Bagamoyo Beach Landing, where Aga Khan III was the first Ismaili Imam ever to set foot on East African soil in 1899
By ZAHIR K. DHALLA
(Special to Simergphotos).
Bagamoyo Beach Landing. Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
This is a present-day photo of Bagamoyo Beach, Tanzania, where sea-going vessels have dropped and weighed anchor since time immemorial. It was taken in August, 2017, from the front portion of the German Customs House built in 1895, the lone pillar still standing being a remaining corner pillar of the walled front yard. As always, the waters are full of ngalawa, dugouts with outriggers, mashua, small constructed boats, and jahazi, somewhat larger boats with roofs.
It was here, well over a century ago, in 1899, that a young 22-year-old Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III, came by yacht from Zanzibar, the first Ismaili Imam ever to set foot on East African soil, in the then German East Africa. This historic event was not lost on the Bagamoyo community, for dignitaries from all its sections – German, Arab, Indians, Swahilis – gathered here to welcome and honour the young Aga Khan. Among the attendees were two prominent Ismaili pioneers, Allidina Visram and Jaffer Somji. [Jaffer’s younger brother Abdulrasul would certainly have joined in but he had moved north to Tanga which was becoming prominent under German rule and where he would become the first Ismaili Mukhi in 1905.]
Allidina was extending his business all over East Africa, and in Uganda he came to be known as its “uncrowned king”. His legacy lives on at the Allidina Visram High School in Mombasa, Kenya. Jaffer, a prominent businessman, also held an important position in the German administration, being known as Bwana Fedha, Mr. Money in Swahili, on account of being their treasurer. He too later moved to Tanga where like his younger brother he became a Mukhi of the Ismaili Jamatkhana. The Somji legacy continues with the still prominent family in Mombasa. 
Mwambaoni Primary School, Bagamoyo, 1896, donated by Sewa Haji (Paroo) – see plaque in photo below Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
Another prominent Ismaili pioneer who would certainly have been part of the welcoming dignitaries was Sewa Haji (Paroo, the same family as Kassamali Paroo of Mombasa) but he had passed away a few years earlier. His business was bought by Allidina Visram. Sewa Haji’s legacy lives on right here in Bagamoyo at the Mwambaoni (meaning, at the beach, in Swahili) Primary School donated (or willed) by him in 1896, the first multi-racial school in East Africa, which is still functioning.
Plaque at top right reads: “Mwambaoni Primary School, built by Germans 1896, donated by Sewa Haji, first multi-racial school. Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
Bagamoyo Beach Landing from the Jamatkhana/Cemetery grounds. Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
Head stone at Jenabai Merali Remtulla’s grave. The following are the English transliteration and translation of the Gujarati inscription on the plaque: “Ya Ali Madad. Marhum Jenabai te Merali Remtullani dharmapatni sahebjini rahemate pota chhe. Umar 66. Ta. 19-5-60.” Translation: “O Ali Help. Deceased Jenabai, Merali Remtulla’s wife is in the grace of the Lord. Age 66. Date May 19, 1960.” Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
What is interesting is that a Merali Remtulla was in the welcoming crowd at the above historic event. His brother, Bandali, was the Mukhi at that historic time. Was he the same Merali, Jenabai’s husband whose grave stone is shown above? Unfortunately, most of the graves in the cemetery do not have inscribed headstones. The headstones I identified are: Virji Manji, 60, d.1936; Abdulrasul Dharamsi, d.1944; Nasser L. Khamsi, 72, d.1939; Satbai Haji Pirani; Rashid Virji, d.1956; Chagbai Janmamad Hansraj, d.1950; Rematbai Ibhram Remathani, d.1966; Jenabai Merali Remtulla, 66, d.1960; Mrs Tasreem Nizar; Sadru Gulamhusein, d.2004; Yasmin Gulamhusein; Kulsumbai Mulji, d.1933; and Kakhadia Mamad Damji Pirani, d.1950.
Ismaili Jamat Khana and Cemetery, as seen from the beach. Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
Ismaili Cemetery, at the Beach and the Indian Ocean, seen from the balacony of the Bagamoyo Jamatkhana. Photo: © Copyright Zahir K. Dhalla 2017.
