Mkwawa’s memorial museum building at Kalenga village - Iringa Town

Since the Germans had more sophisticated weapons that spears, bows and arrows the Hehe soldiers had, were no match for the guns the German troops had, they managed to attack the Hehe fortress at Kalenga in October 1894 and Chief Mkwawa successfully managed to escape and engaged in the German forces in guerrilla warfare for a number of years before he committed suicide. In 1898, after nine years of harassing the Germans in a series of guerrilla skirmishes, Mkwawa was cornered by the German troops, and on realizing that he was about to be arrested, he committed suicide rather than being caught red handed by the colonial German troops. As the German troops advanced, they found him dead and cut off his head which was sent to Germany, and repatriated back to the then Tanganyika territory in 1954 during British colonialism. Mkwawa’s skull now forms one of the main exhibits in the Mkwawa Memorial Museum at nearby Kalenga village.

   ADVERTISE WITH US....!