Emmanuel family: From Tenedos to Suez and Tanganyika, in the early 1900s
(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Tanzania’)
One of the typical stories of the Greeks settled in the Kilimanjaro area during the early 1900s is that of Gregory Emmanuel. Emmanuel was born in Tenedos Island and was working as an engineer for the Suez Canal Company. In Alexandria, he met his friend Meimaridis who was also from Tenedos. At that time, coffee cargo was being landed in Mombasa and transported by train to Voi in Tanganyika. Meimaridis had purchased a steam traction engine and intended to take over the heavy transport business between Voi and Moshi on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, a distance of about 90 miles. Meimaridis offered a partnership to Emmanuel and for the next years they carried building materials and other heavy freight around the Moshi area. Later, Emmanuel worked as a constructor for the railway and then as a farmer. Today the 4th generation of Emmanuel family still lives on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Tanzania’)
One of the typical stories of the Greeks settled in the Kilimanjaro area during the early 1900s is that of Gregory Emmanuel. Emmanuel was born in Tenedos Island and was working as an engineer for the Suez Canal Company. In Alexandria, he met his friend Meimaridis who was also from Tenedos. At that time, coffee cargo was being landed in Mombasa and transported by train to Voi in Tanganyika. Meimaridis had purchased a steam traction engine and intended to take over the heavy transport business between Voi and Moshi on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, a distance of about 90 miles. Meimaridis offered a partnership to Emmanuel and for the next years they carried building materials and other heavy freight around the Moshi area. Later, Emmanuel worked as a constructor for the railway and then as a farmer. Today the 4th generation of Emmanuel family still lives on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