Date posted: August 19, 2017.
Copyright: Zahir K. Dhalla. 2017.
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For profile of Zahir Dhalla, please click Contributors.
Related: When His Highness the Aga Khan III First Visited East Africa by Otto Mahnke.
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Even now at age 82, I distinctly remember visiting Bagamoyo beach, in early 1940s with a
Parsi trader from Dar es Salaam, Tehmuras Elavia, that my parents knew. He took us to
an Ismaili business who offered us tea, at his place, which had a stone wall in the front and sides,
a well, and quarters for his employees, within the wall. Can’t recall his name though…
Kersi Rustomji.
Thank you kindly for your good and informative piece.
Very interesting. My mother Shirin Alidina Visram Merchant used to tell lot of incidents and stories about Sir Sultan Mahomed and great grandfather Alidina Visram. I enjoy reading Simerg. Thanks Simerg!
Zahir Dhalla should be thanked from our hearts for this piece preserving a very important part of our (Ismaili) history in East Africa, with names of some illustrious people. Sewa Haji Paroo is there and Jaffer Somji. He is the grandfather of Noordin Somji, Tanga/Kampala/Vancouver, and a common ancestor to the Somjis in Mombasa. I have his story from the autobiography of Noordin Somji that he shared with me in Vancouver around 2009 when I had embarked on writing my book about Uganda Asians. Greatgrandfather Somji Khaukani had migrated to Bagamoyo in 1848 from his home village Bharapur in Gujarat. Noordin’s grandfather Jaffer Somji was born in Bagamoyo in 1860. Now just think of that – born in East Africa as early as that.
Allidina figures in Noordin’s book, the account here and in my book. Allidina came to Bagamoyo in 1863 at the age of 12 years. By 1900 or so, he was the King of Commerce in UGANDA, more than Kenya. Most Ismailis came to AfriKa as his agents, among them my grandfather Valli Jamal (Pradhan) and elder brother (later Count) Hasham Jamal. My grandfather was only 15 years old when he came to East Africa in 1903. He sailed from Kisumu to Entebbe in the company of the Mota Sheth in the Sheth’s own dhow and from there he was asked by the Mota Sheth to go to Wadelai (250 miles up north from Kampala). My grandfather stayed out up there for six (6) months and in fact went into the land of the “tuk tuks” – the height-challenged in Congo. My grandfather kept a diary to record the above and my own father kept notes about our grandfather that he also passed on to me, along with the precious diary. My grandfather stayed on in Uganda and became the Uganda Ismailia Council’s first president at 1915 – age 27.
Thank you again to Zahir Dhalla. History must be preserved. I did so in my own book for all Uganda Asians. For Ismailis I have stories of how the Takhtnashini ceremony (August 1957) came to be sited last-minute on the grounds of the Kampala Jamatkhana, when the Lukiko (Kabaka’s government) disallowed the ceremony to be performed on public land. My book is also of special significance for Ismailis because I documented the roles played by HH Aga Khan and his uncle Prince Sadruddin (as head of UNHCR) in resettling us in Canada and scores of other countries. Out in November, Inshallah.
Zahir Dhalla should be thanked from our hearts for this piece preserving a very important part of our (Ismaili) history in East Africa, with names of some illustrious people. Sewa Haji Paroo is there and Jaffer Somji. He is the grandfather of Noordin Somji, Tanga/Kampala/Vancouver, and a common ancestor to the Somjis in Mombasa. I have his story from the autobiography of Noordin Somji that he shared with me in Vancouver around 2010 when I had embarked on writing my book about Uganda Asians. He said I could extract from it. I did, to write his story, but I also recorded some details about his ancestors: Greatgrandfather Somji Khaukani had migrated to Bagamoyo in 1848 from his home village Bharapur in Gujarat. Noordin’s grandfather Jaffer Somji was born in Bagamoyo in 1860. Now just think of that – born in East Africa as early as that.
