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7/8/1950 - The Chagga by Edwin S. Munger

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS ESM Nakerere College The Chagga Kampala Uganda East Africa July Mr Walter Roers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue New York New York Dear Mr Roers Hassan Yarealle average hamba Kilimanjaro south slope where grows bananas coffee He prosperous neighbors living standard relative Africans In addition kihamba miles plain below where Erows maize family AfriCan market An beans variety millet makes pomb_____e drink On mountainside intertills coffee bananas furnish necessary Kibo Narealle shade The bananas picked round The mountain rises coffee season He prunes trees plain first months sprays miles miles Narch picks berries August I From until December His trees yield I first grade coffee running I12 pounds the_equator For receives pound immediately resold KilimanJaro Native Cooperative Union which markets Chagga The coffee cured before being Mombasa where shipped England arealle family agricultural An extra hired about prune Spray which coffee shipped supplied Narealle Jembes scissors prunin Only Chagga permitted garealle When divided according custom between eldest youngest Tradition holds oldest benefitin parental attention should leave family homestead youngest brother needs start Until recently tribal holdln suffi cient allow chiefs allot after young Chagga requirin Alienation avoided arealle standing among tenure stabilized Of coffee shaded banana trees however fragmentation arisen become scarcer The Chaga expandin mountain eventually stopped government regulations proteotin forests Down mountain climate becomes coffee Temporary alleviation Custodian Alien German mainly Property disposes fairly large holdings The Chaa desperately They think should given realize remote possibility If price beyond tribe raise demand 8overmaent necessary which repay slowly Entrance Marealle cement block house Like Chagsa Berries cleaned pulped prefers living dried individual growers before plain being cooPera_ive_ Marealle members Kiliman Native Cooperative Union assets The movement really began fifty years Catholic missionary introduced coffee Kilimanjaro By there trees As plantin increased Cha began rowin coffee Asian firms spran resell But Chaga sented exclusion growing flourishin industry formed Kilimanjaro Coffee Planters Association later absorbed K C N U started advise market Chaga coffee So growers Joined K C N U cooperative began buyin Asian middlemen disappeared their indus From beginning Chagga elected president Realizin their technical administrative inexperience though employed Europeans while retaining control cooperative Inoreasin organizational complexity might having introduce outsiders possibly losln control They foreseen danger collected funds their people abroad education enable difficult Jobs While Chaa shown remarkable initiative energy fortunate havin exceptional Europeans Man parts East Africa evidence wisdom energv Charles Dundas later Governor Tananyika conviction D C Kilimnjaro Chagga would benefit coffee produced outstandin results A L B Bennett stayed tribe thirteen years nursin holdin confidence Africans carrying admin istrative important trainin Chaa manage themselves KilimanJaro volcanic snowfed streams prized resources Chagga Even before Marealle unole personally greeted first European explorer Jaffa people damming crystalline irrigate their kihambas Added these advantages improvements scientists LyamungU Ooffee Research Station where methodical selection prolific clones enormously imereased yields Govermment station benefit Ohaa nearby European planters Introducon improved ehods eneral supervision oulvation pruning cleaning requireameasureofauthoribackedyorce When Chaa began growin coffee uropean planters objected strenuously olaiin apoor would African eventaally spread arabioa diseases toheirownplantations K C N U disprovedhisfearbutwenrouhbier It influ chiefs could muster barry necessary regulations overmen relieve odious evero Moshi Native Coffee Board which sixmembers arehagaandtheir friendemehe executive To hornies problems Fst Africa Ar _oropOhea_h value ropeplohave suooesslhaeromonOoUl coffee sisal ohers buhoapil largetoofi claak fooobnayouoftsI butKeaTgkaareoo allystedforit Forthega peascoffee Isanaiblesoluon Africanoppormi_ riseianopeon 1faO6the bloodyrb0S 6resented oanblis oarth oworkd probitingeslis Sllyanelo issue ine1949gariotssedfrom desire tointirootn sidlempo allgiesinUaei eorseplned kosproorasnai Inpltiaprseo helpse srongpaytdi spreaa11teallegaoabtm eyare proud o111heir ooffeerkeiorzaion vefarmoreIIsiss sesooeingsuooessflythla mosbesins I isnosenabooha areeiiders roughhe olesalebprof C U yadasoersell their ieirS eadeofheessupby eduoad overa ofain Nweed theBsh aohuss hatsdaytheys8oeusfree II eIigo shIshdsletter aaoolleier posisideofhemnfrrealle spipal Youveersdedess Three thousand oofee world produoon 000Ohaaimeans stepuprnbare subsistence The their cooperative movemen healh7 peasant producers Marealle tribal discipline They unique success cumpeting Asian business Sineerely yours Edwin S Mumger Received New York Ih