]
I got into a train, a land car, and from Hamburg to the port of Berlin, and if a person goes on foot, he will go for seven days, but the land car takes five hours, less. When we left, we went and even reached Berlin. Once I was told: we have now arrived in Berlin, I got off the train.
Immediately I saw the Mbwana Mkubwa [Big Man] doctor Büttner, who said: are you Amur bin Nasur? I said to him: yes, I am Amur bin Nasur. And his first word he said: you have come salamu salemina. I told him: yes. He said to me: the boat floats and the wave are underneath. I told him: yes, Alhamdulillahi rabbil Alamin.
He added, "now you have arrived here in Berlin and now let's go home". We left and went to the house where I was served food and ate and went to sleep. In the morning, the doctor came and 'the big man' looked at me and asked me how I was. I told him: I'm fine. Then he told me: "please, I want you to come to me and visit us at home". We left and went to him and I saw his mother and his wife and all his children and he said: these are my people. His elders and his wife and children were very happy to see me and I was very happy with them and I ate until I was full. Then i went back home.
The 'Big Man' came to visit me everyday. He showed me the language school and the building with cannons. I had never seen a building like this since I was born. He introduced me to the city and the manners of the people here, and he bought me a book to learn to read [German] and lent me a book for a period of twenty five days. At the end, he and I went to consult, but then my friend came and he is my teacher, his name is Hans Tsakhe [Hans Zanche], he took me to a tailor to made clothes that could fit me. I even ended up going to dinner with Mr. Büttner every day and everyday was like a holiday for him. And since all this time, nothing has changed. Greetings.
Sights of Berlin: This is the information about everything i saw in Berlin.
When I first discovered the city of Berlin, I asked how many people there are in the city, and I was told there are a million or a million and a half people in this city.
I saw the multi-story buildings in the city, all the houses have three or four stories, and were full of people inside. And every day while i lived there i asked myself: "who are the owners" I never met them. My friend who is a teacher, the one called Hans, took me to his house and welcomed me. He showed me the streets of the city a little and showed me the sights of Berlin and taught me to write and read [German] until I could do it. Then we had a class and i was the one teaching the students. I taught them the language [Swahili] and how to write and they learnt.
One day, one of my students, named Velten [ie: Carl Velten], came and said: please Sheikh Amur, let's be friends. I said to him: yes. We spent some time together and he taught me alittle about namna ya kidachi. [ this should probably be read as German customs, not Dutch customs]
He said to me, "Amur, have you ever seen a horse dance? Have you ever seen a horse that listens to what you tell it? Dances without stopping?" I said, "No, never," and I thought he was telling lies, I said, "You've got to be kidding me!"
He said to me, "No, and if you don't believe me, come with me!" I said, "When?" He said, "Tomorrow night, God willing, you will see all this." I went to bed and the next day we stayed together until evening and he said to me, "Fine, let's go!" I went with him and saw a place packed to the rafters.
The place was all iron and huge, the size of three Shaksi houses. We sat down. Suddenly, the horses were saddled and were being ridden by women who were dancing. The women dismounted and the horses no longer had riders; when the women ordered them to dance, they did so. I was amazed to see this.
Another day he took me to a place where animals live. In the gardens I saw lions and gazelles, leopards and a hippopotamus, jackals, elephants, giraffes, zebras... All the animals of our continent, those of the coast and those of the interior, from the largest to the smallest, from rodents to snakes, from small fish to the smallest snakes. I was really amazed to see all this: the chickens, the birds and all the animals inside this place! And each cage was like a room in Sultan Ali's palace, beit-el Ajaib, [the house of wonders in Zanzibar]
I asked myself: "But where are we? Is this really the reality? Are we really on earth?" I did not say a word, I remained silent. My friend told me: "These are all the animals of Zanzibar." And I said, "Yes, all these animals live there." Deep down, I was afraid, but I was strong, I really wanted to go back home but I held back so that my friend wouldn't ask me: Are you afraid of animals? The truth is that I hadn't seen all these animals since I was a child.
He took me somewhere else again. A big building with all the objects of the washenzi [Barbarians] inside and objects from the interior of the continent, people who had fought the Germans. We left the place. Another day he told me: tonight we are going to the theater. I went with him and saw people walking on a wire: wow! I couldn't believe it! And then people transformed the place: there was a palace and a garden, then everything was empty. Then there was the sea and the waves and people fishing, others on canoes and rocks. I thought: it's true! The sea is really there! Then I saw the sun disappear and I was filled with great fear. I had the impression that everything was real. I asked my friend: "Are we in Berlin, or on a boat?" "He answered me: "No, we are in Berlin, why this question, Amur?" - I am only asking." But deep down I was terrified. He did not know anything about it but all this scared me. We left and at home I did not sleep all night, I did nothing but think.
