ABSTRACT
This chapter is about two women—German colonizer Frieda von Bülow (*1857– †1909) and Tanzanian civil-rights activist Bibi “Titi” Mohamed (*1926–†2000) who, despite having influenced Tanzania’s modern history in their own ways are still underrepresented in writings on East-Africa’s historical past. The chapter discusses how these two women—Tanzania being their common geographical backdrop—gained and lost power during their time(s) and how they defined their respective feminist achievements within patriarchal societies. It analyses how the Western construct of feminism and gender equality can be applied to both cases, thereby taking into account the two women’s very different heritages and cultural backgrounds. The chapter portrays the disturbing lack of female inclusion in histories of German or Tanzanian nationalization processes, be it in the case of Frieda von Bülow, who attempted to further the German Empire’s economic and political development by advocating for the imperial cause; or that of Bibi Titi Mohamed, who was directly engaged with the decolonization and nationalization processes of the still-to-be founded state of Tanzania.
