Life — July 31, 1919 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Plaint of the Sultan Mkwawa" This page satirizes early 20th-century imperialism and the post-WWI redistribution of colonial territories. The main poem laments Germany's loss of East African colonies following World War I, with the "Sultan Mkwawa" (a historical Tanzanian leader) voicing demands for the return of his skull—taken as a trophy by German colonizers. The section "Ambassadors, Take Notice!" mocks American Prohibition, suggesting foreign diplomats will struggle to operate in the U.S. without alcohol. It references actual refusals by British diplomats to accept Washington postings due to the ban. Both cartoons ridicule American policy—one depicts an "unprohibitionist" avoiding enforcement; the other shows a woman complaining about Prohibition's social impact. The satire targets both imperial ambitions and domestic moral legislation.