Biography

German agent for the Victoria Plantation and trading company company in Bali, Bangwe. In 1884 Germans had established a port at Douala and annexed the adjoining territory naming it Kamerun, an action recognised in the treaties of the Berlin Conference in 1885. First contact with the Bangwa area was made in 1898 when Conrau came in search of plantation workers. He was highly impressed by the young chief Fontem Asonganyi (-1951), who was wealthy with a well-developed trading network. The two became friends and ritually sealed a bond in blood, whereby Conrau received around 80 workers who were slaves of Asonganyi. Conrau returned the next year for more workers, many of the original having died from malaria and fever. He was imprisoned by Asonganyi who wanted compensation. In an unsuccessful escape attempt, Conrau was wounded and shot himself in order to avoid capture and torture by the enemy. The German colonial authorities sent a punitive force (1899) to attack Asonganyi, forcing him into exile, destroying his palace and later establishing the garrison of Fontemdorf at the site. Plant specimens collected by Conrau and sent to Berlin resulted in several taxa commemorating his name including Garcinia conrauana Engl. in the Clusiaceae and Magnistipula conrauana Engl. (= Hirtella conrauana (Engl.) A.Chev.) in the Chrysobalanaceae.

Biography

German agent for the Victoria Plantation and trading company company in Bali, Bangwe. In 1884 Germans had established a port at Douala and annexed the adjoining territory naming it Kamerun, an action recognised in the treaties of the Berlin Conference in 1885. First contact with the Bangwa area was made in 1898 when Conrau came in search of plantation workers. He was highly impressed by the young chief Fontem Asonganyi (-1951), who was wealthy with a well-developed trading network. The two became friends and ritually sealed a bond in blood, whereby Conrau received around 80 workers who were slaves of Asonganyi. Conrau returned the next year for more workers, many of the original having died from malaria and fever. He was imprisoned by Asonganyi who wanted compensation. In an unsuccessful escape attempt, Conrau was wounded and shot himself in order to avoid capture and torture by the enemy. The German colonial authorities sent a punitive force (1899) to attack Asonganyi, forcing him into exile, destroying his palace and later establishing the garrison of Fontemdorf at the site. Plant specimens collected by Conrau and sent to Berlin resulted in several taxa commemorating his name including Garcinia conrauana Engl. in the Clusiaceae and Magnistipula conrauana Engl. (= Hirtella conrauana (Engl.) A.Chev.) in the Chrysobalanaceae.

Biography

German agent for the Victoria Plantation and trading company company in Bali, Bangwe. In 1884 Germans had established a port at Douala and annexed the adjoining territory naming it Kamerun, an action recognised in the treaties of the Berlin Conference in 1885. First contact with the Bangwa area was made in 1898 when Conrau came in search of plantation workers. He was highly impressed by the young chief Fontem Asonganyi (-1951), who was wealthy with a well-developed trading network. The two became friends and ritually sealed a bond in blood, whereby Conrau received around 80 workers who were slaves of Asonganyi. Conrau returned the next year for more workers, many of the original having died from malaria and fever. He was imprisoned by Asonganyi who wanted compensation. In an unsuccessful escape attempt, Conrau was wounded and shot himself in order to avoid capture and torture by the enemy. The German colonial authorities sent a punitive force (1899) to attack Asonganyi, forcing him into exile, destroying his palace and later establishing the garrison of Fontemdorf at the site. Plant specimens collected by Conrau and sent to Berlin resulted in several taxa commemorating his name including Garcinia conrauana Engl. in the Clusiaceae and Magnistipula conrauana Engl. (= Hirtella conrauana (Engl.) A.Chev.) in the Chrysobalanaceae.