Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, draws tens of thousands of tourists annually. Many attempt to climb its nineteen thousand feet snow-covered peak, an arduous trek that can span several days. Like the climbers who scale Everest, they are aided by local porters, cooks, and guides. But unlike Everest’s Sherpas, who have been extensively documented and profiled, the Chagga people of the Kilimanjaro mountain crews remain nearly anonymous. 

The Chagga people, who were the first settlers near Kilimanjaro, have been an essential part of the climbing industry that has developed since the colonial period. Kilimanjaro Porters and Guidesreveals the history of these porters, cooks, and guides. The book takes us from early Chagga settlement, through European colonialism and African independence, to today. It argues that while the Kilimanjaro climbing industry developed in a colonial context, local Tanzanian actors have played an integral role in determining access to and understanding of the mountain. They also have been central to climbers’ successes, mountain crew culture, and the evolution of key industry features—even as they have struggled in the postcolonial period.

Leslie Anne Hadfield is a professor of African history at Brigham Young University. Her research interests include South African liberation movements and the work and lives of Black nurses in the Eastern Cape. She has accompanied several groups of students on Mt. Kilimanjaro climbing experiences.

Festo Mkenda, SJ, is a Tanzanian political historian who focuses on matters of identity and nationalism and the history of Christianity in Africa. He currently serves as academic director of the Roman archives of the Society of Jesus and part-time lectures at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Kokel Melubo is an associate professor at the College of African Wildlife Management at Mweka, Tanzania. His research focuses on heritage tourism, tour guiding, visitor experience, and community-based tourism, exploring how tourism can create value for local communities. He has led several groups of students on climbing expeditions on Kilimanjaro.