Allidina figures in Noordin’s book, the account here and in my book. Allidina was born in Kera, Kutch, in 1851 and stowed away on a dhow to Zanzibar at the age of 12 years. By 1900 or so, he was the King of Commerce in UGANDA, more than Kenya. I never tire of saying my grandfather Valli Jamal (Pradhan) came out to join his elder brother (later Count) Hasham Jamal, who himself had come out to AfriKa at the instigation of Sheth Allidina. My grandfather was only 15 years old when he came to East Africa in 1903. Hasham had come already in 1900 and settled in Kisumu just as the last nail was being knocked down on the railway line. My grandfather apprenticed at Kisumu with Hasham for three months and then sailed to Entebbe – in the company of the Mota Sheth in the Sheth’s own dhow. Now imagine: A 15 year old boy sailing together with the King of Commerce of over 50 years.
Am I making all this up? Am I passing on hearsay? No. My grandfather kept a diary in which he records all of the above, mentioning the voyage with the Mota Sheth and then recording that Sheth gifted him trousers and a coat and asked him to go to Wadelai (250 miles up north from Kampala). My grandfather stayed out up there for six (6) months and in fact went into the land of the “tuk tuks” – the height-challenged in Congo. My own father kept notes about our grandfather that he also passed on to me. I used the diary and my father’s notes to write the story of our family in my book. It was NOT nepotism as my grandfather stayed on in Uganda and became the Uganda Ismailia Council’s first president at 1915 – age 27.
I have extracts from Raibanau Shariffa Keshavjee’s book about her grandfather (count) Hasham Jamal, Bwana Mzuri. Although the book is about Uganda Asians I did take extracts from Shariffa’s book about our common great-grandfather Jamal Pradhan as a proto-type first generation pioneer about how he agreed to come to AfriKa if Hasham would set him up on a farm. Hasham did, a sugarcane farm at Muhoroni. Our great-grandfather sailed out with my grandfather and they brought along the three remaining siblings from India – sister Hirbai and sons Ahmed and Ibrahim.
So I nepotismed our family into my book? Did I not tell the story of Somji Khaukhani family? I told the stories of Sewa Haji Paroo, Tharia Toppan, Suleiman Virji, Kassim-Lakha, Pyaralli and Fazal Abdulla, Salemohamed Jaffer and ALL Counts of Uganda and I have stories of all our Aga Khan XI cricket heroes. Does anyone care? No. I think we Ismailis are the least caring people about our history. Just look at the dilapidated state of the Bagamoyo Jamatkhana and cemetery.
Let us resolve that we make efforts to preserve our history. Allidina Visram’s mausoleum is in the Kampala cemetery, on&off cared for by the family. The street where he established his first shop in Kampala was named after him until 1972 when Idi Amin changed it to Emperor Bokassa Street. (“How can we have an Indian name on a street in Kampala”, said he). Obote changed that to Luwum Street in honour of the Archbishop Luwum. Should we not petition Kampala City Council that a plaque be placed side-by-side to honour Allidina Visram, saying >>Also known, 1920 to 1972, as Allidina Visram Street, “The King of Commerce” in Uganda.<<
Thank you again to Zahir Dhalla. My own book will be acknowledged to have preserved Ismaili history in Uganda as part of preserving the history of Asians in Uganda from 1870 to 1972 (expulsion) and 1972 to date. (100 people never left, of whom two were Ismailis; 2,500 of the originals returned of whom 200 were original Ismailis; altogether now there are 2,500 Ismailis in Uganda, compared to 12-15 thousand in 1972.)
The Diamond Jubilee of our Imam has a special significance for the original Uganda Ismailis, as one coronation ceremony was performed on the ground of the Kampala Jamatkhana, when the Lukiko (Kabaka’s government) at the last minute disallowed the ceremony to be performed on public land. How youngster volunteers worked day and night to construct the stage is a tear-jerking story of legendary proportions and has been preserved in my book in the words of two of those volunteers. They were facing exams just three months away! My book should be published in November and I think our leadership will take note, not because I am Ismaili but because I documented the roles played by HH Aga Khan and his uncle Prince Sadruddin (as head of UNHCR) in resettling us in Canada and scores of other countries.
Jenabai Merali Remtulla is actually my paternal grandmother. The writing on the the headstone at the grave site are of his son i.e. my 90 years old father Gulamali.