IN 1962 I WAS IN STANDARD TWO

 In 1962, I joined Std 2, my class teacher was still the same Mr Kitigo, I had earlier been calling him Mr Chitigo , my school mates have  reminded me of the proper name. Although the school had only four classes, Std  1- 4, the school hours were not the same. Std 1 and 2 started classes at ten in the morning and the day finished at 1 pm. So as not to bring confusion, the upper classes 3 and 4, used the school bell, we used the sound of a wooden barrel that used to be under a lemon tree to signal changes in our timetable.

 

Our timetable was very simple, reading, writing and arithmetic. Singing and listening to ‘mazimwi’ stories from Mwalimu Kitigo, and a lot of outside activities.
We had people coming to the school to show magic tricks, the entrance was 5 cents,  I remember one Sikh magician coming to the school and he had this frightening trick of putting a box on a volunteers head and then sticking sharp looking knives into the box, we didn’t expect the guy to live with all those knives sticking into his head. But he was safe and sound when the box was taken off his head and the magician told us from that day the guy would be very intelligent. To tell the truth we didn't see much change then.
Outside activities apart from the usual football, we played marbles (gololi), many fights were started by this simple game, either you broke some ones favourite marble. We believed in boiling the marbles after purchasing them, we believed then they would have a longer life. Another game was spinners, this would be  round thing like a bottle top and two holes would be made in the middle,, and stringed and when span you could make them dance and some guys could even make them make a musical sound, we called them mbinga. There were even sweets that were made like mbinga and were quite popular.

Imported Mbinga

Now those were the boys games, I must admit I don't remember a single girls game, they were a different world then.

And then there were those students who came to school with wild fruits to sale, there were  so many varieties of fruits, I remember  Mitoo a very sweet fruit full of honey which we chewed the way  we do now with bubble gum, Mifudu  a sweet black fruit, Misasati a sour fruit, which if eaten too much can even get you drunk.

Mitoo

One day the headmaster Mwalimu George Nyakunga, assembled the whole school and told us that he had to go to Dar es Salaam for treatment and that we should pray for him. He did come back after treatment and called the whole school to tell us how his treatment went, and the fantastic things that were happeni in the big hospital in Dar es Salaam.

Just like before Uhuru, preparation for the firs year of Independence was on the way, the celebration was going to be bigger because our country was going to be a republic, each student was given a badge with Julius Nyerere's picture it was written, Jamhuri ya Tanganyika Dec 9, 1962. They were exciting times.

Tanganyika flag

But as I told you before calamity befell my father in November 1962, and everything in my family took a new turn. I was transferred from Mlandege Government Primary School.

COMENTS FROM MY CLASS MATES

 IT was very heart warming when I got comments from comrades whom we were together around the same time in 1960/61... here are some of the coments

Frank -I remember my early days at that school, withthe H/ Master  Mwl Nyakunga,  First class on the right was my stad 1 class, in 1960, thanks for refreshing my memories

Yahaya - I can see Mwl Kitigo with his ' mkia wa nyani'  in his hand singing, ' Nina fimbo ya dhahabu mikononi mwangu', I can also hear Mrs kaling in the next class,

Maarufu- John thanks for that , What I remember, Mr Kitigo coming early morning from Mtunduruni,with his cane, ready to cath late comers, who used the Mtunduruni short cut. I also remember him singing do la so fa mi re do.

Nuhu- Those were great days,  Mwl Nyakunga took us from Zis is to this is. And I rember Mr Kitigo commands, 'Wandele huku, wabwanga huku'