Another day he said to me, "Let's go see other amazing things!" "Beautiful things?" Yes, he replied. Today we are going to see a lion on the back of a horse. I thought he was lying but I said, well, let's go! We left around 6 p.m., went into a place where we sat down. Someone entered a lion's cage and suddenly a young girl, then a lion, then a horse, then a dog. They were all dancing. The lion got on the horse, the woman gave him orders and he obeyed. He did everything she wanted. At the end, they left. A man entered another cage. In this one there were seven lions, he played with them, then he loaded a gun, made one of the lions hold it and he fired. I was really surprised, then we left the place and went back. I thought about all this a lot.
The next few days we went to a place where there were human bones, as well as replicas of people. I also saw their coins, and their dishes. I asked, "How old are these people?" and they answered, "They are 1,800 years old." Wow! I also saw people who had dried up, hard as coral stones. What kind of people are these? These are people whose city was buried by the floods. Divers discovered them like that. I was quite astonished by all this.
Then we went back home. Another day he said to me: let's go see something else! Well, let's go! I went into a place where there were representations of all the Sultans of the world. They looked healthy and I asked: "Are they alive or dead?" - They are alive, but there, they are only wax statues. What are you going to saying, Amur?" I said to him: I am a grown man. He said: no, these are idols.
We went into another place where I saw snakes and even the nondo [a mythical snake]. Snakes from all countries and continents, some came from India. I was really very surprised. Then we went back home.
Another day he said to me: "Come, let's see something else!" We arrived in front of a huge building, inside which were gathered lots of objects from India that impressed me. Elsewhere, there were sculptures from India, Persia, China and people who were moving their heads. I asked who these people were. They are statues, not real people. It really is a miracle! And we went back in.
One day he came and said: "Let's go and see new wonders!" - Very good! We entered a building, inside there were elephants dancing. I sat down and so did my friend. A man came in with three elephants who danced. Then they were given a stole and they put it on and, like humans, they started dancing without stopping. They left and another person came in, he climbed on a wire and walked. I thought he would probably fall but no, and it all really amazed me: these dancing elephants and this person walking on a rope. And we left.
Another time we entered a place where we saw cannons, flags, shells, photographs, and reproductions of people and cities and many objects from France. The Germans had stripped them of them during the war between the two nations. I saw cannons and shells that I had never seen before and I thought a lot about all these things. Then we left.
Another day, Velten told me: today we are going to see a great spectacle. We went to a very large square. It was the birthday of Sultani Kaiza [Keiser]. And I thought that night had turned into day, there were so many lights in the city, it amazed me. I saw more people than ever and many other things. Then we went back.
One day my mwalimu [teacher] Hans Zache came to me and said: "Amur, have you ever seen soldiers here?" "Yes, I have seen them on the public highway." "Please, the day after tomorrow, I want you to come to my house, we will go and see together how the soldiers parade. The Kaiser will be there, please, let's go together!" "Very well!"
The day of the meeting arrived, I went to his house and we went together to a place outside the city, all the soldiers arrived. I asked: "Are all the people of the city here or are there only soldiers?" - They are soldiers, and they are not all here! There are ten regiments and there is only one here." He hoped that the Kaiser would come to see them. It was astonishing!
"How many are there then?"
- The cavalry is 100,000 men and the infantry is as many.
Alhamdulillah! What a world! Poor Bushiri bin Salim lost his life for nothing! How could he have fought all these men?"
[Bushiri was the leader of the Bushir rebellion against the Germans in Tanzania]
Suddenly the Kaiser and his wife arrived in a carriage. And I saw it. And I also saw something like an egg in the sky, there were people inside. I asked, "What is that?" They answered me, "People have climbed into this thing to see where the enemy is coming from, when an enemy is spotted, they come down to transmit the information to the ground." All this surprised me. On the way back, I saw the sultani mwanamke wa Hollandi [Queen of Holland] in the middle of these festivities. Really, I saw many amazing things that day. I saw cheering crowds watching the celebrations. I thought that maybe there was no one left in town, that everyone was there. But no! In town, it's as if no one had left! I shook my head at the thought of all this!
Another day I heard people say: today a sultani wa mji mgine [foreign Sultan] is coming to meet our sovereign. This Sultan came from Italy. I waited until I heard: it is today. I went out and stood on the path he was going to take. Suddenly I saw people lining up, they were soldiers from the city, they are called "policemen". Each of them has the strength of a lion. Some were on horseback and others on foot. Those who were not able to attend the event do not know what they missed. And those who did not come and were not in Berlin that day, they remained without fame, it is as if they had not been born or their name was unknown to the world. That's it!
