Mahoma Mwakipunda Mwaungulu

**Mahoma Mwaungulu** (3 January 1932 Tanzania – 2004 Berlin) be Pan-African politician. He be one of de major leaders for de German-African community before den after Germany reunify.

## Biography

### Early life den education
Mahoma Mwaungulu bin born 3 January 1932 for de former British colony wey dem dey call Tanganyika, wey now dey known as Tanzania. Ein poppie den mommie be two Ngonde people wey come from Nyasaland, wey now dey called Malawi. He carry one traditional hereditary title—Mwakipunda—as member of de council of nobles wey dem dey responsible for choose de king of Malawi from eligible royal family members.

Insyd 1949, when he be 17 years, Mwaungulu enter primary school for de first time insyd Nyasaland (wey now be Malawi), insyd Karonga—ein home district wey dey de northwestern shore of Lake Nyasa near de Tanganyikan border. But around age twelve, some four years before, he transfer go Overtoun Institution, one prestigious boarding school insyd Livingstonia wey Scottish missionaries found from late nineteenth century. There he finish 6th grade den get ein primary school leaving certificate. But de missionaries tell am say he no fit go secondary school because he start primary school too late and he be too old by dat time.

Mwaungulu believe say de reason wey de missionaries give about ein age just be excuse. He talk say dem see am as person wey too politically active. According to am, de missionaries want make dem block ein political growth by push am go study theology, so dat dem go prepare am make he become primary school teacher. But Mwaungulu no happy plus dis path, so he stop ein studies den move go Uganda go join private school.

He go Aggrey Memorial School wey dey Bunnamwaya, north of Lake Victoria near Kampala, wey be de capital of Uganda, den e far over 1,500 kilometers from ein home district Karonga. As he dey Aggrey Memorial School, about half of de students come from other East den Central African countries. But de place wey de school dey get plenty tropical sickness, den Mwaungulu catch malaria plus dysentery from dirty water, so he for go back Nyasaland insyd 1951.

Mwaungulu start dey politically active as he still be student insyd Africa. Dem jail am for one year sake of say he join one resistance movement for Southern Rhodesia (wey now be Zimbabwe). As he be member of de Youth League of de Nyasaland African Congress, he get one recommendation make he go study for Ghana, so he later cross de whole continent by foot from Tanzania go Ghana to go meet Kwame Nkrumah plus George Padmore. Convention People's Party support am, so Mwaungulu go Accra Academy, one boys’ boarding school wey dey give secondary education den help students wey no get money. As he dey Ghana, Mwaungulu start dey appreciate ein European bourgeois education wey dem blend am plus one strong political den African way of thinking. Dis kind mix come from de fact say he join de National Association of Socialist Students' Organisation, wey be group wey align plus de then Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah. Dem give am stipend make he go study for German Democratic Republic, den from 1960 to 1964, he study economics for Leipzig for Karl Marx University. As he still be student, he still dey inside African politics den he even lead de African student party. Just after he finish ein exams den before he go de new independent Malawi, three German students attack am racist way. One German book wey talk about migration for de GDR write de incident insyd.

### Political activity insyd Africa
After he finish ein education, dem invite am make he come back Malawi come work as economist for de Hastings Banda ein government. During dis period, he still dey active inside de Pan African liberation struggle against colonialism. He meet Che Guevara as he go Democratic Republic of de Congo. But because of de Malawian cabinet crisis wey make Malawi turn dictatorship, dem later put am under house arrest, den de Banda regime plan say dem go kill am. But through help from ein friends, he escape go Tanzania, den later go back settle for East Germany insyd 1967.

### Political activity insyd de German Democratic Republic (GDR)
Mwaungulu come back GDR as member for de steering committee of de Socialist League of Malawi (LESOMA), wey be de most important opposition Malawian party wey Attati Mkapati dey lead. Na Yatuta Chisiza, anoda exile member for de old Malawian cabinet, start de party for Tanzania. From ein exile for GDR, Mwaungulu turn LESOMA ein representative for Eastern Europe, wey he organize demma support through de solidarity-committee for GDR. Dem print at least two editions of *Kuchanso*, LESOMA ein political program, for East Berlin, den carry am go Tanzania, from there dem smuggle am enter Malawi. But GDR stop to support LESOMA by de end of de 1970s, maybe because dem dey do economic business plus Mozambique. Even though Mwaungulu still dey hold ein political beliefs, GDR gree expel am from deir land for 1982 to stop am from dey do political work. From dat time, he turn LESOMA ein representative for Western Europe. He still take West German government go court make dem recognize am as de first Malawian refugee for Western Germany, a country wey dey support de Banda-Regime. For East Berlin, he bin dey write ein doctoral thesis too, but he no fit finish am because GDR cancel ein stipend.

### Community activities in Berlin-Kreuzberg
He work, teach den give speeches under plenti conditions both insyd GDR den Federal Republic of Germany. He marry one German woman, den dem get three pikin.

Insyd de late 1980s, Mwaungulu start dey criticize de East German government, so he move go West Berlin. Na for de multicultural Kreuzberg area he dey live, den he continue to work for make Africans den other migrants fit integrate insyd German society. As cosmopolitan man, ein comment about de way racism dey rise for reunited Germany enter one Malaysian newspaper: “East Germany make am crime sef to even be racist. When de communists commot, dat law commot too. For West Germany, I no know. I feel say de government always dey tolerate racism.” Insyd 1997, he help form Pan-African Forum e.V together plus Wilfred Imoudu, anoda Pan-African thinker den activist wey learn for GDR for de 1960s, den be son of one big Nigerian trade unionist.

Mwaungulu die insyd 2004 wey he be 72 years, for Urban Krankenhaus insyd Berlin Kreuzberg. During de Berlin Black History Month for 2009, ein old schoolmate den countryman, Knollys Mwanyongo, den Wilfred Imoudu pay tribute to ein memory.

## References


## Read further
* Pampuch, Sebastian: *Afrikanische Migrationserfahrungen mit zwei deutschen Staaten. Rekonstruktion eines migratorischen Lebensweges über die Grenze zweier deutscher Staaten hinweg.* Magisterarbeit, Institut für Europäische Ethnologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 2008
* Pampuch, Sebastian: "Ein malawischer Exilant im geteilten Berlin: Mahoma Mwakipunda Mwaungulu." In: Diallo, Oumar/Zeller, Joachim (ed.): *Black Berlin. Die deutsche Metropole und ihre afrikanische Diaspora in Geschichte und Gegenwart*. Metropol-Verlag Berlin 2013, p.&nbsp;151-157
* Theuerkauf, Inger: "Die Schule ist meine Frau. Eine Lebensgeschichte von Mahoma M. Mwaungulu." In: Schmidt, Heike (ed.): *Afrika Erinnern - Hauptseminar Mündliche Geschichte*. Institut für Afrika- und Asienwissenschaften, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 2000
## External links
* Brief history of Africans in Germany Introduction.pdf
* "Partners in International Socialist Solidarity or just Guest workers: Africans in the Former German Democratic Republic (DDR)" - Prof. John W. Long (Chicago) in : *Black European Studies in Transnational Perspective* - Conference Reader - 2nd International, Interdisciplinary Conference July 27 – 30, 2006 (Berlin, Germany)
* Tribute to M. Mwaungulu at Black History Month 2009, Berlin
* Interview with M. Mwaungulu in: ''Black People/ Black Berlin'', Documentary, Germany 1994 by Fountainhead Tanz Theatre
* "Turks simmering over arson attacks", New Straits Times,11.27.1992, p.&nbsp;37