Johann Karl Vietor- a “good” merchant?
In the Spiegel article “Zwiespältiges Erbe” the German Johann Karl Vietor is described as a human merchant who 
just employed volunteers because of his Christianity. So he wanted free and mature black citizen able to consume. Moreover, the good relationship in some cases between black and white is mentioned.
But by having a closer look to Vietors aims one can consider him also as racist.
Of course he really was Christian, against slavery and also against forced labour. So on the surface he really seems to be a “good” merchant protecting the black people.
But Vietor also had the basic principle to educate the black to culture by labour. In his case this attitude means that he wanted to give them fields to farm by their own, to raise taxes, buy their products, help them by small loans, give them literacy for culture and delight them by Christianity. The principle of mission and also to let them produce raw materials to export was included in his attitude, too. Moreover, he avoided the formation of labour organizations and revolts because several single workers could not form up.
All things considered certainly merchants like Vietor are better for the black population than the other cruel colonists. But the firm conviction that the whites are “better” and have the right to occupy the land and also that the African cultures are “lower cultures” and have to be replaced by the “real culture” of the whites including Christianity is shown in Vietors attitude. So I would not call him a good merchant but maybe a better merchant.
The history of the “Liemba”
In 1913 the German emperor Wilhelm II ordered a steamer to support the troops in the colony German-
East Africa and to show the power and supremacy of the Germans. It was built at the Meyer-dockyard in Papenburg and named after the German Africa-explorer and former governor Graf Goetzen. The ship was brought in single components in ca. 5000 boxes by train to Hamburg, then by ship to German- Eastafrica, then by train to the Tanganjikasea and was rebuilt there by three engineers from Papenburg and 270 helpers. In 1915 the launch happened.
In the course of the time the Graf Goetzen supported the German troops, was a cargo shop and transported refugees. The ship also was attacked and sunk twice . 1927 it was renamed in “Liemba”. Moreover, the film “African Queen” with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart was shot at the “Graf Goetzen”.
This very day the “Liemba” serves as a liner for ca. 600 passengers.
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