The two wafalume [kings], the Kaiser and the mfalume wa Italia [King of Italy], suddenly arrived. I saw them and greeted them. The wife of the Italian sovereign and that of the Kaiser were inside a hackney carriage. Two people detached themselves to greet them and throw them flowers, they returned the greetings while collecting them. I went back home while thinking about governing. I said to myself: this is power, he who says otherwise is a liar.
I stayed at home for a few days, and then my friend Velten came and said to me: "Please Amur, today I want to take you to a tavern." - "Okay, but where is it?" - "It's not far at all!" We went there, I saw walls covered with sort of little mirrors and lights everywhere. I asked my friend: "Whose place is this?" He said to me, "This is the beer hall." Then I saw chairs like I had never seen before and we sat down. People came with violins, trumpets and drums. I asked what they were doing here: He said: these people will play these drums and these trumpets for us who drink alcohol to make us dance.
I thought to myself: If this is a beer hall, I wonder what the room of the one who owns the building looks like. I said to my friend: "This is the first time I have seen such a place, I will say that it is as beautiful as the Sultan's palace. No, in fact, it is even more beautiful." I added: "May Allah be praised, he is the king of the world. If I go back to Zanzibar and tell this, no one will believe me. People will say to me: 'It is because you love the Germans that you say this."
We changed taverns and I saw even more things. We entered seven taverns and each time the news was more astonishing than the last. He told me that there were about 3000 places like this in Berlin, and he was not exaggerating! Oh, what! And each tavern is as big as two houses! Allahu akbar! Then we went back.
Another day we went to a place full of people. I asked: "Who are these people?" "People come here when there is a birth or a death. When a foreigner arrives, the job of the people you see - there are 3,000 of them -is to ask him: 'What country are you from? What is your date of birth? How long are you going to stay? What is your job?' etc., etc. And you have to answer all these questions. If you answer 'I have no job, I came here to take a walk.' you will be sent away immediately. It will be the same if you do not know your date of birth." That is my information about the people who work at this place. Then we left.
Another day we went to another place. Inside there were many masanamu [idols], there were also stagecoaches and ships from all countries. I saw machines that spoke: I heard people singing! I asked: "What is that?" - It's not the people you hear, it's a mitambo [machine, in this case; a phonograph].
Incredible! Then we went back.
Another day I heard: "Today Bismarck is coming to Berlin, but he will only pass through." So I went to the station. Suddenly I saw people arriving and soldiers lining up. A car arrived and inside was Bismarck. People came to greet him. At one point he stuck his head out of the car and saluted. I came up until I was very close. He greeted me, took a flower and gave it to me, saying: "For you shwakhsa" [ie; Schwatzer ' German word meaning 'the Black One']. I said thank you. I watched him for a long time, I saw his child, his wife, his whole family. He has white hair, and even his eyebrows are white. Seeing Bismarck filled me with joy. Then he went his way and I went mine. I was delighted and smelled the flower he had given me. I kept it for several days but then I had to throw it away.
That was my information about Berlin. The end.
Other information about Berlin
And now I want to tell you about the trains, the trams and the other means of transportation that are expensive. I also want to tell you about the towers, the clocks, the beautiful houses and the stagecoaches. About everything I have seen in the streets in this field, small or large, and also about the customs of Berlin that I know.
As for the roads, they are very wide and their length is such that the eye sees the end of them. The roads that people use are different from the roads that vehicles use. The latter will seem like glass to you because they shine, there are people who sweep them; every evening, the streets are swept. They are all the same, I have never seen any that are different. These streets are also lit, each street lamp shines more than its neighbor. They are not paved with large stones and they do not use gravel either, but tar that is poured. When you see that, you think of silk. For my part, I have never seen that except in Berlin. That's it.
As for lighting, every night in Berlin there are lights on. I have never seen any oil or anyone lighting them, but they shine! Each house has about fifty lamps. There are so many lights in Berlin that when it is a full moon you don't even notice it.
The houses in Berlin are large and imposing, like mountains, they are white and very beautiful. Nowhere else have I seen such beautiful ones. They are very clean and each of them has three or four floors, never less. Cavities have been dug under these houses and there live poor people but each cellar is worth Taria's house [Thariah Thopan was a wealthy Indian trader in Zanzibar].
As for the merchants, you will see in their shops that they sell everything, from pearls to gold, silver, copper, iron, and even small iron scraps. They spread out clothes and place on them the objects whose price is written for each: the ring, the silver or gold watch, etc... But there are no thieves, and if he steals, well...
