Who is Karume?

[Makaimati]

I think the Malawi connection is Zanzibar is the disputed "zanzibariness" of Sheikh Abeid Aman Karume, the first President of Zanzibar (1964-1972) and father of Dr. Aman Abeid Aman Karume (the 6th President of Zanzibar, 2000-2010).
The Sheikh (also called 'Fadha' Karume by some) is believed by many to have been born in Malawi of Malaian Muslim parents who immigrated to Znz. He grew up in Znz but had many relatives in Malawi. He did not have an original Birth Certificate in Znz but acquired an Affidavite in the late 1950s with the help of Himid Mbaye, a Notary Public of Comorian origin (who I think was a French subject).The Karume family also had close ties with Dr. Kamuzu Banda's family and also the Sepetu family.

The family name Karume is from the old Nyasaland from among the speakers of Chichewa (in Malawi, also called Chinyanja in Zambia). In Swahili, this language Chichewa/Chinyanja was called 'Kinyasa' and its speakers were referred to as 'Wanyasa'. Sheikh Karume was also referred to as 'Mnyasa' by some people in Znz befor the Revolution. The Muslim Malawians are mostly of Yao origin, and often bilingual in Kiyao and Kiswahili. (The Muslims in Malawi form about 20% of the population but are not proportionally represented in government etc.)

The terms 'nyasa', nyanja and 'nyanza' all mean 'lake' or 'sea' in many Bantu languages of eastern and central Africa. The personal name 'Karume' is an amplified form of the root 'rume/lume' (male, masculine person, man) meaning 'strong man', 'he-man', 'brave man', heavily-built man', 'hero' etc. (Compare with Swahili mume = husband, mwanamume = male/man, dume/ndume = masculine, uume = penis, etc). In some contexts in some languages the prefix ka- can have derogative connotations, such as in Swahili 'Kaburu' (Boer, Afrikanner, South African White racist; ukaburu = Apartheid racism, etc) from Zulu (ka + buru = the hated/ugly/cruel/savage/dirty Boer).

After a few years of primary school in Znz, Aman Karume and his younger brother Ali infact went to school in Malawi staying with Dr. K. Banda. (My friend Christopher 'Stoff' Banda of Uppsala now back in Malawi was their schoolmate and gave me all this info.) They then came back to Znz with Issak Sepetu and joined Saint Joseph's Convent in Kijiweni (Stone Stown). Issak Sepetu lived with the Karumes and both Aman and Issak finished Form 4 end of 1963, as I did, and we used to meet sometimes after football in the late afternoon at the 'Jobless Corner' at Wailesi.

Issak Sepetu was 'adopted' by the Karume, got a scholarship to study in GDR, and later became Tanzanian Ambassador etc while his parents remained in Malawi all their life. He attended their funerals in Malawi. I'm told Issak Sepetu, who was born in Malawi and came to Znz as a Malawi citizen, was never naturalised as a Zanzibar citizen, and therefore he cannot be a Tz citizen, but he was a Tz Ambassador anyway! Several others like him, 'Field Marshal' John Okello being the best example of those "revolutionaries" and other leaders or politicialns in Znz who were not Zanzibaris, rose to high ruling postions in Zanzibar after the Rev. (Okello did not even speak proper Swahili! This should be compared with the overthrown Sultan Jamshid who was a 5th generation born Zanzibari, or I who am a 7th generation born Zanzibari.) Issak Sepetu tried also to be nominated for the presidential election in Znz, but the Znz leadership opposed him on grounds of not being a 'Mzanzibari halisi' (genuine Zanzibari).

To date, little is known or written & published about this Znz-Malawi connection. More is known about Susi and Chuma, the great East African travellers and linguists who accompanied Dr. David Livingstone (the inventor and advocate of the sinister ideology of Coloniazation, Christianity and Commerce) from the Indian Ocean across Africa to the Atlantic and brought his remains back to Znz. They guided and protected him, fed him and took good care of him etc. Susi and Chuma were not Swahilis nor Zanzibaris - they were born Malawians! More about them next time. The Honourable Judge Augustine Ramadhani of Zanzibar has written about them and I have his permission to forward his article to you, which I shall do soon.

Maalim Abdulaziz Lodhi

 

[Mkandara]

Ama kweli Nyani haoni kundule..
Mkuu aliyeandika hii kitu nani Vile?..AbdulAziz Lodhi

 

[nyabhingi]

almost convinced me!!ukisiliza mtu akikupa story jinsi babu seya alivyowalawiti wale watoto wa sinza utaamini ,na ukimsikiliza mtu mwingine anavyokueleza jinsi babu seya alivyomtafuna demu wa kikwete ndo maana akagewa kesi feki utaamini,..kinda confusing but time will tell

 

[Jagermaster]

Na wewe Makaimati wa wapi?.

