ERIC TOROKA
In many ways the modern economy of Tanzania was
built by the Asian immigrants who arrived from the
west coast of India over a period of four hundred
years, albeit with a huge influx from the late 19th
century.
There are only a very limited number of accounts of
this story, and even fewer which focus on the history
of our successful extended family. Dr. Gijsbert Oonk
of Erasmus University, Rotterdam has told the story
of the Karimjee Jivanjee family of Zanzibar and
Tanzania, in an intriguing book.
The book, published by Amsterdam University Press,
carries a fascinating array of photographs from the
mid-nineteenth century onwards. The writer himself,
Oonk, is a broader historian of Indian migration to
Africa and, thus, very able to place this remarkable
saga in context.
Buddhaboy Noormuhamed of Mandvi, Gujarat sent
his son Jivanjee to Zanzibar where he opened his first
shop in 1818, initiating a series of businesses in
Zanzibar and the mainland based on the export of
commodities and the import of key industrial and
consumer goods. These were extremely productive
and profitable and are unique in having survived in
various forms to this day.
Critical forward looking decisions included the
acquisition in the early twentieth century agencies
from all over the then industrialized world. This
translates into the early investment in the sisal
industry, followed by coffee and then tea.
Then came the entry into the establishment of a motor
car distribution business in 1927 and a tourist camp
investment in the Serengeti in the late 1990s. The
leading members of the family played business,
political and charitable roles throughput the twentieth
century and continue to do so today.
There are some important and special characteristics
of this saga. First, the Karimjees emanate from the
close knit Guajarati speaking Bhora community, a
Shia group with intense community supporting
bonds. This becomes a critical factor when going into
business, especially when considering incidents like
when the founder’s younger brother lost a whole
cargo en route from India in the 1860’s. Then by the
early twentieth century, the leading family members
were unusually internationalist in their perspective,
traveling regularly to Europe and in the case of Sir
Yusufali Karimjee to Japan where in the 1930’s he
married Katsuko Enomoto.
Thirdly, while the majority of new initiatives operated
successfully, they were yet established more on the
basis of intuition than feasibility studies. For
instance, the move into sisal was triggered by a walk
shared by Sir Yusufali Karimjee and a Greek
plantation owner in Dar es Salaam in 1921.
Then, neither the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, nor
the property nationalizations on the mainland in 1971
persuaded the family to abandon Tanzania.
Although many members left at that time, three
remained to man the motor business and agricultural
estates. This put the family in a strong position when
the Tanzania economy was liberalized in the late
1980s. Alongside this commercial success, several
family members have contributed to political progress
and major charitable projects.
In the colonial politics of Zanzibar, Tayabali
Karimjee and Yusufali Karimjee fought very
effectively against commercial decisions which
negatively affected the Indian community,
particularly in relation to the cloves business. Later
they were the main donors to the Tanzania National
Library and to the Faculty of Arts at the young
University of Dar es Salaam.
In the 1950s, Abdulkarim Karimjee played a
significant role in early nationalist movement. The
famous Karimjee Hall in Dar es Salaam is one such
input that housed the National Assembly sessions for
years. Today, it is the site for holding important
national events.
Tayabali Karimjee funded the construction of
Zanzibar’s main hospital, which strangely but true
stood for the fame of V.I. Lenin for more than thirty
years. It is still the main medical facility in Zanzibar.
The late President Nyerere was of the opinion that the
Karimjees would never leave Tanzania. He was very
probably correct. For, even if they do so physically,
they would still remain a valuable case study for any
student of Tanzania’s economic and social history.