Introducing ‘AfriWetu’: Buganda Kingdom

Daniel Story
I’m Daniel Story, and this is History in Focus, a podcast by the American Historical Review. This is episode 2 of our new season, and in this episode and the next we’re very excited to present our latest history podcast collaboration. This time we’re partnering with AfriWetu, a podcast on African history, people, and culture hosted and produced by Nairobi-based creator Mona Nyambura Muchemi. AfriWetu offers a thoughtful and accessible entrypoint to African history for all kinds of listeners with the hope, as Mona says at the top of each episode, that listeners will be inspired to go and found out more for themselves. We could not be happier to collaborate with AfriWetu and to bring you some of Mona’s terrific work right here.

In this episode, AfriWetu explores the history of the East African Kingdom of Buganda, with particular emphasis on the women of Buganda’s society. Note that this is the second part of a two-part series on Buganda. You can find the first part in AfriWetu’s podcast feed along with, of course, the rest of AfriWetu’s content.

So, without further ado, here’s Mona and AfriWetu.

 

Mona Nyambura Muchemi from AfriWetu
Hello listeners! Welcome to the AfriWetu podcast where we look to celebrate African history, people & culture, by telling our story. As always, our hope is that it fills you with enough curiosity to go and do your own deeper research.

Karibu to any new listeners to the AfriWetu world! We invite you to check out previous AfriWetu episodes which can be found on this podcast platform. Thank you so much for tuning in! Today we are headed to East Africa, for Part 2 of the Buganda Kingdom! Shout out to my East Africans out there, AfriWetu has landed on your borders! Before we begin…Please visit us on socials. Our handle is @AfriWetu where we shall be posting interesting facts, stories, updates and links for further study for you lovely people.

And now just sit back and enjoy the journey!

Now let’s get out those maps, find your way down towards the eastern side of the continent, look for that big Lake in the center of three modern day countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. And find the shoreline of Lake Nnalubaale on the Ugandan side…it is here that you find not only the ancient borders of the Buganda Kingdom, but in fact, the kingdom is still very much alive!

At its height in the mid-19th Century the kingdom’s dominance and tributary reach spread to neighboring Bunyoro to the north, and Busoga and Buddu to the south – already powerful states in their own right. It spread along the shoreline from the northwest right round to the east, as well as inward, with islands such as the Sesse island falling under its shadow.

What better way to start this episode, than with the women of Buganda!

In the previous episode we met three main personas, very briefly and as I said, truly they and the other Baganda women deserve their own space – so here we are!

The Baganda women’s status, similarly to many other African cultures, played a key role in society from the very top of the social strata to the general population. So let’s dig in, and starting with a quick look at NNAMBI, the first woman, founding mother.

Nnambi was the daughter of the deity GULU and only after Kintu the founder of Buganda was able to prove his worth, was he given permission to marry her. Kintu then took his bride, back to earth from the heavens and together they had children. It is in this story that we see the first hints of the maternal lineage’s influence – in the most interesting way, through WALUMBE, also known as Death. He is Nnambi’s brother who had very inconveniently came down with them and who when they refused to give him one of their children, brought death as a punishment to the world. Some have said that this was a punishment that was just as he was technically justified in his ask being the MATERNAL uncle, what is agreed is that had it been Nnambi’s father who made the same claim….then Kintu would have had to acquiesce.

Now don’t get this confused, the Baganda are a patriarchal society, BUT there is a strong matrilineal bent when it came to hereditary customs. There are a few examples of how this shows itself, and we shall see this as we go along in this episode.

Polygamy was common practice with every wife who had a son having an equal chance of being the mother to the heir. So in theory this meant that from the KADDULUBAALE’s (the chief wife) right down to the slave, each of their son’s could be selected as the official heir. Imagine that household!

Each wife had a different role within the household with the KADDULUBAALE holding the most senior status – she was given honor and respect, the other wives would defer to her, going so far as to kneel before her, they went to her for mediation should they have any infighting, she was the keeper of the family rituals and ceremonies and she held the position of being the husbands confidant, right through to death when she became responsible for his grave.

