Chapter 430: Guests
That said, it didn't mean Ernst was doing nothing. Since the education and training system had not yet been fully established, he decided to temporarily separate "research" and "learning" as a stopgap, which could also help lay the groundwork for future development.
By "research," he meant that the East African government would establish official research institutions, gathering individuals with higher education and scientific expertise to East Africa for theoretical and applied scientific research. In a few years, once East Africa had a functioning secondary education system, universities would be established—at which point this pool of talent would continue to thrive.
...
June 7, 1873.
Soga City.
The Soga municipal government was officially established earlier this year, becoming a subordinate city of the Central Province. However, the newly founded Soga felt quite empty—there were people maintaining hygiene and order, but the lack of a population meant the city lacked any real vibrancy.
Soga East Railway Station.
A brand-new train slowly pulled into the station. From the carriages, only a few men in suits disembarked.
A young man carrying a suitcase said to the man beside him, "Professor Kurland, we've arrived. This is Soga, East Africa."
Kurland looked around in disbelief. He could hardly imagine that this was the legendary Africa. When he first landed in Dar es Salaam, he could understand the development—after all, major world ports tended to look somewhat alike. But after taking the East African train inland, he was left baffled. Now, arriving in Soga, he was still in shock.
"Mr. Blanco, you're not joking, right? This really is Africa?"
"Of course, Professor Kurland. This is indeed Africa. I must say, East Africa's development has advanced at an astonishing speed. It's emerged from what was once a blank slate in just a few years."
"I'm no expert in geography," Kurland replied, "but based on what I've read, the customs and conditions in East Africa were supposed to be quite... exotic. Yet what I've seen here is nothing like that."
In Kurland's mind, East Africa was supposed to be filled with Arab camels, men in white robes, vast savannahs, and strange wild beasts. But what he saw instead were European-style buildings, expansive farmland, modern roads and irrigation systems, and the bustling city of Dar es Salaam. If he hadn't sailed for weeks to get here, he would've doubted that he'd left Germany at all.
Blanco spoke proudly: "Although the East African kingdom was founded recently, everything here is built to German standards. We've fully absorbed the best of German and Austrian culture to build a new homeland for the German people."
But this statement didn't quite resonate with Professor Kurland. After all, he had already formed some impressions back in Dar es Salaam. While the country claimed to be German, many of its people did not resemble typical Germans.
This was something unique to East Africa. In Germany, a Pole remained a Pole, and a Frenchman a Frenchman—even if they immigrated. Identity didn't change so easily. But in East Africa, it was different. Other than the clearly lower status of black Africans, there seemed to be no distinction. Curious, Kurland asked, "Mr. Blanco, I noticed many faces here don't have the features typical of the Germanic people—some even have noticeably different skin tones."
Blanco replied frankly, "That's not surprising. East Africa used to be a colony, so attracting people from all over the world was quite normal. Here, as long as someone embraces German culture, they are considered German. Of course, as you said, black people do have lower status—but that's an unfortunate necessity. Germany loses a lot of its population every year to emigration. If they're going to leave anyway, it's better they go to a German state."
Colonialism, during this era, wasn't a taboo topic. As for German emigration, it had long been among the highest in Europe—even without East Africa, nearly a million Germans would've emigrated by now. In 1873 alone, Germany again topped Europe's emigration charts, followed by Italy.
"You have a point," Kurland conceded. "We Germans do have a serious emigration problem."
"Exactly. That's why the existence of East Africa is important for the entire German world."
As they spoke, the group exited the station. That's when Kurland noticed something strange.
"Mr. Blanco, why does the city feel so empty and quiet?"
Blanco replied, "Professor, that's because Soga is a new city and hasn't been settled by many people yet. But don't worry—it's not deserted. Look at how clean the streets are. That's thanks to the city staff who clean them every day."
"Still," Kurland asked, "won't the low population affect daily life? What about shops, taverns, entertainment?"
"There's no need to worry about that either. The government has already set up the essential institutions—whatever Dar es Salaam has, Soga won't lack either. However, as a city of science, Soga focuses more on a quality environment and lifestyle."
As Blanco explained, he led the group onto a public horse-drawn carriage. The driver, clearly surprised and delighted, said, "Gentlemen, you are the first passengers I've had since I started this route!"
Kurland asked the driver, "Sir, how do you make a living if there are no passengers?"
The driver replied, "You must be new to East Africa. Here, everyone's employment is government-assigned—we still get paid."
"How much do you earn each month?" Kurland asked.
"About 25 East African Rhine Thalers."
Kurland was shocked. "Twenty-five Rhine Thalers?!"
The idea that a carriage driver could earn that much was startling.
Seeing his reaction, Blanco quickly clarified, "East Africa has its own currency also called the Rhine Thaler—but it's worth much less than the European version. Its value is even lower than the franc."
"Ah, that makes sense!" Kurland sighed in relief. If it had been 25 European Rhine Thalers, that would've been outrageous.
"So," he asked, "is 25 East African Thalers enough to get by?"
"Of course," the driver answered. "It's enough to feed a typical family. Food prices here aren't very high."
That level of income, in fact, wasn't far off from that of British workers—so supporting a family was quite feasible in East Africa.
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