The president of Germany said he feels “very sorry” for the bad things his country did to Tanzania during their time as a colony.
German soldiers murdered nearly 300,000 individuals during the Maji Maji rebellion in the early 1900s. This rebellion was one of the deadliest revolts against colonial rule.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was talking at a museum in Songea, where the uprising happened.
“I want to apologize for what Germans did to your ancestors,” he said.
“What occurred here is the history we both have, the history of your relatives and the history of our relatives in Germany. ”
The Maji Maji rebellion happened because the Germans wanted the local people to grow cotton to sell to other countries.
Tanzania used to be a part of German East Africa, along with Rwanda, Burundi, and some parts of Mozambique.
President Steinmeier expressed his desire for Tanzania and Germany to collaborate in dealing with their shared history.
Mr Steinmeier talked about bringing back human remains and said Germany will look for solutions to the unanswered questions that bother you.
On Tuesday, Germany’s leader said they will work together with Tanzania to bring back important cultural items. They made this promise after meeting with Tanzania’s President in Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania historian Mohamed Said appreciated the apology, but he expressed to the BBC that he felt it was not sufficient.
They chose to burn down farms in order to make people run out of food and not be able to fight. He said it is not okay. In today’s world, they would go to court.
In 2021, Germany officially admitted to doing something very wrong during its time ruling Namibia.