Fun fact—there was a get out clause, although one could argue this depended on her status, but if a wife was being mistreated, she had the right to leave her husband and go back to her parents.

Moving from the nuclear to the extended family, on account of their lineage and social status, the wives families could hold great influence within their own marital homes. So for example, on the maternal side, the KOJJA – maternal uncle, could claim his stake, his ENDOBOLO, over his sister’s children, and he could only be countered if the father of the child had paid a compensatory fee to the uncle. This was no small thing to pay, as the KOJJA would then lose great influence.

Then on the paternal side – the women, specifically the aunts, held influence over their male’s family members children – the same level as the fathers in some cases. Actually children were counted as part of the maternal clan. They played an active role in their lives for instance when it came to marriage, acting as representatives of their families. Fun fact – these aunties, were revered in life as in death, it was said that if their spirits were not appeased and were vexed…these spirits would unleash anger on their nieces and nephews. I feel like many of you Afri-WATU can relate and have an auntie like this no?

Now let’s turn to look at the Royal women! So we have already heard how every wife from top level to the lower rank could become the mother of the heir, and actually we see this reflected in royal households’ where a woman could be a captive, of noble heritage, from any level of society and still become a royal wife. Once there, royal wives aspired to the level of NAMASOLE – The Queen Mother, the most powerful and influential woman in the kingdom. But before we meet her and the other royal women in detail, a quick overview of the royal ways….

So to get to become the Namasole, there were a few stages, and within these stages, we see the role of one’s kin/clan AND your producing a son and potential heir. With the former, the royal wife would rely heavily on her people, as once she had a son, they would be the ones to lobby, use their political influence, actively negotiate, arm twist, use diplomatic backchannels to support his bid for the throne. A prince’s mother and maternal uncles were his base, and once he achieved Kabaka status, his mother became the Nnamsole, his mother’s sister was the NABIKANDE, his half sister, from the same father, or female relative would become the LUBUGA, then he would appoint/reward his maternal uncles with elevated titles, like SSAABAGAZI and high status in the royal courts.

The women ruled alongside the Kabaka and the noblemen – the Nnamsole and Naikande who were considered on the same level as the Kabaka and this was also reflected in their living arrangements, the Nnamsole even had her own palace on her own hill as Buganda tradition stated that ‘two kings could not live on the same hill’. They sat on the LUKIIKO the Kabaka’s council as his advisors, whom he consulted – their position strengthened by the fact that it was they who were the link between him and the ruling clan of the day.
I would say now is a good time to go on and meet these women!

The Nnamasole was an official position in the Buganda governance system, it was the highest ranking of all the chiefs. She held great sway and had the honor of a Kabaka, referred to as a ‘Kabaka’ in her own right.

This role was held either by the Kabaka’s biological mother or by his ceremonial mother and was occupied once the new Kabaka was announced by the senior nobles. Can you just imagine the serious political shenanigans, back channeling diplomatic and not so diplomatic goings on, back stabbing, the promises made, negotiations, compromises, you name it! And then success and failure – well the incumbent, the different princesses and their clans were in the thick of it….

Thus the Kabaka of the day owed much of his succession to the Nnamasole, as it would have been her lobbying and garnering support from the other clans and hers, to form a powerful coalition to get him to power. No one clan had the monopoly over the kingship as a royal clan, so these political maneuvers and mechanics were necessary. This influence she had continued into his reign as a Kabaka had to rely on her and his maternal lineage as his support base especially when there were internal conflicts in the courts.

Once Nnamasole was in place, she had a number of important functions both ritual – such as her responsibility to take care of the late Kabaka’s tomb and political – where her power was based on her influence over the Kabaka as one of his key advisors.

She provided a check and balance to his powers, making sure he didn’t overstep and do anything that would be of harm to his people. In fact the Nnamasole was said to be one of the few who could reprimand or chastise him for acting out of order – something that we can relate to I am sure, and of course the typical respect for our African mothers and mother figures.

