Leandra

Word Bank

Migration Emigration Immigration

Intercontinental Migration Internal Migration Immigrant

Emigrant Push Factor/s Pull Factor/s

Home country Country of destination

1. Read one of the following stories from this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/09/six-real-life-stories-of-migration

2. Pretend that you are writing your own story in first person and challenge yourself by:
● using as much vocab words that are listed above.
● Talk about push and pull factors
● Advantages and disadvantages to home and destination country
● Use pictures to convey your stories
● Extension: cite stats and data ​(by independent in 1961, there were 3,000 greek
immigrants families in tanganyika. Today there are approximately 300 individual greeks
of which I am one.
Brainstorm:
Push factor - Poverty, Lack of opportunities, Dispute family (lots of drama).
Emmanuel Mantheakis, was born from a poor family and he wanted a better life and did not get along with his
father. There was very few opportunities in Crete where he dreamed that he could find a place that he would build
a better life for himself. So he decided to leave for Alexandria, Egypt.

Pull factor - Seeking a better life, Better opportunities. Adventure.

He decided to go to his uncle that was living in Mogadishu, Somaliland via Alexandria and Suez Canal by boat to
Mogadishu. He worked for his uncle for six months but he did not get along with his uncle. There he heard that the
Germans were building a railway line in tanganyika, from tanga, to the great lake and civil engineer was a german
of greek ancestry, so he assumed that if he go there he will be treated favorably by his fellow greeks. So he left
from Mogadishu by ship to Tanga in german Tanganyika the country of destination and went looking for a job.

Home country - Island Crete in Greece

He was born in Crete on 1879, where he grew up there and left at 14 years old

Destination - German east africa tanganyika (but via Egypt and Somaliland)
country
- As an immigrant at 14 he left and emigrated to alexandria egypt and from there to port Sudan to where he
had an uncle. His uncle was a general merchant an he worked for him for a few months but they did not get
along. He got a job as an assistant to a german forman. After a couple of years he realized that the best
money for to get contract from the german but he needed a good labor force. So he walked from tanga to
tabora to recruit labor from chief Mirambo of the Wasukuma tribe. As an internal migration, he walked back
to tanga and got his first contract and from there he developed his business as a contractor for the german
administrator.
Nduruma Estate Plantation

Arusha, Tanganyika

1914

Dear great grandchildren,

I am Emmanuel Mantheakis, I might not be alive when you read this letter but I want to

share you my journey that I have been through. I was born in Crete

in 1879 which is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest

one in Mediterranean Sea. Crete is a wonderful island with

beautiful landscape of the mountains, surrounded with clear blue

water and fine white sand beaches. It is also surrounded by neighboring islands and filled with

wonderful architecture from old civilization. Although Crete is a beautiful island to me which I

considered my home and Greece being my home country life wasn’t always easy for me. It was

tough because I was born and raised in a poor family. My family are farmers and I dreamed for a

better life. In addition, there is a lot of family disputes happening at home. The family always

argued about money and I did not get along well with my father. Few opportunities and family

drama are the push factors that led me to a decision to someday I would need to migrate. When I

was old enough to leave my family forever, I fully decided that I could have better opportunities

and a better life in Africa. I have an uncle in Mogadishu Somaliland and would go first to him

via Alexandria, Egypt. This was my first time to be an emigrant at 14-years old, it was a bravest

moment of my life.
 In 1894, I arrived in Alexandria, Egypt on my way to uncle, in Mogadishu, Somaliland.

A lot of first, it was my first time to reach a destination country, being an immigrant in Egypt

and to experience an intercontinental migration from Europe to Africa. I’ve experienced a whole

different culture and lifestyle as I was not familiar with the Arab culture or Islamic faith.

Me on the right going to Somaliland in 1928.

Alexandria Egypt is a major city that is connected by a port in Mediterranean Sea and

during this time is undergoing so many changes. By this time, many foreigners are coming in

because of British colonies and a lot of agriculture exports for these past years but there are no

jobs for me. Again, I experienced a push factor that led me to leave Alexandria which is

unemployment. I thought to myself, I need to go to a place wherein I have a relative that would

hire me as one of his employees. Also, a relative is an assurance that someone will look after me

and treat me better. I emigrated Alexandria, Egypt by boat and traveled to Mogadishu,

Somaliland through Suez Canal. I chose to go to Somaliland because I have an uncle who was
the biggest general merchant in the city so I started to work for him and that lasted six months,

but my uncle and I did not get along well together. There I heard that the Germans were building

a railway line in German East Africa as it was called then Tanganyika, and civil engineer was a

german of greek ancestry, so I assumed that if I would go there, I would be treated favorably by

a fellow greek. The Railway was from Dar to Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria and the other

from Tanga on the coast to Moshi and Arusha. So I left from Mogadishu by ship to sail to Tanga,

Tanzania.

Me next to the railway helping the Germans

I arrived at Tanga and started working with the Germans. I knew that Tanganyika was

the country of great business opportunity, so I started with my first job as an assistant to a

German forman on the railway. After a couple of years of living there, I realized that the best

money was to become a contractor, but to become a contractor you needed a good labor force,

but the Coastal people would not work for pay, so I decided to walk from Tanga to Tabora to

recruit labor from chief Mirambo of the Wasukuma tribe. It was a 2 month or more walk to reach
Tabora and 2 months back. I also bought cattle cheap and sold for a lot of money in Tanga. On

my return to Tanga with a labour force I manage to get my first contract and from there

developed my business as a contractor for the german administrator. I am feeling really lucky to

move to a country, Tanzania that has great pull factors such as great business opportunity and

good labor force.

As the railway moved towards Moshi so did I with my labour force until eventually I

settled in Arusha, that was an internal migration from Tanga. I build the second German fort in

Arusha as the first one was burnt down by the Wameru uprising. Then I realized that there was

more money in coffee and Sisal plantations so I got into those in 1914 and eventually into a gold

mine as well in Kisongo Kenya.

Left: Couple years after I started building the houses

Right: Me many years later after I started being self employed.

 It has been many years that passed and the time went fast since I left Crete, that I used to

call my childhood home, when I was still living there. I had several houses in different areas of

Tanganyika, that I built myself, raised a family and slowly seeing more Greeks came to migrate

here as well. Slowly, Tanzania became my home country. I hope in the future you get to visit

Tanzania or even live here because of the many businesses that I built for a more comfortable

life in the future. I also included pictures to show show what Tanzania is like back then. Take

good care my great granddaughter. I am grateful that I got to share my story to you.

Sincerely,

Your great grandfather Emmanuelle Mantheakis

Word count: 992

Works Cited

“Visit Greece | Crete.” ​Visit Greece | Delphi​, www.visitgreece.gr/en/greek_islands/crete.