MSARAGAMBO: THE LIVING LEGEND OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FROM THE ANCIENT UGWENO STATE TO MODERN DEVELOPMENT PRAXIS
Abstract
This article presents a critical examination of Msaragambo, the traditional system of compulsory communal labor originating from the ancient Ugweno state in the North Pare Mountains of Tanzania. Framed within the theoretical lens of Ubuntu philosophy and the decolonization of social work, the analysis employs an integrative, decolonial methodology combining historical analysis, ethnography, and participatory action research. It traces Msaragambo’s evolution from a foundational socio-political institution of the pre-colonial Gweno civilization to its contemporary adaptation as a hybrid model of community-driven development. The article argues that Msaragambo represents a resilient indigenous knowledge system that has successfully syncretized with modern governance structures. It now facilitates significant infrastructure projects through a novel partnership between resident communities, a financially contributing diaspora (Wacharo), and local government. However, this adaptation faces critical challenges, including generational shifts in attitudes toward voluntarism among youth. This study illuminates Msaragambo not as a static cultural relic, but as a dynamic "living legend" that offers vital insights for participatory development, social cohesion, and the indigenization of social work practice in Africa and beyond.
Keywords: Msaragambo, Ugweno, Ubuntu, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Community Development, Diaspora Financing, Decolonizing Social Work, Tanzania, Participatory Action Research.
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