Songea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Songea is the capital of the Ruvuma Region in southeastern Tanzania. The city has a population of approximately 140,000, is home of Songea Girls Secondary School and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea. Between 1905 and 1907 the city was a centre of African resistance during the Maji Maji Rebellion in German East Africa. The city is poised to experience significant economic growth in the near future as the Mtwara Corridor opens up.

Songea was a great Ngoni warrior of Shona ancestry, hanged in 1906 during the time of German repression of the Maji Maji rebellion. Songea had been spared the death sentence because he had surrendered. However he demanded to be hanged along with the other Ngoni leaders. The Germans complied.