Chapter 02 : Keeping records of historical events

Introduction

In Standard Five, you learnt about various historical events that occurred in Tanzania from 1961 to 2002. You also learnt about different sources of historical information and how to collect such information. In this chapter, you will learn about recording historical events and arranging them chronologically. In addition, you will learn about the methods of keeping records of historical events, their advantages and challenges. You will also learn about the importance of keeping those records. The acquired knowledge and skills from this chapter will enable you to apply the methods of keeping records of historical events in your daily life.

The concept of historical records

Historical records comprise information about events that occurred in the past and that are kept by the concerned society in different periods. These records can be of a person, family, street, school, village, ward, division, district, region, or nation. For an event to be historical, it must have unique characteristics. For example, a historical event must:

(a) Be important in the whole society;

(b) Show a unique difference when compared to other events;

(c) Have social, political or economic impact to the people; and

(d) Have significant effects on society (such as the effects of war, earthquake, accident, or death).

Arranging records of historical events

Records of historical events can be arranged by using different ways. For example, events can be arranged to show the following:

(a) The place where it occurred: For example, the event of Tanganyika's independence took place at the Uhuru National Stadium in Dar es Salaam Region.

(b) The period when the event occurred: For example, by mentioning the following:

(i) The date of the event: This can be done by showing the day, month, and year of the event. For example, Tanganyika gained her independence on 9^th December, 1961.

(ii) Decade: A period of ten years

(iii) Century: A period of one hundred years

(iv) Millennium: A period of one thousand years

(c) The chronological order: Historical events can be arranged chronologically from the first event to the last one. Table 1 shows an example of events that are arranged in chronological order.

Table 1: Historical events in Tanzania arranged chronologically

S/N	Event	Year
(a)	The Maji Maji War	1905-1907
(b)	Independence of Tanganyika	1961
(c)	The Zanzibar Revolution	1964
(d)	Free Market economy	1986
(e)	Multi-party system	1992
(f)	The first presidential election in Tanzania under the multiparty system through which Benjamin William Mkapa was elected as the third president of the United Republic of Tanzania	1995

Importance of arranging historical events chronologically

The chronological arrangement of historical events helps to relate historical events. It also helps to identify important historical events in different periods and how they contributed or hindered the development of a particular community.

Activity 1

1 . Write your day, month, and year of birth.

2. Ask and write the dates, months, and years of birth of your family members (for example, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother and sister).

3. Using the information obtained in Tasks 1 and 2 above, draw a table in your exercise book and arrange the birthdays of your family members in a chronological order.

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Mwl. J. K. Nyerere

Julius Kambarage Nyerere was born in 1922 in Butiama Village, Musoma District, Mara Region. He was one of the 26 children of Chief Burito of the Zanaki ethnic group. In his childhood, Mwalimu Nyerere spent time tending his father's livestock. At the age of 12, he joined Mwisenge Primary School in Musoma for basic education. This school was about 30 kilometres from Butiama Village. Thereafter, he joined Tabora Boys Government Secondary School for secondary education. After completing his studies, Mwalimu Nyerere pursued a Diploma in Teaching at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda from 1943 to 1945.

He returned to Tanganyika and worked as a teacher at St. Mary's Secondary School in Tabora. Currently, the school is known as Bishop Mihayo University College, part of the St. Augustine University of Tanzania. In 1949, he got a scholarsh ⁱp to pursue a Master of Arts (MA) degree in History and Economics at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Mwalimu became the first Tanzanian to pursue a Master's degree in Britain.

When he returned from school, Mwalimu Nyerere taught History, English and Kiswahili at St. Francis College which is currently called Pugu Secondary School. In 1953, he was elected President of Tanganyika African Association (TAA). In 1954, he transformed TAA into a political party for nationalistic struggles in Tanganyika. The party was called the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU).