Thanks guys for adding the memories

JOHN KITIME THE EARLY DAYS

I  was born at Kipengele hospital in Njombe, my father was then a teacher at Njombe Middle School. Some of my earliest memories begin between 1957 and 1958 after my father got transferred to Iringa Middle School. I remember my father's first office which he stopped using in 1958, I remember his black car which he sold in 1958, and I certainly remember the two coloured Vauxhall Cresta he bought after that. I remember the brothers who lived near the school and knew how to play the guitar, They would sometimes borrow my fathers guitar and play and sing, their house was very near  Samora Stadium gate in Iringa. They were called Duma brothers, I remember one of the songs they played, I was told it is in Zulu language !
The lyrics went like this;
Ewe Zumbatila,
Buno bunodumo
Buke bukeka simfana kwao ndendende
Pamineti mamua
Umjomba zilezia
What ever that meant.
In 1961 I joined Std one at the Government primary school. This was the same school my grandfather taught in 1954. It is the oldest school building in Iringa to date.
 The first government school in Iringa was at 'Kumafifi' this translated would be where the hyenas live, the place was near the area where there is the residence of the Iringa Regional Commissioner, it was just a grass thatched  simple stick structure.  The school was later shifted to where the Ismaili Jamat presently is, and it was later moved to where there now  is a graveyard very near the Samora Stadium, at all  these places the school structures were of just sticks and grass . Finally in 1947 the school got a permanent building. The school was just 4 classes. And was named Elementary School.

To my first day in school, I was escorted by my father, not that the school was far, in fact it was quite near, maybe it was to give me confidence. There were two beginers classes,  standard one A and  one B, I was enrolled into to STD 1B, our class teacher was Michael Chitigo, on the first day in school he told us he was from Tanga, Tanga was a famous town then. Mr Chitigo taught us everything, reading writing and arithmetic, singing.  We had two text books, Someni kwa furaha, for learning how to read and write, and Hesabu za Kikwetu book 1 for arithmetic. The favorite time in class was when Mr Chitigo told us stories, sad stories, happy stories and even frightening stories of beings called Mazimwi who had magical powers that could bring you food and happiness or make you just miserable.
Six months later most of us  could read and at least write our names. I
t was not all play and fun Mr Chitigo had a cane he called 'Mr. Kamwene', everyone at least once tested Mr Kamwene. He hid this cane on top of the class cupboard, many times we attempted to steal Mr Kamwene but we were too short  to reach the top of the cupboard. The joke is many years later I became a teacher in the same school and came to a realization that we must have been extremely short because I could even see the top of the cupboard just standing.
The class teacher for Std 1A was Mrs Kalinga, a very good friend of my mother, our class almost never met her unless, Mr Chitigo got sick.

   

The block on the right was for  Std 1A and 1B Classes

Our Headmaster was George Nyakunga, a very cheerful man who died very early. He was father's friend so I knew him even before I joined his school. 

School fees were 10 shillings per month, and also parents had to pay I shilling and fifty cents for a pair of school uniforms. The uniform included two shorts made from Khaki material. The material was famously known as 'Kaki stakapoti', this was because it was manufactured in England in a town called Stockport. We were also given two white Jinja shirts. They were designed like a T-shirt, no buttons in front just a small pocket on the upper right side of the shirt. We felt very grown up in the those new uniforms.
One of the students were were together  was the famous David Mwaibula, who became better known for laying the ground work of the present Dar Es Salaam City transport  system. He must have been in Std three when I started school.

He taught me this song.

We mtoto we, wacheka nini we,

Kama wanicheka mimi angalia  

One of the most memorable thing that happened during those early years was the rumour that began that a 'Jini' had occupied one of the girl's toilet room and had the habit of pulling the girl's nickers when they were helping them selves. It was terrifying for us all. The girls were scared of entering their toilet and we boys were scared of going to our toilets because we had to pass very near the toilet occupied by the 'Jini'.

 

The building in front was the girl's toilet, alleged to have a 'jini', behind that  behind is the boy's toilet

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   One day the headteacher, George Nyakunga  called an assembly and announced that the problem with the 'Jini' is over, a very old man had come and had slaughtered a goat as an offering and the 'Jini' had drunk the goats blood and left the toilet. Many years later I came to realize Mr Nyakunga just told us a story to put our fears to rest. No goat was ever slaughtered.