As a ‘Kabaka’ she was also given her own territory to govern, had her own court with officials who included her brother, who would have also had his status raised becoming an important and senior level chieftainship that of Chief SABAGAZI, as well as having her own KATIKIRO. She got a portion of taxes, including the spoils of war. Her territory was tax exempt and protected from any raids. And although she was not allowed to remarry or have any more children she was allowed to keep lovers…I mean…I can see why one would want to be her right!

On her death, the Nnamasole would be buried on her hill, and if this happened whilst her son was still Kabaka, then she would be replaced by a senior clanswoman as the position couldn’t remain vacant. If on the other hand, the Kabaka passed before her, then her influence and position was accorded to the new Nnamasole, and she was retired.

Two other women whose ranks were raised alongside the Nnamasole who were the NABIKANDE and LUBUGA. So lets start with the NABIKANDE.

The NABIKANDE, was ceremonially the Nnamasole’s sister and just like her sister, she had her own territories, over which she governed with her own government. She was a beneficiary of the taxes collected (and equally exempt from them) as well as got a percentage from the conquests and wins of the larger Buganda kingdom.

The Nabikande held influence in the political space, in the Kabaka’s court, she was part of the Kabaka’s council and was present at national political discussions and decisions. She would then give her advice following deliberations.

On top of this, the Nabikande held another key powerful and interesting role which was critical in the fabric of the royal household – she was the head royal midwife, overseeing all the other midwives and was in charge of the pregnant royal wives. Then once born, the royal princesses and princes, were under her care, can you imagine the the sway she had over the royal household.

Now we come to the LUBUGA.

Worth noting that this role was not limited to the royal family, it is one of the foundational Baganda traditions and is replicated across all levels of society. For now we shall focus on the Royal ones.

The royal Lubuga was a very influential woman, competing in the ranks of the Nnamasole and Nabikande. Her designation was the Queen sister’ NOT the Queen’s sister, as she was the official sister to the king, the Kabaka.

Unlike the two we met, she was of royal blood, and would be selected, by the outgoing Luguba and senior noblemen, from the sisters or half sisters of the Kabaka’s with whom they shared a father.

Once selected, the new Luguba would be coronated and sworn into service alongside the Kabaka as his ceremonial wife, would also be given the title of Kabaka and became part of the Kabaka’s council.

As the official/ceremonial wife, she was also recognised as a princess, her status was second only to the Nnamasole, she also benefited from the perks of office getting her own territory, palace, court and royal enclosure, located on her own hill (remember no two Kabakas can inhabit the same hill). To govern her lands she had her own court and chiefs, as well as received taxes.

The Luguba, even with all these trappings, wasn’t allowed to have children, and if she did get pregnant, it would be a serious offence that at worst would be a death penalty.

On her death, if it was before the Kabaka, she would be laid with her father the previous Kabaka, and with the full honors given to a Kabaka. A younger princess would take up the role. If he passed before her, then her duties shifted and she would move to give space to the new Luguba and take on the title of NNAALINNYA. She would move to live near the Kabaka’s grave and take on the duty of the rituals and care of his tomb, as the Chief female guardian, protector, oracle and medium for the late Kabaka. It is here that she would spend the remainder of her life.

The Luguba was both a wife and a princess, so this is a good segue to meet the official princesses of the Buganda kingdom!

Starting with the Royal Wives.

There were various ways one could become a royal wife, some really not great at all, such as being a prize from war or even being taken forcefully from your home, given as a payment of a fine for a pardon or even the clan, families or individual who would present you as their daughters, sisters, cousins to the royal household to seek political and societal favor. Not all of these had much say from the women themselves, lets be clear….

Then you had occasion when a Kabaka would go the normal route of paying dowry to the family/clan for a wife, and the system where wives were inherited, usually the young widows of the previous Kabaka, who had no children.