Mwalimu Nyerere was elected to the Legislative Council during the 19581959 elections. In September 1960, he was appointed Chief Minister of the responsible government, and, in May 1961 , he was appointed Prime Minister in the Internal Self-Government. Moreover, on 9^th December 1961 , Tanganyika attained her independence, and Mwalimu Nyerere became the first Prime Minister of independent Tanganyika. In January 1962, he resigned from his position as Prime Minister so that he could concentrate on strengthening his party, (TANU) and preparing nation-building ideologies. He also became the first President of the Republic of Tanganyika from 1962 to 1964. Then, he became the President of the United Republic of Tanzania which was formed after the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Aman Karume facilitated the union between these two countries on 26^th April, 1964. In 1977, TANU merged with the AfroShiraz Party (ASP) to form Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). Mwalimu Nyerere became the first chairperson of CCM.

Mwalimu Nyerere was the President of the United Republic of Tanzania from 1964 to 1985. In 1985, Mwalimu Nyerere willingly retired from the presidency. However, he continued to be the chairperson of CCM until 1990. After his retirement as President, Mwalimu Nyerere spent most of his time in his village, Butiama, living as a farmer.

In August 1999, Mwalimu Nyerere was taken to St. Thomas Hospital in England for medical treatment, where he was hospitalized until his death on 14^th October 1999. Following his distinguished leadership, Mwalimu Nyerere is popularly known as the Father of the Nation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Exercise

Answer the following questions:

1 . Draw a table with three columns, showing the serial number, name of the event, and the year of the event in the last column. Use the information you have read in the history of the Late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere to prepare a chronological order of his life and • leadership events.

2. How old was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere when he joined Makerere University?

Keeping records of historical events

Keeping records of historical events is a method of keeping information about past events which happened in society. Keeping historical records aims at passing such information from one generation to another.

Methods of keeping records of historical events

There are various methods of keeping important records of historical events. These methods depend on the nature of information about the events. The first method of keeping records of historical events is through oral narratives. The second method is through historical sites. The third one is through museums. In addition, historical records are kept through written documents. Examples are books, reports, newspapers, journals and electronic materials. Generally, the advancement of science and technology has contributed greatly to the change and development of the methods of keeping records of historical events. Such technological advancements have led to the use of electronic means to keep records. These methods of keeping records are described in more detail below.

Keeping records of historical events through oral narratives

It is the earliest method of keeping historical records, which was adopted before the development of science and technology. In this method, the information about past events is shared or transmitted through oral narratives. People who witnessed, heard or were told about events such as wars, weapons, culture, politics, and leadership kept this kind of information in their memories. Moreover, when the information was needed, these people were sought in order to provide it orally. Oral narratives were common in many Tanzanian societies. For example, in some societies, records of historical events were kept through naming children in relation to certain events. Names were, therefore, associated with important historical events such as floods, famine, drought, and war in order to keep records of what happened during their birthdays.

The information kept is passed from one generation to another or from one person to another through oral narratives. The narratives can be in the form of stories, poems, riddles or songs. Generally, apart from being the earliest method of keeping historical records, oral narratives are very useful even today. Importantly, this method has advantages and challenges.

Advantages of using oral narratives to keep records of historical events

The following are the advantages of using oral narratives to keep records of historical events.

(a) These helps to get past information easily. Compared to other methods of keeping records of historical events, oral narratives are easier to obtain. This method provides information through the word of mouth. It does not need any extra skills, other than just listening.

(b) These helps to collect and keep past events of society. The use of genres such as proverbs, stories, and legends during narration helps to build and retrieve memories about the past.

(c) These promotes the culture of society. Narratives of historical events help to understand past customs and traditions. Since oral narratives are given by elders to young people, they carry the customs and traditions of the past generation to the next one. The generation that receives these narratives, in turn, narrates them to another generation. Thus, past customs and traditions are known to the new generation.

(d) These entertains people. Narrating past events entertains people. In narrating, elders use various styles which do not bore their listeners; thus, it entertains and attracts them to listen. The narration may go hand in hand with songs, proverbs, and jokes which entertain the listeners.