Small pox was still quite common and so we got innoculated for that at school. As the end of the year grew near, stories of Tanganyika getting Uhuru, were quite common even though we simply did not know what that was about. But a few days before Uhuru we were all given a badge written Uhuru 9th December 1961. The days before Uhuru we were busy cleaning the school area it had to be clean on Independence Day. 

GLORY BE TO GOD BABA IS BACK

 

Christmas 1963

AFTER  enjoying the Christmas of 1963 with his family and visiting relatives my father was now ready to face the new world. He had managed to collect enough money to survive a week in Dar Es Salaam, so  in mid February 1964 he left Iringa and went to Dar es Salaam  to follow up the letter from CALTEX that he had received while in prison. In Dar es Salaam he got a room at Zam Zam Hotel. That evening there were a lot of people in the restaurant, and he saw a number of faces that he knew, one was a teacher from Tabora, who asked my father if he had come for the meeting, to which my father replied , ‘What meeting?’, the teacher told him that all people there were teachers from all over the country, they had a meeting the next day right there at Zam Zam, and the agenda would be, to inform the government on teachers’ grievances. My father told the teacher that he had other business to attend to the next day so he would not be at the meeting.
And so early the next day my father went to the CATEX headquarters at Kurasini, the secretary told him to wait for the boss, a Scott named Bob Mackay. When Bob came, my father introduced himself. It seems that my father’s letter written from prison must have  caused quite a stir, who ever writes letter from prison looking for a job and mentioning that they are still in prison?.  Bob took my father and introduced him to almost all the top officers saying, 'This is the Francis Kitime'. For some reason it seems they had already decided to hire my father, the interview was just a formality, they asked simple questions which practically  nobody could possibly fail, after the 'interview' Mr. Mackay left the room and minutes later came back with a letter and said, ‘Here is your appointment letter, tomorrow you start training’.
With a letter in his hand my father went back to Zam Zam hotel a very happy man. At the hotel he expected to meet the teachers but he found the hotel very quite. ‘Where are the teachers?’ he asked a waiter, ‘Are you a teacher also?’ My father replied ‘Yes’. The waiter told him all the other teachers had been arrested in the middle of the conference. My father thanked God for missing that meeting and he immediately moved from the hotel.

Job Training

He moved to a hotel in Ilala that belonged to Mzee Ditopile, the late Regional Commissioners father, it was a much cheaper hotel and he needed to use his money very carefully yet. The hotel  also had a space that was also a dance hall, Salum Abdallah’s Cuban Marimba band performed once while my father was staying there.

Francis Kitime first on the left sitting. Bob Mackay third left sitting. Samuel Sitta, second from left standing

My father got his appointment letter on 19^th February 1964, and for the next six months he underwent training for his new job. After completion of training he was assigned to work in  Southern Highlands Zone as a Salesman with a salary of 1000/-. His headquarters were to be Mbeya and he was sent from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya in a Dakota DC 3 type airplane, his first time on an airplane.
What a story........he once came to Mbeya by bus as a student, he next came to Mbeya on a motorcycle as a teacher,  then  he came to Mbeya in handcuffs, now he comes back in an airplane.
 He was to take over the zone from Emmanuel Rwechungura who was the Sales Manager then, other sales managers at the time were, the late Samuel Sitta who was the Lake zone Sales manager, a Mr Berege who ran North Zone.

 And to top that he was provided with a company car a Hillman Minx.

Hillman Minx picture by Redsimon

Babaaaaaaaa is back

FRANCIS KITIME FREE AT LAST

 Last Weeks In Prison

This picture was taken for my father, it was sent to him while he was in prison, from left, my mother,  George, me,  Evelina, Blandina, my grand mother, Richard 

