At the end of the 19th century, the German expansion was in full swing. However, when the Second Reich began to sharpen its teeth on the mountainous part of Cameroon, it encountered an unexpected obstacle. All because of ... "cursed Poles" at which Chancellor Bismarck cursed healthily. How did they get ahead of the Germans?
The history of the successes of Polish travelers in Africa began in April 1883, when an unusual expedition consisting of three Poles and a dog landed off the coast of Cameroon. It was led by Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński, a twenty-two-year-old who had served in the Russian Navy in the past, and gained the money for the expedition thanks to his mother's inheritance. He was accompanied by Klemens Tomczek, a 23-year-old geologist, and Leopold Janikowski, a 28-year-old meteorologist, traveling the world with his dollar pointer.
These young people were brought to Africa by their curiosity, scientific passion, lust for adventure and… the vision of an independent Poland. They did not speak about it loudly, but Szolc-Rogoziński had a unique idea to create a colony on the west coast of the continent. The new homeland would be in a nicer place than between Germany and Russia. Sounds like utopia? Yet decades earlier, in the same part of the world, liberated slaves from the United States created Liberia, the oldest republic on the European-colonized mainland.
"Hurray, king Sobieski!"
The Poles began their expedition by purchasing their own piece of land. From the local cacique, they bought the island of Mondoleh (Mondori), located in the Bay of Ambas. Then Rogoziński and Tomczek went further into the country. Janikowski remained alone for several months (not counting the faithful dollar). He used this time to expand the base and establish contacts with the natives. The latter, initially distrustful, limited themselves only to trade. The breakthrough came in September 1883.
Szolc-Rogoziński dreamed of a free Poland in Cameroon. It is marked in red on the map of Africa from the beginning of the 20th century.
The young meteorologist then invited the elders of the local tribes to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the relief of Vienna. He told his guests about the victories of King Jan III Sobieski, and they, at the command of the oldest kacyk, shouted in English:"Hurray, King Sobieski!" And then everyone got drunk.
Celebrating together became the beginning of a beautiful friendship. From then on, Janikowski and his two companions, who soon returned, were able to travel freely around the area. They learned the local dialects and customs, and sometimes even settled disputes between the indigenous people! At the same time, Szolc-Rogoziński, not forgetting his dreams, was buying further land for ownership. As a result, as the ethnographer Janusz Kamocki writes, "he created a kind of tribal federation under his leadership". And then the Germans showed up.
Bismarck's rage
United in 1871, the Second Reich quickly developed colonial ambitions. Cameroon seemed like an easy morsel. The Germans began their expansion by establishing trade contacts with King Bell, the most powerful ruler on the country's coast. They credited him for a while, but soon they sent their warship, summoned the chief aboard, and made him an offer he couldn't refuse:"We cancel our debts for surrender." Like it or not, Bell signed the treaty and displayed the German flag.
The next step in the Berlin-controlled colonial march was the capture of the mountainous part of Cameroon. However, it aroused anxiety among the British, who considered this country as their sphere of influence. The situation was getting more and more tense. There were even new invaders fighting with the local population.
The German conquests also shattered plans to create a Polish colony in this part of the continent. At that time, out of the three travelers, only two remained:Szolc-Rogoziński and Janikowski. The third participant of the expedition, Tomczek, died in May 1884 of malaria. The disappointment of the Poles must have been deepened by the fact that it was the invaders from Europe that aggressively spread out in the area of interest to them.
It should be added that their attitude towards the Germans was far from hateful. This is evidenced by the fact that in 1884 Szolc-Rogoziński invited a German journalist, Hugo Zöller, to participate in an expedition to the Cameroon Mountains. It was only a conflict of interest that made the researchers stand on opposite sides of the barricade and compete with each other in a race of extraordinary stakes.
The companions of Rogoziński's expedition, Klemens Tomczek and Leopold Janikowski.
In order to stand in the way of the expansion of the Reich, in January 1885 Szolc-Rogoziński and Janikowski came to an agreement with British officials in this part of Africa. According to Janikowski's account, the initiative came from the islanders. British sources attribute it to Szolc-Rogoziński, but it seems that London was simply trying to shirk its responsibility by blaming the Poles for everything.
Regardless of who came up with the idea, the negotiations ended with the two travelers agreeing to go deep into the country to obtain the approval of the local kacyks for recognition of British sovereignty. They refused to accept a military escort, so they set off armed only with signature-ready documents, Union Jack flags, and gifts.