Once within the courts, the royal woman would find themselves under the authority and gaze of the Nnamasole, would be instrumental in ranking them from the most senior and important who would reside in the royal household/EBISAKATTE high reed enclosures, to the least so, she really was the lead lioness in the pride…

Let’s take a look at these levels. First off there were the BAKEMBUGA who were the elite wives, with them they had three main levels of hierarchy – the ABAKYALA (Ladies) the titled wives of whom the chief wife was the KADDULUBALE/MUKYALA.

Now she was the supreme and had control over all the other royals wives. She was in charge of the organising the EBISAKATTE living area which included your normal things like managing the workers, both the commoners and also managing the untitled wives. She also acted as the mediator between the titled wives.

In her political sense she had under her various chiefs such as the KANGAWO/BULEMEZI and security wise, the chief of the royal gates. She also had another key function where she controlled the royal ritual artifacts.

Next we have within the elite wives we have the KABEJJA, who also had control over a number of chiefs such as the money man – tax collector, county chiefs as well. Ritually she was the wife who handled the NANTABA fetish.

One more elite wife to look at before we go to the next level down is our NASSAZA, who was to come from the Kabaka’s paternal grandmother’s clan. She held a very special place in the Kabaka’s world, she was in charge of his grooming. Now hear me out, it is deeper than you think. She had to be a very trusted wife as it was her duty to safeguard his hair and nail clippings, not to fall into anyone’s hands – why? As they were considered very powerful personal artifacts when it came to sorcery that could be used against him. She also had political influence and had chiefs who sat under her such as the SABAGANZI and county chiefs.

Now we move from the elite wives, and meet the next group, the ABASEBEYI. These wives did not hold as much influence as the elite, but they still stood a fair chance of gaining status as any of their sons COULD ascend and become Kabakas. Such as the case of MUGANZIRWAZA, who was and ABASEBEYI of Kabaka Suna, her story was even more dramatic as it is claimed she worked in the kitchens, a low ranking wife, but she became the powerful mother of one MUTESA, who was and is one of the most famous Kabakas ascending to the throne in 1856/7.

Or last grouping of wives for today’s episode were the ABAZAANA. They were the vast majority of the wives, and tended to be either the daughters of commoners, or came in as captives, or as payments for fines. In some instances they could also be from minor chiefs who were not of high or even middle level noble families nor revered clans. In the loosest terms they were possibly more akin to concubines, and could be ‘gifted’ as wives to other nobles.

The ABAZAANA were the ones who carried out most of the labor and farming in the royal enclosures, were part of a more senior wife’s household, and were closely monitored – their lives were NOT great by all accounts.

The wives rankings could shift and change, influence from clan politics, princes, noble houses gaining and losing favor and such like, this was especially the case within the higher ranking wives, no favor was forever. The lower ranks however did tend to remain mostly stagnant.

The families of these royal women were able to benefit a great deal from the prestige, influence and sometimes even appointments that they got by association. They were exempted from taxes and entitled to tributes collected by the chiefs who sat beneath them. They also got loads of gifts, most of the time as instruments to find favor in the courts or clans.

Let us round up our visit to the royal women, moving from the wives to meet the daughters, the Baganda princesses, the ABAMBEJJA.

The ABAMBEJJA, and their male counterparts, were all under the supervision of the BUSUJJU, who was the SSASZA chief and more commonly known as the KASUJJU. He was in charge of family matters and reported directly to the Kabaka.

There were rules and regulations to follow as a princess, so for example in the period- from about the mid-18th century to around 1880, they were forbidden to either marry or have children. In the exceptional cases where they were allowed to marry, they could be married off to a chief or other noble as a symbol of high honor to the man, a sign of the kabaka’s favor.

The ‘compensation’ so to speak to not marry was they were allowed to have lovers, and to be the instigators by approaching the man – a situation very similar to the higher level princess we met earlier, the LUBUGA. Unlike the LUBUGA, they did not have as much power on their own, but instead their level of influence was pretty much tied to their relationship with the Kabaka.