 

[simplemind]

If sheikh Karume acquired an affidavit with help Himid Mbaye how come he fell out with commorians insisting they must register with authority or quit.Naughty naughty article.Yale yale ya Obama.

 

[Makaimati]

Na wewe Makaimati wa wapi?.

Mkuu Straatkasyambe ingekuwa vizuri kama ukajadili hoja na sio mtu. Kama unaweza toa hoja ya kukanusha hizo habari na sio kunijadili mimi.

Mimi na wazee wangu na wazee wa wazee wangu wametoka Zanzibar na sikuja kwa miguu yangu.

Lakini hushangazi sana maana hata Comrade Abdulrahman Muhammed Babu aliwahi kusemaAkimjibu, mwadishi mmoja wa Kiingereza. Nakumbuka kusoma haya katika Tanganyika Standard kitambo kabla ya Uhuru).


"Kenya for Kenyans, Tanganyika for Tanganyikans, Uganda for Ugandans, but Zanzibar for Africans!"

Huzijui kaimati nyumbani kwao?

 

[Makaimati]

If sheikh Karume acquired an affidavit with help Himid Mbaye how come he fell out with commorians insisting they must register with authority or quit.Naughty naughty article.Yale yale ya Obama.

Wewe nawe unanishangaza kuwa hujui kesi ambayo ilimkabili Karume juu ya Uraia wake wakati huo?

Karume hakuhasimiana na Wangazija tu bali hata na wenzake kutokana na kuogopa kivuli chake.(ningekutumia hata picha akitoka Mahkamani Vuga but you dont deserve it)

Aliwafanya nini kina Abdulla Kassim Hanga, Othman Sharif, Saleh Sadalla na wengine kadhaa ambao hata makaburi yao hayajulikani yalipo.

 

[Pascal Mayalla]

I think the Malawi connection is Zanzibar is the disputed "zanzibariness" of Sheikh Abeid Aman Karume, the first President of Zanzibar (1964-1972) and father of Dr. Aman Abeid Aman Karume (the 6th President of Zanzibar, 2000-2010).
The Sheikh (also called 'Fadha' Karume by some) is believed by many to have been born in Malawi of Malaian Muslim parents who immigrated to Znz. He grew up in Znz but had many relatives in Malawi. He did not have an original Birth Certificate in Znz but acquired an Affidavite in the late 1950s with the help of Himid Mbaye, a Notary Public of Comorian origin (who I think was a French subject).The Karume family also had close ties with Dr. Kamuzu Banda's family and also the Sepetu family.
The family name Karume is from the old Nyasaland from among the speakers of Chichewa (in Malawi, also called Chinyanja in Zambia). In Swahili, this language Chichewa/Chinyanja was called 'Kinyasa' and its speakers were referred to as 'Wanyasa'. Sheikh Karume was also referred to as 'Mnyasa' by some people in Znz befor the Revolution. The Muslim Malawians are mostly of Yao origin, and often bilingual in Kiyao and Kiswahili. (The Muslims in Malawi form about 20% of the population but are not proportionally represented in government etc.)

The terms 'nyasa', nyanja and 'nyanza' all mean 'lake' or 'sea' in many Bantu languages of eastern and central Africa. The personal name 'Karume' is an amplified form of the root 'rume/lume' (male, masculine person, man) meaning 'strong man', 'he-man', 'brave man', heavily-built man', 'hero' etc. (Compare with Swahili mume = husband, mwanamume = male/man, dume/ndume = masculine, uume = penis, etc). In some contexts in some languages the prefix ka- can have derogative connotations, such as in Swahili 'Kaburu' (Boer, Afrikanner, South African White racist; ukaburu = Apartheid racism, etc) from Zulu (ka + buru = the hated/ugly/cruel/savage/dirty Boer).
After a few years of primary school in Znz, Aman Karume and his younger brother Ali infact went to school in Malawi staying with Dr. K. Banda. (My friend Christopher 'Stoff' Banda of Uppsala now back in Malawi was their schoolmate and gave me all this info.) They then came back to Znz with Issak Sepetu and joined Saint Joseph's Convent in Kijiweni (Stone Stown). Issak Sepetu lived with the Karumes and both Aman and Issak finished Form 4 end of 1963, as I did, and we used to meet sometimes after football in the late afternoon at the 'Jobless Corner' at Wailesi.
Issak Sepetu was 'adopted' by the Karume, got a scholarship to study in GDR, and later became Tanzanian Ambassador etc while his parents remained in Malawi all their life. He attended their funerals in Malawi. I'm told Issak Sepetu, who was born in Malawi and came to Znz as a Malawi citizen, was never naturalised as a Zanzibar citizen, and therefore he cannot be a Tz citizen, but he was a Tz Ambassador anyway! Several others like him, 'Field Marshal' John Okello being the best example of those "revolutionaries" and other leaders or politicialns in Znz who were not Zanzibaris, rose to high ruling postions in Zanzibar after the Rev. (Okello did not even speak proper Swahili! This should be compared with the overthrown Sultan Jamshid who was a 5th generation born Zanzibari, or I who am a 7th generation born Zanzibari.) Issak Sepetu tried also to be nominated for the presidential election in Znz, but the Znz leadership opposed him on grounds of not being a 'Mzanzibari halisi' (genuine Zanzibari).
To date, little is known or written & published about this Znz-Malawi connection. More is known about Susi and Chuma, the great East African travellers and linguists who accompanied Dr. David Livingstone (the inventor and advocate of the sinister ideology of Coloniazation, Christianity and Commerce) from the Indian Ocean across Africa to the Atlantic and brought his remains back to Znz. They guided and protected him, fed him and took good care of him etc. Susi and Chuma were not Swahilis nor Zanzibaris - they were born Malawians! More about them next time. The Honourable Judge Augustine Ramadhani of Zanzibar has written about them and I have his permission to forward his article to you, which I shall do soon.
Maalim Abdulaziz Lodhi

