Kageye village formerly a hub for slave trade is located along Igombe – Kayenze road just 15 minutes drive from the Mwanza airport, sits close to the shores of Lake Victoria in a peaceful tranquil environment with breathtaking views of the beach.
On arrival at the village, any visitor will be able to recognize that the main activity in the area is fishing; you will see several colored traditionally crafted boats docked at the beach.
Nevertheless, the leading landmark here is a historical site that has a famous storyline, and it’s because of this that this lake-shore village has become one of the must-visit destinations for anyone taking a Safari in Tanzania. It’s a great place for anyone to visit on a Safari in Tanzania especially if you are interested in learning about the history of the early Arab who traded in slaves along the east African coast. You will also get an opportunity to learn about the introduction of Islam and Christianity back in 1870s in northwestern Tanzania.
During the early days, Kageye was a section of the Sukuma – the smallest tribal chieftaincy at the time. Currently this is among the oldest historical Tanzania sites. Kageye has a monument that was constructed in memory of the many innocent Africans that died during the brutal days of slave trade. Something worth mentioning is that the slaves who were captured in northwestern Tanzania as well as Uganda, were enchained here at Kageye by the Arabs prior to starting on a tiresome journey through Zanzibar as well as Bagamoyo.
Furthermore, it is here at Kageye that a large number of white explorers as well as missionaries that died death because of the severe tropical diseases were actually are buried. The names of the missionaries as well as the explorers who died are carved on their tombstones. Also buried at Kageye are slaves, members of the local chief’s court, workers of the explorers as well as tribal chiefs.
Additional attractions to see at Kageye include the ruins of the local chief’s palace, ruins of the grain grinding-stones as well as a duplicate of the tent in which Henry Morton Stanley a British explorer stayed while on his search for the source of the mighty River Nile – the longest river in the world.
Kageye Village was developed into a Historic Tourist site several years ago by the great efforts of Fr. David Clement a Catholic priest. He later handed over this site to the Tanzanian Government. Sad to say is that today this tourist site need immediate rehabilitation and marketing to the rest of the world.
For more information about Tourism in Tanzania, visit http://www.gorillas-safaris.com/tanzania/tanzania-safaris/
