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 Black Slaves of Prussia 
 * A letter written to General Smuts from the Bishop of Zanzibar

In the early 1900s a letter was written and sent from the island of Tanzania known then as Tanganyika, from the Bishop of Zanzibar (Frank Weston) to the more famous Jan Christiaan Smuts. In this letter Bishop Weston expressed his concerns of the German presence in Tanzania and their treatment of the African natives. Bishop Weston gave a heartfelt and passionate plea to the General and longed for a time of equality. Weston’s letter to Smuts, through use of a multitude of first-hand exemplary grievances with the German forces in South Africa, provides historians with ample evidence of the gross injustices that the people of Zanzibar experienced on a daily basis.

The author, Frank Weston, was born in 1871 and died in 1942. He is well-known for his leadership in the Anglican Communion as the Bishop of Zanzibar. Weston's philosophy, which he tried to ingrain in his people, was that unity must build from within before it can be held throughout. As Morse-Boycott worded it, he, "felt that unity could not be reached by a short cut; that the old garment could not be patched without a worse rending; that interior unity must precede exterior." Weston was raised in the Evangelical faith and studied at various establishments such as Dulwich College, Trinity College, Oxford, and St. Matthew's of Westminster. St. Matthew's was where Weston became a missionary. Weston was well known for his advocacy for equality which can be seen through his pamphlets, The Black Slaves of Prussia and The Serfs of Great Britain. Since Weston’s passing, there has not been another leader of the Anglican Movement whom has led as strongly as he did. In the 1900s many of the powers throughout Europe still continued to force themselves upon other countries, through imperialism. These powers would invade countries and with their economic and technological superiority would take over these countries and ravage their resources and people. During this same period racism was still a major problem throughout the world. The powers had the feeling of superiority in all aspects as long as they were white.

Jan Christiaan Smuts (JC) is the target audience of the letter being scrutinized. Smuts was a politician, statesman, soldier, naturalist, philosopher, and eventually Prime minister of South Africa. It was before his leadership as Prime minister that Frank Weston wrote this pleading letter. Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1870, Smuts did not gain access to formal schooling until the age of 12 when his older brother died. Once in school, Smuts quickly showed that he was a very bright young man. He eventually studied at what is now the University of South Africa where he later earned a scholarship to study at Cambridge University. It was this educational opportunity that originally pulled Smuts from South Africa and brought him to England where he studied law. After his studies at Cambridge, Smuts returned to South Africa in 1895 where he began active participation in politics. Smuts was very active in the Second Anglo-Boer War and later in The Great War (WWI). It was in the latter of which Weston wrote Smuts in the hopes that he would reconnect with the people of his native lands and share in their desire for justice.

 Background of Letter 

The German occupation of East Africa began in 1885. Lliffe states that, “The decision to create a German colony in East Africa was taken on 23 February 1885 by the Imperial Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck.” Lliffe then goes on to explain that the motives behind the occupation stemmed from Germany’s industrialization and its unification in 1871. By occupying East Africa, Lliffe says that Germany gained “the material power for overseas expansion.” By occupying East Africa, Germany creates a foothold on another continent and through use of the labor and natural resources in East Africa, Germany gains power in that region. Germany’s occupation was met with a great deal of resistance by the Africans. One such example of this resistance could be seen in the words of the Yao adventurer Machemba. According to Lliffe, Machemba’s response to German orders to visit the coast was, “I have heard your words, but I do not see any reason why I should obey you. I would rather die...If it is a matter of friendship, I shall not refuse, today and always, but I shall not be your subject...I shall not come. If you are strong enough, come and get me.” It is with this great spirit of resistance that the Germans were met. Unfortunately, they did test the strength of the Africans by retaliating to this resistance with pure brutality. In response to Machemba’s unwillingness to collect tax, the Germans “replied by sweeping the thickets with machine-guns before clearing a path by hand.” With such a hostile and volatile atmosphere, the native East African population was in need of assistance.

