Just like any story ever told one should always be aware that there are two sides of the story. The fish always gets bigger each time you tell the story of catching it. When considering this, it is not out of the question to assume that historians do this with accounts of war and other various government acts. In the case of the Maji Maji rebellion in German East Africa in 1905-1906 as well as the events that led up to it, it appears that African historians as well as European historians have embellished the story to some extent. The goal of this paper is to take both sides of the account and piece together an accurate portrayal of the actual rebellion rather than a one-sided, distorted, story.
There are many accounts of the Maji Maji rebellion and events leading up to the rebellion from the African perspective. In general the African perspective is always a more violent and cruel account than that of the German's. Were the Germans really as cruel as they were depicted or were the accounts embellished do to the hatred they had for the Germans. In 1904, the Herero, feeling the cumulative and bitter effects of colonial rule in southwest Africa, took advantage of the withdrawl of German troops from Hereroland to put down an uprising among the Bondelswarts, and revolted in January 1904, Killing 100 Germans, destroying several farms and capturing cattle? (Boahen). The German commander at that time was replaced by General Trotha. According to Boahen, General Trotha was a cruel and vicious man. General Trotha decided that a total German military victory was the only acceptable way of dealing with the Herero. The plan of Trotha was complete destruction of the Herero by using ruthless tactics and massacre. Between 75 and 80 percent of an estimated Herero poulation of between 60 and 80 thousand were slaughtered. 4 thousand of them were put into prison camps and 2 thousand managed to escape to South Africa? (Boahen).