However when it came to comparison to the wives, they did hole more autonomy – maybe cos they were blood royals? Maybe? Would love to hear from our Baganda their thoughts. They were also able to roam freely around the palace, they were in some instances even referred to as SEBO (sir) as opposed to NYABO (madam) and in line with this they were not restricted in their behavior and could even cuss!

They were able to command a certain level of respect from not just the commoners, but also from chiefs – an example of this deference is when upon meeting them, non-royals would have to bow or in some cases kneel when addressing the princess.

The highest level of princess was the NASOLO, the eldest daughter of the Kabaka, she and other higher ranking princesses, owned their own properties, ran their own households, with their own personal workers, governed their territory. They also had a significant role when it came to spirituality, and rituals, managing as they did temples and being the liaison between the realms.

And on that note between realms, let us leave the dope women of the Buganda royal realm, and move into the the more general society.

Let’s start with the general societal structure.

At the very top, you had the noble class who we have met in this and the previous episode so we shall only have a very brief look,

The Baganda are a patriarchal society, led by the Kabaka, the overall ruler, but this was not the case from the very beginning, and there are several versions as to how societal structures came about…with some common threads, so lets look at those.

To understand how this society works, one should look at the origins of the Buganda. She arose out of a number of household settlements, that turned into villages, that were spread across the countryside and the hills, which were centrally linked through lineage and kinship of a clan. Over time, these villages of clans then became amalgamated into one big civilisation as the population grew and grew and grew – and we see a more centralized system out of which a central ruler emerged…the Kabaka.

Ok now back to it. The smaller villages, which could have up to 30 households and was known as a BYALO and was overseen by a sub-chief who was really the head kinsman. The next level up were the much larger settlements, also led by chiefs, well more important chiefs as their territories, although still linked by linage, would have thousands of inhabitants.

Then you had the urban cities, with greater infrastructure in terms of their roads, public services, markets etc like Kampala where the Kabaka lived. These cities housed tens of thousands – not linked by kin.

One of the bigger influences on society was the politics of marriage which we can look at briefly, before moving to the last section of today, clans and cultures – linked to society obviously but wanted to give it its own section as it is such an integral aspect of the Buganda Kingdom.

So we have already encountered a form of marriage within high society – the ceremonial one between the LUBUGA and the male heir to a family inheritance – when we met the royals, and noted that this was something that was across all of society.

Like in the royal society, in general society the Lubuga was a close relative and she was installed as the ‘wife’ during a customary ceremony. The tradition was one that was in place to ensure that inheritance and wealth were kept in the family – the paternal line. After she performed her clan duty becoming the ritual wife/consort, this Lubuga would then go back to her own home, and then everyone would just go about their business, the male relative back to his actual wife/wives, who would be from a different clan and lineage.

And speaking of this, one was free to marry outside of your clan, this was perfectly acceptable and encouraged. What was important was that once married, despite the general understanding of it being a patriarchal society, the woman would retain her lineage and clan and didn’t become a member or join her husbands clan.

Marriage, wherever you were in society, was commonly used to maneuver and move to gain political, societal gains and favor, and central to that game were the Baganda women. Clans would get favor and power using marriage alliances, the closer to the top of power the better. Some clans were better at it, and managed to lock in their clans as the preferred source of elite wives for a Kabaka. We see this being the case with position of the KADDULUBALE, the senior wife who majorly came from the Kabaka’s fathers side. Then we have the Kabaka’s paternal grandmother having the duty to fill the NASAZA (ritual trusted wife of his personal grooming). The MBOGO (Buffalo clan) who were attributed to being part of the foundation of the kingdom and NSENENE (grasshopper) clans were key providers of the BAKEMBUGA

When husbands passed, their wives were entitled to the formal title, the perks and responsibilities linked to the clan BUT they were overall limited in their inheritance, they couldn’t inherit material things like land or livestock

In some instances especially, if she was a younger wife, she could be inherited by a male relative if he was granted the deceased’s position/title, the transition of this was closely monitored for fear of being haunted by the dead if done in a way that was displeasing, disrespectful or against custom.