At the same time, the Germans were planning a similar trip. There was a "first come, first served" principle. The newcomers from the Vistula won the competition. These are the effects of their actions Janikowski described in his memoirs:
The result of our work was that within a month dozens of kacyks signed treaties for England, and the German envoys found English flags everywhere. The work was strenuous. It was a wild, rocky mountain race. Often it was thirty or more kilometers a day, with injured legs and exhausting fever. We could be proud, however, when we returned, we handed over the documents to the consul:the mountains were English!
Wanting to thwart the imperial aspirations of the Germans, Rogoziński came to an understanding with the British. The illustration shows a drawing by Adam Polkowski from the book Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński. The Forgotten Explorer of the Dark Continent.
No wonder that when the news reached Berlin, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was simply furious. A vivid description of his anger can be found in the biographical novel by Maciej Klósak and Dariusz Skonieczka about Szolc-Rogoziński. The authors recount how the "Iron Chancellor" vented his anger at a session of the German parliament:
Unfortunately, the Cameroonian Mountains are not ours, thanks to two cursed Poles who gave these areas to the English. However, I gave orders to neutralize them - he said, clearly agitated (...) .
The Prussian politician could not imagine that the German expansion in Africa was stopped by only two daredevils. Meanwhile, the story of Polish success also reached Poland. This is how the matter was commented on in the Malopolska magazine "Djabeł":
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was furious when he heard about how Rogoziński and Janikowski were doing in Cameroon.
Prince Bismark, not stopping persecuting the Polish element in Prussia, pursues him even in Africa. After learning about Rogoziński's expedition to Cameroon, he soon set off a fleet to take possession of these lands. So even in Africa one cannot be calm against the Prussian persecution .
"Polish conspiracy"
There is no doubt that Poles in Africa did a great job. Of course, not everything was going perfectly. In the town of Lecumbis, Szolc-Rogoziński, for example, displayed the British flag, although he did not have the consent of the locals. He just wanted Hugo Zöller to see that the area had already been "taken". The conquest, however, was only apparent, because as soon as the German envoy left, the banner was removed and the "conqueror" continued on his way.
With time, the Polish traveler felt overly confident, which he showed when he saw a German border post in the town of Bokonange, adjacent to his estate. He did not hesitate to refer him to Gustav Nachtigal, Bismarck's special commissioner and envoy. And this together with the insulting letter!
Meanwhile, nervousness prevailed on the London-Berlin line. The British pretended that they knew little about the Poles' action. There was some bluffing in it and some genuine ignorance. The authorities of the Second Reich, on the other hand, were increasingly suspicious. Herbert Bismarck, son of the Iron Chancellor, responsible for the country's foreign policy, even wrote that his father "has never experienced this form of communication in 40 years of experience in public life." The elder of the Bismarcks sniffed at "a Polish conspiracy to destroy our relationship with England."
In the end, Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński lost to great politics and had to come back to Europe.
In the end, the British decided to give way to the Germans in Cameroon. In return, they wanted to make concessions on Afghanistan, where the influence of both empires also clashed. Once again it has been confirmed that England has no friends, only business….
When it turned out that the efforts of the Poles were wasted, Szolc-Rogoziński and Janikowski decided to return. They left with impaired health and with a sense of an unfulfilled mission to create a Polish colony. But perhaps they were also accompanied by a bitter satisfaction that they were really close to standing in the way of German imperialism, at least in distant Africa. Only one pointer, Dollar, did not care much, he was pampered by the crew of the ship on which the travelers returned to Europe.
Inspiration:
This article was inspired by the fictionalized biography of Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński by Maciej Klósak and Dariusz Skonieczeka under the title Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński. The Forgotten Explorer of the Dark Continent , Gray Hour 2018.
Bibliography:
- Jan Andrzej Betley, Stefan Szolc Rogozinski and the Anglo-German Rivalry in the Cameroons , Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, Vol. 5, No. 1 (1969).
- "Djabeł", No. 18 (1884).
- Leopold Janikowski, In the jungles of Africa. Memories of the Polish African expedition in 1882-1890 , Liga Morska i Kolonjalna 1936.
- Janusz Kamocki, Rogoziński-Szolc Stefan , [in:] Polish biographical dictionary , vol. 31, ed. Emanuel Roztworowski, Ossolineum 1988–1989.
- Dariusz Skonieczko, Leopold Janikowski - Ethno-soldier , "New Ethnography", No. 6 (2014).
- Józef Ślisz, About S. S. Rogoziński's expedition to Cameroon , "Wiadomości Geograficzne", No. 8-10 (1932).
- Maria Zachorowska, Janusz Kamocki, Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński. African Research and Collection from 1882 to 1890 , The Ethnographic Museum in Krakow 1984.