(e) These maintains good morals and behavior in society. Through oral narratives, people learn about traditions, customs, religion, politics, and economy. Thus, oral narratives educate by providing guidelines on the better way to live. Narratives passes from one generation to another focus on teaching better ways of living in society.

(f) These can be used by all people, including the illiterate. Keeping information through oral narratives does not require literacy. Both literates and illiterates can get information. Therefore, this method is the most inclusive of all other methods.

(g) These represents the originality of an event. In many instances, oral narratives are given by a person from one generation to another generation. Therefore, he or she gives first-hand information. Oral narratives also allow expressing true feelings visually. Thus, they give a true picture of the way an event happened.

Challenges of keeping oral historical records

There are various challenges of keeping oral historical records. The following are some of them:

(a) Biasness: Oral narratives are sometimes influenced by the bias of the narrator. The authenticity of oral narratives can be questionable when the narrator has a personal interest in the story. The narrator might exaggerate the information he/she shares for his/her own benefits. For example, the narrator can consciously lie that his society won a war against another society.

(b) Forgetfulness and possibility of distortions: If a long time has passed since the event happened, the narrator might forget some facts about the event. The narrator can also intentionally add unwanted or false information. In addition, information may be distorted when it passes through many people across different generations. People usually tell others what they heard, understood, and remembered from the previous narrator. They also tell stories which interest them most or serve their personal interests.

(c) Prone to loss: There are possibilities of losing historical information if the narrator dies or suffers from loss of memory because of ageing or sickness.

(d) Dependence on human capacity: Keeping the memory of historical events and the ability to retrieve it depend on the ability of the person to correctly capture that particular information. These include one's ability to listen, understand and analyse what is being narrated. The lower the person's ability, the greater the chance of distortion of such historical information.

(e) Reflection of the culture of the narrator: Oral narratives are related to the narrator's culture; therefore, these narratives are best understood by people with similar cultures, such as language. If the listener comes from a different cultural background, it might be difficult for him or her to understand the narratives being told.

(f) Difficulty in the actual dating of events: It is especially difficult to remember the exact day, month or year when an event happened. This becomes difficult especially when the narrator gives narratives related to ancient customs and traditions.

How to overcome the challenges of using oral narratives

The following ways can be used to overcome the challenges of using oral narratives:

(a) Interview more than one person on the same event;

(b) Use other sources to verify the same information; and

(c) Understand the narrator's culture.

Exercise

1 . Briefly explain the meaning of keeping records of historical events.

2. Write down the benefits of keeping historical records through oral narratives.

3. Mention the challenges of keeping historical records through oral E narratives.

4. Suggest ways to reduce the challenges of keeping records of historical events through oral narratives.

5. Give reasons for continuing to rely on oral narratives as a method of keeping records of historical events in society.

Historical sites

Historical sites are places that keep historical records. Such records can include fossils of animals or humans, old buildings, old paintings, and tools used by past or ancient human beings. Historical sites may also contain cultural remains or settlements by ancient human beings. These remains of historical events are kept in their original places. Thus, historical sites are protected from being destroyed or lost.

The following are some examples of historical sites in Tanzania:

Oldupai Gorge (Arusha): The Oldupai Gorge is a famous historical site in Tanzania and across the world because it has the remains of the oldest human being. This site is important because it is where the skull of the oldest human on earth was discovered. This skull is known as Zinjanthropus boisei. This discovery was done by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, Dr Mary Leakey, who conducted archaeological excavation in Oldupai Gorge in 1959.

Engaruka (Arusha): This historical site is found in the Ngorongoro district. It is one of the most important Iron Age archaeological site in eastern Africa. It is also famous for having the remains of the earlⁱest agricultural irrigation systems used in the past.

Isimila (Iringa): This historical site is found 20 kilometres from Iringa town. The site is important because it contains remains of the Old Stone Age tools. These tools were used by people of that area.

