Mohamed Dewji

Missionary Mohamed Dewji

Honorary Titles

• Al Haj
• Bhagat

All Nicknames

• Mamu Dewa

Town of birth

• Saadani

Country of birth

• Tanzania

Date of Birth

• August 1864

Date of Death

• March 1916

Place of Death

• Dar es Salaam

Name of Cemetery and plot no

• SeaView Ismaili Cemetery
• Dar es Salaam

Place of longest stay

• Dar es Salaam

Profession or occupation carriedout for the longest period in life

• Tailor
• Trader

Where-City or Country

• Dar es Salaam

Family tree

Parents

Dewji Kheraj

Siblings

Jussa Dewji 1855

Lakhoo Dewji

Partners

Jenabai Jiwan Kanji 1883–1963

Children

Ismail Mohamed Dewji 1908–1980

Born in 1864 Saadani

Tailor to Al Haj

"Mamu Dewa" was a well-known Khoja Ismaili missionary (preacher) from Sadani, Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam in German Tanganyika.

At a very young age, he lost his father to illness and his mother had to remarry to sustain her family. It is said that his new father beat him regularly and so, in order to protect himself from the cool early morning winds off the Indian Ocean, little Mamu got into the habit of sleeping in the unused graves in the beach-side cemetery. On the superstitious Swahili coast, it was a common belief that 'djins' powerful spirits lurk in all cemeteries and Mamu acquired a reputation as being fearless.

Stories abounded of bad luck befalling East African families: children falling down stairs, fishing boats being lost at sea, sickness plaguing a household year after year and the ghosts of long dead Arab merchants being seen still wandering around their houses at night.

He grew up to be a tailor in Sadani but moved to Bagamoyo after 1890's.

The small and tranquil village of Saadani, in the heart of the reserve, was formerly an important harbour town and slave-trading centre which, under the charismatic leadership of the legendary slave trader Bwana Heri, played an important role in the Abushiri War. Bwana Heri, who ruled Saadani from the early 1870s, achieved considerable power in this way, and also enjoyed considerable influence with the chiefs of the hinterland, especially with his own Zigua and the Nyamwezi tribe from the Central Plateau , becoming a valued ally of European traders and missionaries hoping to travel into the interior.

...in June 1889 Schmidt took part in the destruction of Saadani, which was the headquarters of the very able rebel leader, Bwana Heri.

After the total destruction of Sadaani, Mohamedbhai relocated briefly to Bagamoyo, the then German capital and later when German investment developed Dar es Salaam. he ended up quite wealthy, owning a fleet of transport trucks.

However, during the 1914-1916 European War, the Indian trucks and goods were commandeered by the German authorities in exchange for German IOUs but the victorious British colonial army failed their Indian British subjects by not honouring the I.O.U's nor paying for the trucks and further seized Indian goods and rolling stock in German firms and farms as "enemy property".

The first World War led to great business difficulties in East Africa. W. H. King, who fought here with the Indian Expeditionary Force from 1915 to 1918. used to say that the whole natural line of business communication between Tanga and Mombasa, Arusha and Nairobi, Kisumu and its southwestern hinterland was broken up. He described the sufferings of the Indian duka keepers who were merrily raided by both sides as the battle ebbed and flowed. The Belgians coming in from the Congo into Rwanda and Burundi and then crossing the Lake to push towards Tabora treated the Indian traders in the same way as they advanced and the Germans retreated"

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  One of Indian-owned trucks, looted by the German & British colonial forces, Central Tanzania circa 1917.

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  Wealthy businessman, Mohamed Dewji with his son Ismail, Dar es Salaam, circa 1916."An Ismaili man considered it shameful to appear in anything except a snow-white garment. In daytime they usually wore a calf length white tunic with wide cotton trousers beneath."

During the war, the British plotted the collapse of the German rupee by circulating forged currency notes. Upon their victory, they demonetized the German currency as well as the widely-used Indian rupee.

As a result, the family of Mamu Dewa and many Khojas as well as other Indian merchants in Tanganyika became impoverished, to the benefit of Kenyan and British companies who were given lines of credit by the now British Banks to buy up businesses in Tanganyika. Those who had advanced credit to the German businesses and sisal and other plantations were also deprived as these were consficated and given to British and other White settlers.

He did not see the impovershment of his family as he died peacefully in 1916, having predicted to Doctor Lenz, the German physician attending him that he would be dead before the physician even returned to his house.

As this is what came to pass, Mamu Dewa acquired an even bigger reputation after his death.

Mamu Dewa was a respected self-learned man and it is reported that during his lifetimes, he did four hajj to the holy city of Mecca. On the coast, he came to be known as a 'Maalim' or faith healer.