Makaimati, asante kwa hii taarifa. Hakuna ubishi kuwa Sheikh Abedi Amani Karume ni Mnyasa. Pia nilifahamu Amani na nduguye Ali walisoma kwa Babu yao Malawi ila sikujua kuwa kumbe walikuwa wanaishi kwa Kamuzu Banda!. Kitendo cha kuishi ikulu ya Banda ndio kumewaharibu hawa vijana wote ukiwascrutinize kwa karibu utagundua wote ni deko deko!.

Hili la Sepeku sikulijua, jamaa alikuwa mpaka waziri huku bara kumbe wazazi wote Malawi!. Kumbe kakulia kwa Karume!, kumbe hii nepotism at higher level tumeianza zamani!.

Sasa ndio naanza kuconnect the dots za hii Malawian Connection ya Zanzibar. Kuna kipindi niliishi Blantire briefly, kuna Mmalawi mmoja aliposikia mimi ni MTZ, akaniambia yule bibi Modelina Castico pia ni Mmalawi na ni blood sister wake, alizaliwa Malawi na baba yao mzazi yuko Malawi (died later). Ndio maana huyu mama Castico alikuwa akiongea kwa kejeli na kiburi cha ajabu kule Zanzibar, usikute na yeye alilelewa kwa Karume au Sepetu!.

 

[Najijua]

Hili la Karume kuwa MMalawi halijaanzwa kusemwa leo wala jana ila hakuna aliyethibitisha au kukanusha toka katika familia ya Karume inaweza kuwa kweli au ni propaganda.

Ukiangalia vizuri Post Colonial African Countries viongozi wengi hawakuwa indegenious wa pale hata Nyerere wapo wanadai wa Burundi, Sitta ni Malawi na nilipokuwa Urambo sikuwahi ona wala kuwasikia ndg zake wa kiumeni kwake, Kenneth Kaunda wa zambia wanadai ni wa Malawi na mifano ni mingi tu ishu ni kuwa did they serve the country with dignity and patriotism?unaweza ukawa mzawa na ukawa worse zaidi kuliko aliyekuja

 

[Mpevu]

Let me pay attention with this thread, maana haya ni mazito.

 

[Ehud]

Karume kutokuwa Mznz sio big deal hata Obama sio Mmarekani....Gadafi mwenyewe sio Mlibya kwa baba yake ni Mfaransa!

 

[manenge]

Unless for historical purposes lakini ukabila wa mtu hauna nafasi kwa sasa kwani tukianza kuulizana nani katoka wapi tutajikuta wengi tumetoka nje ya Tanzania. La muhimu kama alituongoza vizuri inatosha.

 

[Jagermaster]

Unless for historical purposes lakini ukabila wa mtu hauna nafasi kwa sasa kwani tukianza kuulizana nani katoka wapi tutajikuta wengi tumetoka nje ya Tanzania. La muhimu kama alituongoza vizuri inatosha.

Hilo ndilo la muhimu ndugu yangu, mbona hata Nyirenda yule aliongoza kupeleka mwenge wa Uhuru Mlima Kilimanjaro alikuwa ni Mmalawi... Ni vyema kujua kuwa wakati wa Ukoloni kulikuwa na utaratibu wa kuhamisha watu kikazi kutoka sehemu moja ya nchi kwenda nchi nyingine ikiwa hizo nchi ziko koloni moja. Haishangazi kama kuna Wakenya, Wamalawi, Wazanzibar, Wahindi, Watanganyika Wazambia n.k. Kupatikana katika mataifa tofauti na asili zao, kwani wote hao walikuwa chini ya Mwingereza. Mifano ni mingi hata baba yake Mungai alihamishwa toka Kenya kuletwa Iringa Tanganyika.