Chapter 158: A Closed-Off East Africa
November 5, 1868.
First Town.
In a northwestern extension of First Town near the Little Rhine River, the land formerly belonging to "Second Town" was annexed when the East African colony upgraded. As the central government seat and capital of the Central District, First Town's territory naturally had to expand, so it swallowed up neighboring Second Town.
Over a month ago, the residents of former Second Town saw a batch of strangers arrive—something they hadn't witnessed in half a year, so it was quite the spectacle. Ever since the colony's territory had grown, new immigration largely funneled into the newly occupied lands. The east had mostly been settled earlier, and those places were deemed relatively full, so few new arrivals had come to them. Second Town was one of those.
Had they been ordinary immigrants, Second Town's people wouldn't have been particularly curious. But these strangers were different—after all, the locals knew well what typical immigrants look like, because they themselves had arrived as immigrants. When they first got off the ship, they were often in dire straits, many lacking even a decent change of clothing. The colony had to issue uniform outfits to them on landing, and to this day, the vast majority still wore the improved Prussian uniform. Even European immigrants, with slightly nicer attire, had had it briefly confiscated, disinfected, and returned—plus a free set of colonial "Prussian" garments. Although Europeans generally arrived in better shape than the Chinese immigrants, their clothes still weren't exactly fine.
As for Chinese newcomers, their assorted rags were all confiscated, since each piece was basically tattered beyond measure—patched on top of patches, riddled with holes or split seams, some wearing only thin rags while others had padded jackets. It was simpler for Ernst to have them stripped of their old clothes in the name of "disinfection," thus also helping unify dress. Driving them to adopt German style extended the plan of "Germanization." Meanwhile, the Europeans' clothes were returned with minimal fuss—some immigrants had more than one outfit.
So the result is that East Africa is blanketed with the same uniformed look. If foreign observers visited, they might think they'd wandered into a Prussian army camp. Among the newly arrived "outsiders" was none other than Professor Anton Perutz from the Tropical Agriculture Institute. At first, in the port of Dar es Salaam, he didn't notice anything odd since the colony used normal European clothes there—being the only outward-facing port, the colony didn't want to scare off "friendly nations." Indeed, Ernst wouldn't close Dar es Salaam or Mombasa, as shipping from various European countries anchored there for replenishment. Doing otherwise might provoke an Anglo-Portuguese-French-Dutch coalition knocking at the colony's gates the next day. Ernst had been able to found East Africa in part because Prussia hadn't yet unified Germany, and especially the British, as a maritime hegemon, had no reason to intervene heavily in what they considered an unremarkable region.
From the prevailing European viewpoint, East Africa is truly considered a "bad place." Even the entire African continent doesn't have too many spots the powers show interest in. West Africa has the "Gold Coast," "Ivory Coast," "Slave Coast," "Pepper Coast," which each have attracted chaotic contention. The Cape, British Somaliland, Gibraltar, and the future Suez Canal stand at Africa's crucial maritime choke points. North Africa, from ancient Roman times, has always been prized by Europe. Portugal alone held a few stable footholds in Africa, but having done so centuries earlier amid the peak of the slave trade, their seeds have long borne fruit, and they're too exhausted to continue seriously investing. Not until around 1880, in the wake of the 1873 economic crisis, would Europe's powers truly scramble for Africa. Each economic crisis pushes capitalist nations to seek new outlets as they shift from exporting commodities to exporting capital. In the ensuing pursuit of raw materials and global markets, they'd carve up the world.
Right now, none of that has happened. Britain's quietly satisfied, stirring trouble in South America, while major players like France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia remain preoccupied with big wars. The United States is still busy with its post–Civil War aftermath and Western expansion, and the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch are all in decline with no large-scale moves abroad. As long as Ernst keeps quiet about East Africa's resources, no one's likely to pay attention.
So, for Dar es Salaam and Mombasa—East Africa's only external gateways—the colony ensures immigrants wear ordinary clothing. Meanwhile, Tanga, Bagamoyo, and Mtwara, three new ports built by the colony, serve the consortium's private usage. The Indian Ocean maritime travelers remain in the first two ports. Indeed, turning them into strictly "closed" ports would be foolish. Britain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, or any combination of them might respond promptly. A "closed-door" policy would yield no benefit.
Hence the colony's leaders simply maintain the status quo, letting foreign ships call at Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, while Tanga, Bagamoyo, and Mtwara remain exclusively for the East African colony's trade. If travelers from other nations landed in Tanga only to see a sea of "Prussian uniforms," that might spark imaginations. In the interior, though, there's no need for such caution. No foreign presence can penetrate deep into East Africa except colonists and consortium staff. The Arab merchants and slavers who once roamed the inland now do business at boundary markets, waiting for the colony to "deliver goods." Geographic and tribal barriers keep East Africa separate from other connected states.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10