Woodland commodities, global trade, and local struggles: the beeswax trade in British Tanzania

Abstract

This article examines African production and sale of beeswax during the period of British colonial rule in Tanzania. It argues that the Nyamwezi and Ngindo people in particular were active in the exploitation of this forest product as a means to pay taxes and gain access to imports in a way that synchronized with subsistence agriculture and which gave them a measure of control over their economic lives. However, while supported by some colonial officials who tried to increase beeswax exports, African producers had to struggle against forestry and game officers who attempted to prevent their access to prime beeswax areas. The purchase and export of this lucrative product was controlled by a small number of Asian traders who also represented a barrier to the producers' efforts to gain a fair price.