Page 37 - 2020 SoMJ Vol 73 No 2_Neat

28 The Society of Malaŵi Journal

people tell you or did you read it somewhere else?
A: No, no. People told me about this. …

Q: Did your father tell you about hearing how the soldiers
fought against Chilembwe? Did he ever tell you about that—
how the soldiers fought?
A: When my father came back, he heard the story He was
already back from the battles.

Q: What did he say about this?
A: He said Chilembwe was playing with fire; he couldn’t fight
the British. … They only laughed at Chilembwe.

Q: His failure?
A: Yes. …

What might we make of this scant bit of evidence?
Both men were likely born in the 1870s, Chilembwe earlier in
the decade and Chimwere at its end, making the soldier about ten years
younger than the missionary. There can be no doubt, however, the first
years of the twentieth century marked important points in the
development of their separate lives as well as the most significant time
of their personal interactions. John Chilembwe had just returned to
Nyasaland in 1900 from an eye-opening experience in the United States
and, with the assistance of African American missionaries, was
establishing his Providence Industrial Mission. Juma Chimwere, after
joining the Central African Rifles in 1896 was an experienced soldier,
whose service to the British Crown was recognized directly when King
Edward VII personally awarded him an Asante Campaign medal during
3
a visit to London in 1901. Returning to Nyasaland as Sergeant Juma, he
faced a crisis in his career as he was passed over for a return trip to
represent his regiment at the formal coronation of the King. Stationed in
Zomba for three years, it’s likely during this period the two men met in
the manner Titus Chimwere suggests. As a soldier, familiar with guns, it
seems reasonable Chimwere readily made the acquaintance of
Chilembwe, the skilled African hunter as well as missionary. Their

3
The only historical account of Juma Chimwere’s life is Ken Wolf,
“Chimwere and York: Heroes in Two Worlds,” in Personalities & Problems:
Interpretive Essays in World Civilizations, 2 ed., vol. 2, (Boston: McGraw-Hill,
nd
1999): 123-133. My own fictionalized biography, Distinguished Conduct: An
African Life in Colonial Malawi (Mzuzu: Luviri Press, 2019) follows the outline
of Juma Chimwere’s military career as detailed in his King’s African Rifles
personnel record, but also leans heavily on his son’s description of his father’s
career, including his attitudes toward John Chilembwe.