Fosbrooke, Henry A.2021-10-152021-10-151955Fosbrooke, Henry A. (1955) Arusha Bomahttp://41.86.178.5:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/16062Available in Print form, East Africana Collection, Dr Wilbert Chagula Library, ( EAF FOS F78.A7)This note is prompted by the discovery of a photograph, reproduced opposite, of Arusha Boma in the height of its pride, with the Imperial Gefman Ensign flying from the flagstaff, and the proud Hohenzoliern eagles emblazoned on the tower. The photograph comes from a German work, “Die Volkerstamme im Norden Deutsch Ostafrikas” by Max Weiss; the date of publication is missing flfrom my copy, but from the area covered by the map, it appears that the author was engaged in the Anglo-German boundary demarcation. In contrast to the buildings, the majestic outline of Mount Meru, just under 15,000 feet high, shows no discernible change after nearly half a century of weathering. The observant will note, however, that the long ridge in the middle distance, called Oldonyo Sabuk—the Fat Mountain—is no longer forest clad, as shown in the photo. It is now covered with an elaborate pattern of fenced fields and pastures; the latter’s close knit Kikuyu grass turf, weeded and manured by the owners, safeguards the soil against erosion as adequately as the previous forest cover. The present group of Government offices presents a sorry shadow of the original building. Only one section of the perimeter wall now remains, whilst the surrounding ditch has been largely filled in. With the walls thus breached, the front and back gates were rendered useless and have consequently disappeared. The central tower has not only lost its heraldic device, but also its battlements and turrets; it is now capped with a plain corrugated iron roof.enArushaBoma,photographAnglo-GermanArticle