A year had almost passed in prison for Francis Kitime, he knew he was going to be released soon, he was even now and then getting a newspaper from the prison wardens. One day he saw an advert for a  vacancy. He asked Mr Sifaa the Chief Warden for a pen and a paper he wanted to apply for the post he had seen. Mr Sifaa laughed while giving him a pen and a paper, ‘You must be joking, you will never get the job, they never hire convicts’. Francis answered, ‘In fact I am going to specifically mention that I am writing from a jail cell, but will be released soon and I need to work’. And  so he applied for the post of Sales Manager for an American Oil Company, known as CALTEX. With the help of the prisons officers he mailed the letter. A few weeks later to everybody’s surprise, a letter was received from CALTEX OIL (T) Ltd acknowledging the receipt of the job application and inviting him for an interview as soon as he is released. No one could have thought that possible, it had never been done.
A week before being released an incident happened, he was charged for spilling cooking oil in the kitchen, so a week was added to his sentence. At the time some warders had been requesting him to write English job application letters for them, he believed that the oil incident was not an accident, he was needed to finish writing a few English letters.

One more week to freedom

My mother had gone to Mbeya to escort my father back, she had gone with my youngest brother George who was  just 10 months old when  father was sentenced to prison, it was while she was there there that she receive the news that her husband has had an additional one week, so she had to stay  at the Mount View Hotel for some extra days until 16^th November 1963 when he was released and the next day they got into the bus and returned to Iringa.

Back in Iringa  we were worried because we thought they would be back just the next day, now days were going by and no news, at the time communication was very difficult, but my grandfather kept telling us to be patient.

My friend the tree

I remember very well the day my parents came back. I was very restless like everybody so after lunch I left my grandfather's house in Makorongoni and went out walking aimlessly, I went past the  SILABU quarters, these were quarters that youths who were collected from  villages in Southern Tanganyika to work in sisal farms would rest, before continuing their journey to the farms in Morogoro and Tanga, SILABU stood for Sisal Labourers Bureau. I then walked across the golf course owned by the European Club, and sat under a tree all alone. This tree still exists it has changed, I sometimes pass there and wave at it, we have known each other since that day in 1963.  I sat and played alone under that tree until something like 5 o'clock in the evening and then went back home to wait and hope that my parents would be back. Buses from Mbeya arrived at around seven o clock in the evening, so we all grew more tense as the evening went on, and suddenly my mother emerged from darkness, and then immediately behind her was my father carrying George in his arms.  Babaaaaa. My father was back.

The next week was spent just trying being near him as much as I could, we even got a two day excuse from school.
On Sunday our school had a special timetable for us Catholics, to make sure we attend a Mass, we had to report to school and from there go to church in a long line. After the Mass we had to go back to school for a roll call and maybe to learn a new church tune and then we were released. The first Sunday after being released my father came to school to wait for me to finish the school timetable, and then we went home I remember thinking this is the best father in the world.

Father Francisco Schiolla of Tosamaganga offered my father a teaching job in Tosamaganga Secondary, but he refused he wanted to keep the date with CALTEX Oil (T) Ltd.   

THE END OF LIVING IN GOVERMENT QUATERS

 

Evacuation

With Mwalimu Francis, the goverment employee in jail, we were told to evacuate the government quarters as soon as possible, there was only one place to go, to Mwalimu Raphael my grandfather.
A few years back my grandfather Mwalimu Raphael, had started working towards his retirement home.

He got a piece of land in Makorongoni areain Iringa, very near the town grave yards. There were a Christian graveyard, a Muslim grave yard, and Indian graveyard and not very far an area for those who burnt the bodies of their deceased. Mwalimu Raphael got a nice plot, but it had a huge cactus plant right in the middle. There were rumours that witches and wizards flying to the graveyard at night,  used the cactus as their landing tree. People were actually scared of going near the cactus. My grandfather ordered it to be cut, he was not one to be stopped building his retirement house because of a story of some  witches landing strip. And so he ordered the tree to be

cut and built his house along the street now known as Barabara Mbili Street.
 It was a big house, it had 7 bedrooms a kitchen a toilet, a bathroom and a store. This was the house that came to our rescue when we were kicked out of the government house. My  grandfather gave us four rooms. 