 Summary of Letter 

Weston began his plea to Smuts by expressing his concern for German East Africa, stating that many inhabitants of the region were “becoming anxious about the fate of the colony.” Weston also reminds Smuts of the promises made by the British Government and its Allies. The British and their Allies “pledged their honor that they will fight till liberty is established throughout the world; until no one weak people is oppressed by a stronger race.” This should of course include East Africa, but Weston expresses fears that due to a “lust for money” outweighing the value of liberty in some minds this may not be a reality. Further in this opening section Weston also explains his motive for choosing Smuts as the recipient of this letter. He gives two reasons for selecting Smuts, and they are as follows: “First, it is right they [these facts] should be set before one who has experienced both Africans and German colonial rule...And, secondly...you can gain for my case a fair hearing. For you can testify that during the time I served you as a porter in your East African Force, your Coast Column took no harm.” Since Smuts has been a part of both involved groups, Weston is hoping Smuts can provide an impartial judgment on the situation. It is also his hope that Smuts will recall the integrity of Weston’s character and that will help sway the “unwilling ear” of men to give Weston a fair hearing. After this introduction, Weston continues to share the fears and gross brutalities experienced on a daily basis in German East Africa. In doing this he is providing evidence for his argument that German rule is impossible. The first fear Weston shares is the fear of Britain’s betrayal. Thousands of German subjects were taken to help fight side by side with the British, against the Germans. The fear is that if Britain does not protect these individuals, they will be subject to execution when the Germans get ahold of them. With this fear expressed, Weston begins describing the treatment of Africans under German rule. He does this through personal experiences that have either been shared with him through members of the community, or they are experiences that he himself has encountered. Weston states that Germans “rule entirely by fear; and cruel punishments are their means of spreading terror throughout the land.” The cruel punishments and terror, according to Weston are used as a means to “to damage, not merely to hurt.” By this, he means the punishments are not given to produce a negative incentive. They are not given to teach a lesson; rather they are used to damage the spirit of the Africans. Two specific examples of these cruel methods of torture are flogging and chain-gang torture. Flogging, which according to Weston’s sources, is preferred over chain-gang torture by those who have experienced both.* Flogging involves repeatedly lashing individuals. This can be done as punishment, or as a means of “producing confession or evidence.” Most often, flogging consisted of 25 or 50 lashes which may be repeated if the subject resists more than their master desired. Chain-gang torture was the practice of chaining eight men (or women) together at their necks. They then must stay chained together like this for the duration of their sentence. At no point during the sentence would the individuals be allowed to become unchained. This also leaves the individuals “entirely at the mercy of the gaolers.” Weston also confesses that some of his friends have actually died during this practice of punishment. Continuing with specific examples for each argument made, Weston went on to discuss the corruption of the German police, and the inhumane conditions of slavery. According to Weston, Germans “encouraged their police in cruelty.” German police were easily provoked by such minuscule offenses as referring to the officer as “‘master’ instead of ‘great master’.” Weston argued that German police were not concerned with serving justice. They were purely concerned with keeping East Africans in a constant state of fear. Weston also discusses the idea that this behavior deeply affects both parties involved. While the inhumane and cruel treatment damages the African psyche, it also convinces the Germans that they really are superior to their African counterparts. Weston addresses this issue by saying “It is a disease, this flogging. It makes the Germans feared everywhere; but it poisons the German mind, and the mind of the African underling.” Weston further drives this point with examples of dehumanizing treatment on plantations.

He described the German colonial system as “cruel, relentless, and inhumane.

And the reason is that it is German.” In these two sentences, it is obvious just how severe the brutality of German rule is. Weston believes German rule is synonymous with cruel,

relentless, and inhumane.He also states, “The German method of governing Africans is cruelly inhumane and destructive of the native’s self-respect.” This again follows

the idea that Germans sought to force Africans into a slave mentality

where the psyche becomes so damaged that the individual expects the inhumane treatment.