This is a good exit/entry to head over to the last section of today…clans and culture….

In the origin story in Part 1, AfriWetu promised to look at this aspect of the Kintu story in this episode, cos it is so dope and also speaks to the culture that is interwoven with the foundations of greed, pride, obedience all in one story – that of the legend of Kintu and Bemba so here we are!

First, a list of the more commonly known clans to share here:
There where seven original clans including; Lugave (Pangolin); Mmamba (Lungfish); Ngeye (Colobus monkey); Njaza (Reedbuck); Ennyange (Cattle egret); Fumbe (Civet cat); Ngonge (Otter).

Some of these clans had autonomous leadership before the coming of Kintu, and therefore had ‘Royalty’ in them. Kintu’s advent into Buganda saw addition of thirteen more clans including; Ekkobe (Liana fruit); Mbwa (Dog); Mpeewo (Oribi antelope); Mpologoma (Lion); Namuŋoona (Pied crow); Ngo (Leopard); Ŋonge (Otter); Njovu (Elephant); Nkejje (Sprat); Nkima (Vervet monkey); Ntalaganya (Blue duiker); Nvubu (Hippopotamus); Nvuma (Pearl).

Let’s take a quick look at the clan structure – the KIKA – which formed a significant part of societal dynamics in the early days of the Baganda. The villages and settlements we spoke of, formed around these kinships and in time continued to become more stratified and structured over the years.

It is said, that each clan had their totems identified way back, from the days of Kintu. The story goes that the founding families, upon reaching and settling down in the area, were natural hunters and so they did just that in this land with its bounty, they hunted.

Now the problem came as these hunting parties were very good at what they did, and so no surprise, they were very successful, however their activities were threatening the ecological balance and system. This was recognised and the people came together to figure out how they could retain the delicate balance of humans and the natural world, to safeguard and not damage the environment. They came up with a plan – the solution was quite simple…the rule was, IF you consumed an animal and you got sick from eating them, then forever and ever, you and your kin were forbidden to eat that animal.

This forbidden animal would then become the kin/clan totem!

Can we also just acknowledge that here again, as we have seen with other African ancestors, they were keenly aware of the environment before others came to seek and destroy it and this is an example of a story that emphasized this knowledge and respect.

I would love to hear from our Baganda fam their version of this! Give us a shout!

Ok, back to the clan structure, the original family one (the MAKA) was patriarchal and the head of the clan, the clan chief, the ABATAKA, lived and ruled over the clan community homelands and land rights (OBUTAKA) as a caretaker for his clan.

Clans became significant socially and politically as they grew in in number and influence. They came from an economic power base that was founded on the control they had on their original homelands. The governance structure over their lands when it came to land rights and mitigation over disputes, taxation, protection, burial rights, ownership of livestock and lands etc. then influenced the overall decision making process in the political realm, logically for course because with greater economic power comes greater political influence.

Clans in Buganda were not homogenous in their origins, with some claiming to have hailed from the time of Kintu, those who were originally in the lands, those who invaded the lands and those who were given land.

Now as we round up this episode, let’s take a trip and get to see the interplay of clans, culture, religion of the Baganda.

So gather round people….

Banange, you are already here! You are early! But it is ok…welcome welcome and find a comfortable place to sit…my nephew here tells me you want to hear about our ways of worship and our religion, but this information would be incomplete without an understanding of a very important story, that I shall tell you today. From it, you can deduce, is it not, our sacred veneration for our ancestors…so sit have some matoke and peanut sauce…

We gather round, finding our space under the tree and feeling the warm breeze…listen keenly….

A long time ago, in the days of my ancestors, before we were this great kingdom, led by the Kabakas…there was a wicked ruler, who ruled from his residence in atop NAGGALABI hill (we know it as BUDDO hill today) his name was Bemba OMUSOTA the snake.