My Grandfather

And so life started with my grandfather, he had long retired and having an easy life, he had a maize farm in Isimani, and a few shillings as retirement pay every end of the month. My mother was already working as a Welfare Officer before my father’s sad incident. She was known to all as Mama Maendeleo. The government had provided her with a bicycle and that was her transport to work. 
 As new year 1963 was approaching, my mother had to start preparing for me and my sister to continue school, I was to join Standard three at a  Consolata Primary School.
We needed more  money so my mother  bought a lorry full of wood and cut them into small pieces, and  I as the new man of the house was given the duty of selling selling the firewood after school hours at ten cents per bundle. She also soon got a small piece of land nearby and made a small vegetable garden, we didn't have to buy vegetables at least.
When my father left we were already four children, so my mother had to work hard to make we never missed our father in terms of necessities. We even got new cloths on all religious holidays.  
My grandfather took me into his arms fully,  he became my friend and my teacher, he taught me many things. He would tell me traditional Kihehe stories, taught me songs in English, Kiswahili, and many in Kihehe, he encouraged me in almost everything I wanted to do. He bought me water paints when I told him I wanted to draw, we would even choose together  a picture to draw from one of his many books. Some days he would take me down  to Ruaha river and teach me how to trap fishes, when I look back it seems like it was just fun fun fun. Speaking honestly I never really like missed my father at all.
One day my mother said she was going to Mbeya to pick my father he was coming back.  It was exactly one year since he left Iringa, he was sentenced to 18 months, but served 12 months, sometime being cut for good behaviour

FRANCIS KITIME PRISONER NO 1797, life in prison

Friday 16^th November 1962 was Prisoner no 1797’s first day in Ruanda Prison Mbeya.  A day in prison started at 5 am in the morning, a  whistle was blown and all prisoners ran to the kitchen for a breakfast of maize porridge with little or no sugar at all, then they were divided into gangs of 15 to 20 people, for different  task, wood cutting, stone crushing cleaning or soft jobs like cleaning the Provincial Commissioners compound and washing his cloths or sent to the prison kitchen for preparation of food for prisoners.  Each morning prisoners were sent to a different task.

There were cells for extra punishments in the prison, these were small rooms, with hardly enough space to stretch, and prisoners were sent there if they were found with things like cigarettes or even a toothbrush.

The morning after he arrived, news of a new prisoner who was a teacher spread the whole prison compound. ‘Prison guards always mocked him, ‘So you are a teacher, why did you turn into a thief? You will pay for your sins here’.

In the first month he was permanently put into a gang that cut firewood for the prison. Then he was transferred to break stones, a very hard work, from early morning to about half past two in the afternoon.

One day in January 1963 while breaking stones the Chief Warder Mr Sifaa called for my father. His fellow inmates asked him, ‘Mwalimu what have you done?  You are finished now’
In his words my father once told us what happened that day, ‘ I was marched to the prison yard, and then sent to the Prison Superintendent’s office,  he was called Mr Kazinja, when I entered the office Mr Kazinja told the Chief Warder, I have worked in prisons for 25 years and I have never seen anything like this,  he took a letter from his table and gave it to Mr Sifaa to read, Mr Sifaa was also extremely surprised, Mr Kazinja asked me if I could read English, I said I did, so he gave me the letter to read. It had been sent from the Director of Ministry of Education in Dar Es Salaam to me, is said,

‘I am very pleased to have to send this letter of promotion to you. You are now Education Officer Grade III effective July 1^st 1962, congratulations’
One thing my father immediately noted was that the letter was written in June 1962, where was it until he received it in prison in January 1963  six months later? Had it anything to do with the  300/- loan setup? He never got the answer.

By that letter his salary would have increased to 700/- per month, and he would have no longer been a mere teacher but an Education officer.
The Superintend Mr Kazinja gave orders to the Chief Warder he said, ‘You know in this prison we are now three officers me, you and this teacher. From now on this man will no longer go to work in outside gangs. He will now be treated as an officer, give him a spring bed, tea with milk every morning and will only work as a supervisor. And from day until his release prisoner No. 1797, worked only as a kitchen supervisor.