Those Who Came Before Us Podcast

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Those Who Came Before Us Podcast Those Who Came Before Us is an African history podcast that focuses primarily on pre-colonial African history. Currently doing a series on the Bunyoro kingdom

SourcesA.R. Dunbar, A History of Bunyoro-Kitara (Nairobi, Oxford University Press 1965) p61Ade Adefuye, Kabalega and the...
16/11/2021

Sources

A.R. Dunbar, A History of Bunyoro-Kitara (Nairobi, Oxford University Press 1965) p61

Ade Adefuye, Kabalega and the Palwo, A Conflict of Aspirations. (Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, Vol 8, No 1, 1975)

J.W. Nyakatura, Anatomy of an African Kingdom (New York: Nok Publishers, 1973)

Photos from Erbzine and Welt Museum.

Musicians' pics were taken by Austrian Explorer Richard Buchta sometime between 1876-1880.

08/11/2021
Cont. of previous post
08/11/2021

Cont. of previous post

A month ago Uganda celebrated its 59th birthday; 59 years since the young country gained Independence from Great Britain...
08/11/2021

A month ago Uganda celebrated its 59th birthday; 59 years since the young country gained Independence from Great Britain.
In this post, we take a look at a few of the country’s kingdoms and how they were brought together to form Uganda.
This is a very brief summary of otherwise complex events. There are also other smaller kingdoms in the country that deserve to be mentioned in the story of Uganda’s birth. Those will be featured in a future post.
It should be noted that even though the agreement signed between Gerald Portal and Kabaka Mwanga says that the mentioned kingdoms were then part of the empire, it wasn’t till 1900 that the British were able to properly secure power in the region.

Sources
Ogenga Otunnu, Crisis of Legitimacy and Political Violence in Uganda 1890-1979(Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)

D.A Low, Fabrication of Empire “The British and the Uganda Kingdoms 1890-1902” (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009)

Shane Doyle, Crisis & Decline in Bunyoro; Population & Environment in Western Uganda 1860 - 1955, (Kampala: Fountain Publishers, 2006)

01/11/2021

Check out episode 9 of The Those Who Came Before Us podcast. An episode on The Kingdom of Bunyoro’s Pre-Colonial Administration.

The Omukama is the ruler of the Banyoro people. All power flows from him to the people. He is not the father of his people but rather their ruler. Beattie points out the Banyoro draw a firm distinction between those who are born to rule and those who are not. As such, he cannot be the people’s father.
He is above all men and his body is mystically linked to the land. The king cannot suffer lest the land suffers. If he becomes sick, so does the kingdom.
The Omukama was also seen as an imposing figure. The Runyoro word for government Bulemi is connected to the verb kulema which not only means to rule but also to impose upon. A burden placed upon an individual. Or to be defeated.
It’s no wonder that Bunyoro’s pre-colonial government is best described as autocratic.
However, as Shane Doyle points out, kings were constantly reminded that they must pay attention to the will of the people. A king had to be skilled in compromise. That way, it was easier for people to accept his decisions. Check out Episode 9 for more.

Sources

Shane Doyle, Crisis & Decline in Bunyoro; Population & Environment in Western Uganda 1860 - 1955, (Kampala: Fountain Publishers, 2006) p 14 - 15

John Beattie, Bunyoro; An African Kingdom (New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston Inc, 1960) p25-26

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The Omukama of Bunyoro

Check out episode 9 of The Those Who Came Before Us podcast. An episode on The Kingdom of Bunyoro’s Pre-Colonial Administration. The Omukama is the ruler of the Banyoro people. All power flows from him to the people. He is not the father of his people but rather their ruler. Beattie points out the Banyoro draw a firm distinction between those who are born to rule and those who are not. As such, he cannot be the people’s father. He is above all men and his body is mystically linked to the land. The king cannot suffer lest the land suffers. If he becomes sick, so does the kingdom. The Omukama was also seen as an imposing figure. The Runyoro word for government Bulemi is connected to the verb kulema which not only means to rule but also to impose upon. A burden placed upon an individual. Or to be defeated. It’s no wonder that Bunyoro’s pre-colonial government is best described as autocratic. However, as Shane Doyle points out, kings were constantly reminded that they must pay attention to the will of the people. A king had to be skilled in compromise. That way, it was easier for people to accept his decisions. Check out Episode 9 for more. Sources Shane Doyle, Crisis & Decline in Bunyoro; Population & Environment in Western Uganda 1860 - 1955, (Kampala: Fountain Publishers, 2006) p 14 - 15 John Beattie, Bunyoro; An African Kingdom (New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston Inc, 1960) p25-26

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