GOODBYE TO THE OPEN SPACES IN IRINGA TOWN

 

Jalada la gazeti tulilopewa na kwenye maonyesho ya Wajerumani 1963

In 1963, Iringa had a number of open spaces where we spent our time as children. The biggest was the ground behind the Government Lower Primary School, which is now known as Mlandege Primary School, this was a huge ground because actually it was the first airport in Iringa and that’s where the name Mlandege stemmed from, planes would come from the direction of Tosamaganga or from Itamba side, and it seemed like they were eaten up by the ground. One plane did crash there, and its remains were visible until the late 50s. On these grounds we had lots of football matches, with several teams playing on the huge ground at the same time, there was time the grounds were used for inter school athletics competitions also.
The other open spaces were the neighbouring grounds at Iringa Middle School which was later named Mshindo Primary School. These grounds have a very long history. First they used to belong to the Iringa Gymkhan Club, and there was a football pitch, a cricket pitch and a cement tennis court. The football pitch became the town main football ground after shifting from the Boma  Grounds which I will soon talk about. One of the most interesting football clubs that played on this pitch was Born town Football Club, it was commonly known as  Boni. All the players in the club were born in Iringa town and in particular they had to have been born in Miyomboni and Kitanzini areas. It was a big risk playing with Boni as most of their matches ended up in boxing brawls especially when they lost. I remember even their jerseys were frightening, they wore black jerseys.
The play grounds are now the Samora Stadium. 

Photo taken on 26 April, 1974. In the background are  buildings of Mshindo Primary School, formerly Iringa Middle School before they were razed and Samora Stadiume built. In the picture Indian residents of Iringa performing their traditional dance

The other open space in our childhood was the community center grounds. Some of my sweetest memories of this open space were being taken there by my uncle to watch free mobile films every month. The day started with promotion of different brands of products, from cigarettes to Blue Band margarine. That is where I saw Bwana Msafiri, this was a musician with a trombone who would play and sing the Sportsman promotional song;

Bwana Msafiri mi nasema,
Hakuna sigara inayokufaa.
Ila Sportsman King size
Ile yenye kichungiiiiiii

There would be Coca-Cola drinking competitions, who could finish most Coca-Cola’s in the shortest time, who could eat more bread with Blue Band in the shortest time,  by collecting cigarette packets you could end up winning  a bundle of notebooks. In the evening there would be a film or two of actors with great names like Roy Rodgers, John Wayne, Lawrence and Hardy (Chale Ndute and Chale Mbwambwambwa), Charlie Chaplin and there was someone narrating what was going on.
During the day these grounds would be noisy with children playing on the ‘ mabembea’. Swings, slides and other games for children.
The other open space was ‘Gofu’. There was a European Club, known as Iringa Club, and it owned a vast ground which stretched from behind the present Iringa Library, all way to Wilolesi Primary School. It was a  golf course, with green nicely trimmed green grass and black round spots here and there. That was our ground also when the kites (vishada) season started.

And then there was the open ground between Makorongoni and Mwembetogwa, which was also used a football pitch and used also during the kites season, I think it was owned by the East African Railways as it was surrounded by railway workers’ quarters.

Mwembetogwa grounds

But the most important open space was the Boma Ground. As its name suggests, it was the ground in front of Bomani, the government headquarters. This ground is very old it was Iringa’s first official football pitch, it was on this ground that before Independence, the British army soldiers would hold their parades, and it was on this ground that the Uhuru Celebrations were held.
All the big public celebrations were held here. Once in the early 60s students from Ifunda Technical School built some small beautiful buildings  to show their expertise, and the buildings still stood until recently when they were destroyed by some official order. On this ground again there were children’s swings and slides. There was the  Uhuru fountain on one side of the ground, which  worked very well with water sprinkling out in nice artistic way. When you think of it the colonialist cared for the children more than the present peoples government does.

Maandamano towards Boma Grounds 1964

Government and political national celebrations usually began with maandamano coming from different areas of the town and all meeting at the Boma ground. Schools would come marching with their brass bands leading them, and would also meet at this ground. Each school band trying to out play the other. The school brass bands playing old King African Rifles (KAR) army song, like Tumemkamata Mzungu wa ndege, or the playing the common Ngo ngo ngi twaingilia.

The Iringa Jamat Khana Brass band

At last when everyone had gathered there would be speeches and after that exhibitions from different people, ngomas from different tribes and of course in the evening  ‘gulugulu’ or ‘patapotea’ the dice games would continue.

One of the most interesting event that I remember which took place at the Boma Ground in 1963 was the German mobile exhibition. A convoy of German lorries came to Iringa and parked at the Boma ground for some days and exhibited German products, it was a memorable event, and we were given German magazines to read!!!
We ended up just looking at the pictures.

The Germans' convoy map