Some specific examples of dehumanization given by Weston include a bridegroom being “seized at the church door from the side of his bridge,” women being “seized and detained” until their husbands agreed to go to the cost, and men being kidnapped and forced to go to the coast for various terms. Some German officials claimed to hate the system, but they felt they “had to do it.” These dehumanizing acts show how lowly the Germans regarded the Africans. Another issue Weston addressed was the hypocrisy of planters who claimed their slaves could earn freedom. Essentially, planters who also served as clerks would allow slaves to use credit in their stores, promising freedom when the credit was paid off. Since the planters/clerks also controlled the slaves’ wages, however, this credit never would be paid off. They made it impossible for slaves to actually earn their freedom. The last few sections of Weston’s letter address the cruelties endured by the Africans during times of war, the intolerable German attitude, and finally an official plea for liberty. During times of war, Weston describes the heart wrenching brutalities enforced by the Germans. Weston reminded Smuts that during his time with Smuts force, he was told “by those in high command that natives had been thrown into the bush, their hands tied behind them, to starve to death; and that women, whose babies interfered with the carrying of loads, had to see their babies thrown into the bush to die.” The German attitude, according to Weston, was polite, efficient, and correct in behavior, but this did not remedy the fact that the German was German. Weston believed the German sees a native as “a tool.” Germans believed “under him the African must become a slave or die.” The Germans only cared about how much labor an African could provide for them. Weston also compares this attitude to that of the Britons. He claims, when it comes to cruelty, “Germans, as an empire, approve it, and Briton, as an empire, hate it.” He believed we must judge everything based on “an average.” Since, on average, more Germans approved of cruelty than Britons, the British were considered a more humane country. According to Weston, the problem with Germans was that they saw the world in terms of “German and non-German.” Many other cultures based prejudices on ethnicity, but not Germans. It was not of great importance what color an individual was, but it was of great importance whether they were German or not. Weston states that “color is a detail, concerning non-Germans amongst themselves, so that while Africans must always feat them, with dog like fear, Germans may make pets of a few, pets to be kept in order with a whip.” This statement alludes to the idea that not all Germans were terrorists; some did have a fondness for their African slaves. As Weston says, however, this fondness is likened to that of a pet. Germans do not see these Africans as equals. They considered these ‘pets’ inferiors who must be taught to behave exactly as desired. If they do not act in such a way, there will be punishment to endure. Finally, Weston pleas for liberty. Through use of emotional appeal, military appeal, and morality Weston pleas with Smuts to help foster liberty in German East Africa. Weston’s final plea read “If we raise liberty to a throne so high that her scepter can reach to the remotest African tribe, then indeed are our Dead ones justified and their blood avenged.” He further states, “If, that is, we end the war before we have set Africa and Armenia free; liberty will have been lost.” Throughout the letter to Smuts, Weston heavily emphasizes the cruelty of the German officials. At one point Weston goes so far as to use the term German rule synonymously with the terms cruel, relentless, and inhumane. Weston stated “[The German colonial system] is cruel, relentless, inhumane. And the reason is that it is German.” Weston depicts graphic scenarios of flogging, chain-gang torture, war brutalities, etc. All of which just add to the portrayal of German officials as cruel and unjust. With a continued focus on the corruption of German officials, Weston stated that “the police force can usually supply a criminal to meet every case; and can also wipe out all private grudges they may have against their fellow-subjects.” Statements of similar injustice can be found in almost every paragraph of Weston’s letter. In order to clearly define and display German acts of injustice, Weston reported personal accounts of physical beating and various forms of torture that slaves encountered regularly. He also accounted for the emotional damage done to the African psyche by these forms of dehumanization. In effect, Weston provided a detailed overview of how the Germans were systematically breaking the spirit of German East Africa. Weston reported that Germans were “feared everywhere.” Africans lived in a constant state of fear of the Germans. The reason for Weston’s heavy focus on such cruelties of German rule lies in the fact that this letter is a plea for liberation from German rule. The whole purpose of this letter is to convince Smuts that his aid is needed in German East Africa. With this as the primary goal of the letter, it is obvious that Weston should highlight the brutalities of German rule. If he did not provide evidentiary support of his claims, why should Smuts take this plea seriously? The explicit personal testimonies of German cruelty are essential to Weston’s argument. He is displaying with what intensity the Africans are enduring suffering from the cruelty of German rule.