Now let's talk about the tram. There are different types of cars and the prices vary from 4 to 12 pesa. Some cars have benches, tables and all the necessary comforts but they are expensive: it will cost you from 3 to 20 rupees. For my part, I sat in it until I was tired and I did not see any animal of any kind. People take many animals inside, from cows to pigs, and many other goods.
As for the train, if you want to travel from city to city, rails have been built and connect the distant places. The cars are like palaces: there is water, food, shops, toilets and many other things. You can get on them if you want to visit a city. The places are diverse: there are those that are very good, and those that should be avoided; the first are expensive; the others cost nothing. In first class, there are beds and mattresses, in cheap compartments, and simple benches. And if you want, you can go to sultani Rum [Ottoman sultan, ie the Orient Express to Constantinople]. You can also travel throughout Europe but it costs a lot in these luxurious cars, it is not 100 or 400 but even more, and no one can define the amount [26]. The compartments are made of iron, the ceilings are made of glass and as for the proportions of the stations, the dimensions are 40 x 10 meters. That is what I can say about the railway.
But let's get back to the communication routes because I haven't said everything. Along the streets, toilets, small or large, have been built and you can go in to relieve yourself. In the evening, candles are lit. If you want to go there, you have to pay 4 pesa. That's it.
Along the streets are planted trees, very many, people maintain them. In the cold season, the leaves dry up, in the hot season, everything becomes buds. In size, these trees resemble mango trees, in terms of circumference, they are more like jackfruit trees. But they are useless, it is just for show.
You will also see countless birds that do not fly away when man approaches. But you cannot kill them; you would be punished by law.
All the time I stayed there, I saw many people and well I did not see a single one fighting with his fellow man, not once. Every man I saw concentrating on his work. Similarly, I never saw a child who is six years old without work. Every person I saw, I saw him busy with his task. He who does not work is often forced to leave and if he does not, he will die of hunger. The people there learn various things about the world, about every trade, about every way of learning. These people are very learned.
As for accommodation, if you want to rent something, you can find anything you want. Empty house or furnished. If you just want a house, without anything else, it will be cheap; if you want it furnished, it will be more expensive but you will also have staff, a bed, a sofa, and lots of nice things, carpets, water in the toilet, a servant to clean every morning. When you arrive, everything is already in order. For that, the rent will cost you from 20 to 40 marks. And you will have bread and coffee every morning.
If you just want a house, that's possible too. It will be cheaper but you won't have any staff and you'll have to buy everything yourself. As for the rent, you have to pay before you even move in. You pay in advance. And if you want to move, you have to give notice by the 15th of the month. If you say so afterward, you won't be able to move, the law will forbid you and you won't be able to go anywhere else.
If you choose to rent a furnished house or whatever and you go to the owner and say, "Okay, I'll come," and you don't come, if he sues you, he will win. Wa salaam.
As for the kadi [judges], none of them take a bribe from any complainant. If he denounced him, the judge would even be condemned. If you denounce him before the Sultan, you will win your case. And the Sultan has no right to kill any more than he has to imprison a man. The only thing the Sultan has to do is wait for his salary and that's it. Besides, it is given to him. And this salary is taken from all the people who live in the city. From the salary of each resident, a part is taken every three months. This is called staia [ie; Steuer or Tax], it is the municipal tax. Every owner, whether he owns a house, a plot of land or a field, must pay this tax. Only young people who are still with their parents do not pay. With the money thus collected, the Sultan finances the works related to the city. That's it.
And in Berlin it is very cold. For six months it is very cold and for the other six months, it is very hot. And the cold is better than this heat because when it is this hot, don't think you can take off your clothes, the cold will penetrate your chest and you will get sick.
In Berlin there are also iron bridges, rivers and boats and lots of dogs. But it is not an island, it is very beautiful, and quite pleasant. And what is notable about the cold of this city is that the water freezes and becomes hard as stone, and when the rain comes, it is like pebbles falling. Another type of rain is like grated coconut [snow].
The end.
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Amour later returned to Zanzibar, where he became the liwali (governor/headman) of Bagamoyo, but later resigned after the British took over the colony of Tanganyika (Tanzania) after the Germans were defeated in WW1, he later died in the early 1950s.
Amour was succeeded in his job as lecturer at the SOL by a Swahili man named Mtoro who became a permanent resident in Germany when he married locally. He later wrote an extensive ethnographic account of the Swahili and the Zaramo people that I hope to explore in a future essay.
Bagamoyo Street scene with stone houses, ca. 1889 (Vendsyssel Historiske Museum)
In case you haven't read them yet, please read my previous posts on Selim Abakari's 1896 journey to Russia and Siberia, and Dabtara Fesseha Giyorgis' voyage from Ethiopia to Italy here, as well as Dorugu's 1856 visit to England and Germany here, and Ham Mukasa's description of England and Scotland here