Kilwa (Lindi): This historical site is located in Lindi Region. The site is important because it contains remains of the old buildings built by Arabs, includⁱ ng mosques as well as traces of the slave trade.

Kaole and the Old Bagamoyo City (Pwani): These are two major historical sites located in Pwani Region.

Kaole ruins are famous for the remains of mosques, Jewels and other things brought and used by merchants from the Middle East. Kaole was among the main commercial centres along the coast of East Africa before the colonial period. Foreigners from Asia and Arab countries such as Oman and the Persian Gulf arrived at the Kaole area for commercial activities. It is believed that the remains of buildings and jewels in the Kaole area were used in the 1 3^th century.

The Old Bagamoyo City was one of the largest centres of the slave trade. Slaves collected from various parts of the country were sent to Bagamoyo before being shipped to Zanzibar, Arabia, and elsewhere. As a result, Bagamoyo contains remains of the buildings used for the slave trade. This area also contains remains of the first Catholic Church in Tanganyika. In the beginning, the missionaries settled in this area and built churches. In addition, there are cemeteries of early missionaries who d ⁱ ed in Bagamoyo. There are also memories of the German colonial rule. All these remains are kept for future generations.

Kondoa-lrangi (Dodoma): This site is found in the Kondoa district, Dodoma Region. The site contains various cave drawings and rock paintings. These drawings depict the past human environment of hunters who lived during the pre-colonial or ancient time.

Figure 1 shows some of the historical sites found in Tanzania.

Figure 1 : Some historical sites in Tanzania

Advantages of using historical sites to keep records of historical events

The following are the advantages of using historical sites for keeping historical information:

(a) They preserve ancient records that enable historians to interpret them and reconstruct the history of the places and their people. Historical sites keep actual social, cultural, and economic remains of the past people;

(b) They attract tourism;

(c) They provide employment to people working in those sites;

(d) They provide information to researchers who study the past, such as historians and archaeologists; and

(e) They preserve the culture of the area concerned.

Challenges of using historical sites to keep records of historical events

The following are the challenges of using historical sites to keep records of historical events:

(a) Some materials and tools in these sites can easily be destroyed if they are not well preserved;

(b) Some of these sites are not easily accessible because they are located in remote areas;

(c) A few specialists can interpret the remains in the sites; and

(d) These sites can be easily destroyed by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes.

Exercise

1 . Name four sites with historical remains in Tanzania.

2. List the benefits of keeping records of historical events through historical sites.

3. List challenges of keeping records of historical events through historical sites.

Keeping historical records in museums

Historical records are also kept in museums, which are special buildings for keeping records of all sectors such as culture, economy, politics, sports, science and technology. Museums keep records of things such as weapons, tools of production, jewels as well as human and animal fossils. Museums can be national, institutional, regional, district, village or family. Tanzania has established national museums in various places to keep its past historical memories. Examples of the National Museums of Tanzania are the National Museum and House of Culture located at Shaaban Robert Street in Dar es Salaam, the Village Museum located at Kijitonyama in Dar es Salaam, and the Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere Memorial Museum in Butiama, Mara. In addition, there are the Maji Maji Memorial Museum in Ruvuma, the Arusha Declaration Museum, and the Natural History Museum in Arusha. Figure 2 shows some of the National Museums of Tanzania.

Figure 2: Some of the National Museums of Tanzania

Figures 3 and 4 also show some of the buildings of the National Museums of Tanzania.

Fig. 3 Part of national museums and house of culture located at shbaban robert shtreet in Dar Es Salaam

Fig. 4: Part of the Village Museum located at Kijitonyama in Dar es Salaam

Advantages of using museums for keeping records of historical events

There are many advantages of using museums for keeping records of historical events. Some of these advantages are as follows:

(a) Museums are safe places to store historical records and keep different kinds of tools used in the past. Historical information can be found and accessed at once and in its original state. For example, the car used by the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, on the independence day of Tanganyika, is still kept at the National Museum and House of Culture in Dar es Salaam.