Nduna Songea Mbano was a Ngoni sub-chief and key leader in southern Tanzania who played a central role in resisting German colonial rule during the early 20th century. His leadership during the Maji Maji Rebellion made him a symbol of local resistance, but it also led to his brutal execution and the removal of his head by German authorities, a fate that exemplifies the extreme violence of colonial oppression.
In the late nineteenth century, European powers competed for African territory in what became known as the Scramble for Africa. Germany entered this competition relatively late but moved quickly. Through private colonial agents, treaties were signed with local rulers along the East African coast and interior. These agreements were later used to justify German claims.
At the Berlin Conference, European powers formalized their territorial claims in Africa. Germany secured recognition of its control over a vast area that became known as German East Africa, covering present day mainland Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Once formal control was established, the German administration imposed a centralized colonial system. Traditional authorities were subordinated to colonial officials. Taxes were introduced, payable only in cash, forcing Africans into labor markets controlled by Europeans. Large scale agricultural schemes were developed, especially cotton cultivation, often enforced through coercion and violence.
These policies disrupted traditional life and created widespread resentment among the indigenous population, including the Ngoni.
Nduna Songea Mbano and the Ngoni Resistance
Nduna Songea Mbano was a Ngoni sub-chief in what is now Songea, in the Ruvuma Region, a town that bears his name, reflecting his historical importance. As Nduna, he exercised both administrative and military authority, overseeing his community and organizing its defense against external threats.
When the Maji Maji Rebellion began in 1905, Mbano emerged as a key leader in the southern region. The uprising united several ethnic groups in opposition to forced cotton cultivation, heavy taxation, and harsh punishments imposed by German authorities. L
Mbano organized fighters and coordinated resistance in his region. His leadership was not symbolic alone; he played an active role in mobilizing his people against German authority.
The German response was severe. Colonial troops, supported by African askari soldiers, conducted scorched-earth campaigns, to crush the uprising. Villages were burned. Crops were destroyed. Food supplies were deliberately targeted to create famine conditions. Historians estimate that hundreds of thousands of people died, many from starvation rather than direct combat.
In 1906, German forces captured Songea Mbano. According to historical records and oral histories, he refused to cooperate with colonial authorities and rejected any offers of reprieve. His noncompliance led to his execution.
He was executed by hanging. After his death, German officials removed his head and transported it to Germany. During this period, colonial authorities and European scientists frequently collected African skulls for racial studies and anthropological research grounded in racist theories.
Mbano’s body was buried in Songea, but without his skull. Sixty six other leaders associated with the rebellion were executed and buried together.
Today, Nduna Songea Mbano is widely recognized as a national hero in Tanzania. His contributions to the Maji Maji Rebellion are commemorated at the Maji Maji War Museum in Songea, which educates new generations about the rebellion and the cost of colonial oppression.
Annual ceremonies and public tributes, including those led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, have reinforced his place in Tanzanian history.
The story of Songea Mbano has also attracted international attention. Documentaries such as “The Empty Grave” have explored the search for his missing skull and the broader issue of colonial-era human remains held in European institutions.
These efforts have brought public awareness to the atrocities committed during German colonial rule and sparked calls for the restitution of stolen remains. Diplomatic initiatives, including apologies from German officials, have acknowledged these historical wrongs, although the repatriation process remains ongoing.
Sources:
https://izi.travel/en/524c-sub-chief-nduna-songea-mbano-luwafu/en
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/03/stolen-skulls-and-colonial-trauma-the-tanzanians-searching-for-ancestral-remains
https://www.manchesterhive.com/downloadpdf/view/journals/hrv/6/2/article-p4.pdf
