Askari Monument

The Askari Monument, unveiled in 1927, is a memorial to the Askari (African soldiers) who fought in the British campaign against the German Army in East Africa in World War I.  The monument was erected in honour of the King’s African Rifles and the Carrier Corps.  The main feature of the monument is ‘The Askari’, a bronze sculpture of an African soldier.  It was created in the United Kingdom by the British sculptor, James Alexander Stevenson (1881-1937) who worked for Westminster’s Morris Bronze Founders.  Stevenson signed the statue with his pseudonym ‘Myrander’.  Before being sent to Dar es Salaam, the statue was exhibited at the Royal Academy, receiving critical acclaim.  The soldier has a rifle with bayonets pointed towards the Dar es Salaam harbour.  On the narrow sides of the pedestal are plaques with a dedication in Swahili and English, and on the wide sides of the pedestal are two pictorial plaques showing fighting African soldiers and the Carrier Corps.  The English inscription includes the words: ‘If you fight for your country even if you die your sons will remember your name’.