African Entrepreneurship Record

October 3, 1891.

Dar es Salaam Port.

”Welcome everyone to East Africa!”

Now, as one of the world’s great powers, East Africa can engage in equal dialogue with any country in the world. Conversely, most countries must maintain good relations with East Africa.

Among these countries, Germany is undoubtedly the most eager and attentive towards East Africa. This time, the German delegation’s visit to East Africa is personally led by Chancellor Kapulivi.

Previously, it was almost unimaginable for a leader of a major world power to visit an African country, not to mention it’s the 19th century. Even in Ernst’s past life, such a scene was rare; it seems there was only an American president who went to his ancestral home in Kenya to trace his roots.

As for the UK and France, they basically have no great power prestige in the 21st century, especially France, which is akin to the Supreme Emperor of Africa, with Paris considered the capital of West Africa. Their international status has declined significantly compared to the 19th century, but in the 19th century, the status of the UK, France, and Germany was comparable to the Empire of the Far East, the United States, and the top three powers of Ernst’s previous life.

Of course, calling Kapulivi the leader of Germany is a bit of a stretch. Although he is the German Chancellor, as Germany is a monarchy, there is also an Emperor, so Kapulivi can only be considered one of the main leaders of Germany.

Kapulivi: ”Hello, Lord Sivert.”

”His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince warmly welcome your arrival,” Sivert said politely.

Although the economy of Dar es Salaam City is prosperous, it is not the capital of East Africa, so Kapulivi and his entourage will have to take a train to First Town City next.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Kapulivi couldn’t help but feel envious. To hold such a high position at a young age is rare; he himself had worked hard for many years to become Chancellor.

Of course, Sivert is not exactly young anymore, just a middle-aged man, but compared to Kapulivi, he is quite youthful. Youth among officials is a relatively common phenomenon in East Africa.

As a result, older individuals in the government are treated as treasures by Ernst, who uses them to temper the fervor of the East African government. Young people are, after all, often impulsive, especially in a rapidly developing country like East Africa.

For example, the aging Defense Minister, Count Arman, has mostly retired from daily affairs but still firmly holds his position as Minister of Defense.

Under the guidance of Sivert, the German delegation took a brief tour around Dar es Salaam City. As a showcase city, its development caught the attention of German officials.

Although Dar es Salaam City is only a quarter the size of Berlin, it still earned praises from Kapulivi.

”Even in Germany, Dar es Salaam City could rank in the top ten. It’s hard to imagine this is an African city.”

Sivert said, ”After a decade or so of development, East Africa is considered a populous country. With the accumulation of population and resources, developing a relatively advanced city is not a difficult task. Furthermore, Dar es Salaam is not in the interior of East Africa; it used to be the political center of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and had an economic foundation. Back then, Dar es Salaam City was one of the important commercial centers along the Western Indian Ocean coast.”

”Hehe, Lord Sivert, you are being too modest. Without East Africa, the Zanzibar people at that time could not have created such a world-class city. Moreover, you have not only Dar es Salaam but also Mombasa, New Hamburg Port, and other cities. East Africa’s development is evident,” Kapulivi said.

While his words praised East Africa greatly, deep down, Kapulivi lamented that such good land was previously neglected by Germany, benefiting the Heixinggen Royal Family instead.

At the same time, a sense of discontent towards Bismarck surged in his heart. If only Bismarck had paid a little more attention to colonial endeavors, East Africa wouldn’t be as it is now.

As the newly appointed German Chancellor elevated by William II, Kapulivi’s political views were not entirely opposite but rather unrelated to Bismarck’s.

Unlike Bismarck’s Europe-centric ”Continental Policy,” Kapulivi advocated for a ”New Course,” which meant broadening the empire’s diplomatic vision to the world stage, transforming from a continental power into a global power by seizing overseas colonies and expanding the German colonial empire.

In Kapulivi’s view, with just a little extra effort, the vast lands and market of East Africa could have been utilized, avoiding the current situation where they must sit at the table with East Africa to discuss cooperation.

Of course, Kapulivi only mused about it. The situation is now set in stone; Germany has missed the best opportunity to intervene. Perhaps their own country’s ties with East Africa are not as deep as those of Austria-Hungary.

However, on second thought, the existence of East Africa is not entirely a bad thing, at least for his own country. If not for East Africa, this vast region might have been partitioned by England and France, whereas East Africa’s existence allows Germany to have a share.

And as a non-traditional colonial power, Germany’s ambitions are not yet grand. They are not accustomed to brandishing power overseas, and naturally, attempting to impose on East Africa is also impossible. Although Germany is developing at the fastest rate in Europe, they are still not on par with the power of the UK and France.

This is one of the purposes of Kapulivi’s visit to East Africa: to advance cooperation and exchange between the two countries, further boosting Germany’s economic development.

Currently, Germany most lacks colonial markets. As an independent country and one of the great powers, East Africa naturally cannot become a German colony. Thus, they must take a step back, allowing German industrial and commercial products to enter East Africa more smoothly. Ideally, the two nations could form an alliance.

Germany is not as timid as Austria-Hungary; if they can form an alliance with East Africa, they would gladly do so, rather than having only Austria and East Africa allied.

After enjoying Dar es Salaam City, the German officials boarded the train to First Town City with lingering interest, while the towering chimneys and roaring machines of Dar es Salaam City slowly faded away.

For Kapulivi’s visit, First Town City held a warm welcoming ceremony, and for the first time, the East African honor guard conducted a ceremony to welcome a foreign high-level leader in their country.

Ernst personally met with Kapulivi at the Sweet Palace for detailed negotiations on cooperation.

An alliance! Of course, it was impossible. East Africa no longer needed to rely on the guise of security, and alliances were less attractive than freedom. Forming an alliance with Germany would certainly not put East Africa in a leading position, and it would be challenging to push away any troubles arising from the alliance.

Ernst tactfully declined, ”We in East Africa are a peace-loving country. Having just gone through the South African war, any strategic misjudgment could easily lead to misunderstandings by third-party countries, which is not conducive to world stability or East Africa’s economic development.”

Third-party countries could refer to the United Kingdom or even to France, which has a rivalry with Germany. With East Africa already so ”strong,” forming an alliance with Germany might prevent many countries from sleeping soundly.

Kapulivi had anticipated Ernst’s refusal. Forming alliances is essentially about seeking mutual support, and clearly, East Africa’s current diplomatic environment does not require concern for security issues. On the contrary, an alliance with Germany could pull East Africa into troubles.

In this regard, Kapulivi felt a bit bitter. Germany is surrounded by adversaries, while East Africa’s geopolitical advantage is quite pronounced, second only to the United States among the world’s great powers.

Before the South African war, the UK could rely on Cape Town and Portuguese colonies to exert some pressure on East Africa. However, after the South African war, East Africa’s security issues were completely resolved. It’s akin to the current situation of the United States, with a non-threatening Canada to the north and a defeated Mexico to the south.