Malawi should head to the flourishing Bagamoyo, not hopeless Canaan: How Catholic Bishops missed the ‘Bagamoyo’ metaphor
In this article, German based journalist and historian, Dr Deborah Nyangulu, argues despite its disturbing history, Bagamoyo has always been a flourishing gateway of global trade so much that, currently, the Chinese are pushing to construct a $10 billion port.
A Malawi anzanga, metaphor ya ku promised land ku Canaan yitayeni, phindu lenileni ilibe apart from promoting lazy thinking yoti muchisomo tikafika.
Bagamayo than Canaan might actually be a better conceptual metaphor to guide where the country should be heading in the current geopolitical climate.
It’s unfortunate that the Catholic Bishop’s pastoral letter has only provided one narrative that is associated with Bagamoyo, that of the hopeless slave.
In fact, Bagamoyo has such a rich history as a gateway and cosmopolitan center of trade. Many porters and Arabic trade caravans were destined there.
It used to be the route for trade in different commodities especially ivory and not so much slaves (I’m not pointing this out to downplay the brutality of the trading of slaves nor to condone ivory trade).
In fact, historians report that the wealth that passed through the port of Bagamoyo was so much that it caught the attention of industrial European countries and would have triggered an earlier start to World War 1 had Chancellor Bismarck not agreed to the Berlin conference in 1884 where European powers shared African territory amongst themselves.
Germany kept control of German East Africa and made Bagamoyo their capital (Boma).
Why retelling all this?
To show that Bagamoyo has always been a strategic location for trade and there is ongoing scramble by different powers to control it.
China is the latest addition to those who want control and they are pushing for the implementation of the $10 billion Bagamoyo port project.
The deal for the port was signed by Kikwete but was halted by Magufuli who found the terms with the Chinese company exploitative. President Suluhu has said she is set on reviving the project.
So yes, rather than be destined for Canaan, look at neighboring Bagamoyo and see how African countries can come together and be in solidarity in refusing exploitative deals from industrialized countries.
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