Abstract
Infanticide is one of the key factors in explaining changes in human populations since the antiquity. This paper examines dynamics of infanticide practices among the Ngoni of Tanzania from the late pre- colonial to the end of German colonial rule in 1916. Relying on primary and secondary sources, it argues that while infanticide remained a critical problem in Songea from the 19th century to the end of German colonialism in 1916, the context in which it was practiced and the interventions devised to alleviate it changed over time. While it was primarily practiced in Songea by pre-Ngoni communal based clans for religious reasons, it increased with the coming of the Ngoni in the 1850s who adopted the practice as a survival strategy against physical and psychological threats. While the onset of German rule increased prospects to put the practice to an end, evidence suggests that infanticide expanded as the German colonial official used scorched earth technic and creation of acute famine to suppress Maji Maji War that impacted lives of baby babies. This article also shades light to Tanzanian history by providing deeper understanding of the manner and extent to which the changing socio-economic and political forces influenced the persistence of cultural practices among Ngoni.
Recommended Citation
Kasambala, Andrew S. and Masebo, Oswald J.
(2025)
"Dynamics of Infanticides among the Ngoni of Tanzania, 1850s-1916,"
Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.65085/1028
Available at:
https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/zjahs/vol2/iss1/3
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