German Records of the National Archives
Documentary heritage submitted by Tanzania and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 1997.
The German Records show in an outstanding way what the situation was during the "great period" when most of the European powers were busy to divide Africa (East Africa included) among themselves in the form of colonies. During this period, many events took place which changed the face of Africa, changes which can only be understood by referring to these documents. For example, before the First World War, the German East Africa colony comprised Tanganyika (present Tanzania), Rwanda and Burundi, but after the war, these three countries were separated and an internationally recognized boundary was drawn between them. This is documented by the German Records.