Burying, Unearthing and Archiving German Colonial Records in Tanganyika, 1914-1960s.

This paper examines the processes and actions involved in hiding, searching for, collecting and archiving German colonial records during and after the end of the First World War in Tanganyika. The paper explains how the Germans, before leaving East Africa, hid their records to prevent the allied forces, or anyone else, from accessing them. It argues that German colonial records which were unearthed from different parts of the country after the war played a significant role in the administration of mandate Tanganyika and were inherited by the independent government of Tanganyika not only as a record of past for historians or researchers, but also as cultural objects that symbolize part of the country’s historical continuity, collective memory as well as national identity. In explaining this legacy of German records, the author shares Joan Schwartz and Terry Cook’s view that archives or records wield power over the shape and direction of collective memory and national identity, and over how we know ourselves as individuals, groups and societies. The paper draws on archival and other documentary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]