He was horrible, his people suffered under his tyrannical rule. He was cruel to all, subjecting everyone to his will and if you did not follow him…it was your death that would find you, by his hand. No-one could escape his hand, even his own loyal subjects suffered. Such was the case with KATIKKIRO Mukiibi, whose own son was killed by Bemba.

IMAGINE killing the son of your own Prime Minister! The head of the PANGOLIN clan.

Well, MUKIIBII was no fool, so he took off with his followers and sons in tow to escape Bemba. Off he went, and in his group were two who became pivotal to this tale….

Our storyteller takes a sip of what can only described as ancient waraji….

Ah where was I, yes the two loyalists, KIGAVE from his own clan the Pangolin and NDUFU of the Tortoise clan. Together with their people they traveled and reached KYAGGWE and came into what was Kintu’s Leopard clan’s land of MANGIRA. It is here where the two groups met.

Here bonds were formed by the clans, the plight of MUKIIBU was shared and it was agreed that this tyranny could not be allowed to continue! As they started to think of ways to defeat Bemba, they traveled to BUKESA/MAGONGA in BUSUJJU and settled there, as their base. It was then that our two KIGAVE and NDUFU came up with a cunning plan….and now it was to put it in action….

Are we together….

Kigave and Ndufu, disguised themselves and went back to their homeland, they were able to trick their way into the lands and find their way to the palace, unrecognizable to Bemba.

On arrival Ndufu tells Bemba that he and his companion are powerful beings who had the power to live forever…they had found the secret. As with any good tyrannical leader, of course Bemba immediately wanted to know if this was true….

HOW have you a simple creature, cheated death. It is impossible.

Ahhhh with all due respect or ruler of the hills, but I can and I have shared this power with my own people.

NKT, fine tell me this secret power, I demand you do or you shall not leave these lands alive.

It is simple, said KIGAVE, interjecting, our people do not sleep with their heads or feet.

Surely you take me for a FOOL Bellowed Bemba, no creature can survive being beheaded! Take them away, they shall see the wrath of Bemba the snake and make an example of them all, kill these two and their people!

WAIT, we can prove it, give us this evening, come to where we sleep and see for yourself, what have you to lose, if we are lying, we shall not awake, BUT if we are telling the truth…then we can show you how to do the same and live forever!

Bemba pondered on this, truthfully it was a win win, plus he was curios to see the outcome, if only to study his blood lust of their death….

HMM, Ok, fine, you have ONE chance to prove this ludicrous story, if you are lying, your bodies will be chopped up and fed to the wild animals in the forests, so your spirits will have no peace and roam restlessly for eternity.

So off Kigave and Ndufu, went to their designated sleeping area. Now Ndufu, of the Tortoise could actually be transformed into a tortoise..as could his small group of followers. So that night, as they went to sleep, watched over by Kigave, they transformed and what do tortoise do when they sleep…yes…they draw in their heads and legs into their shells…

So when Bemba came to their sleeping chambers, he found all but Kigave, with neither head nor legs in sight. Ok so yes they had kept that part true…now to see what the morning brought…

The next morning, in came the same group, alive and well, it was astonishing!

You must give me the secret, I must have this power over death and live to rule forever! Bemba declared.

Tonight, you shall sever my head and legs, and those of my council, he demanded.

As nightfall came, so did the beheading of Bemba and his followers, willing participants led to their death…his head was taken to Kintu who then came to the lands to claim them as his and becoming the first Kabaka of Buganda….

A fitting end to an evil ruler….

So how does this link to our beliefs? I hear you ask…well to this day we venerate Kintu and the clans who came together to build the kingdom. Unifying us to who we are today. Each clan has a special place in our rites, the PANGOLIN clan are our mediums; they commune with the spirits and have the power to heal.

The Leopard clan of Kintu have a royal links and lead the veneration of Kintu in their practices, centered around the bringing together of the clans, like the grasshopper clan, the velvet monkey clan, the buffalo clan and more, each with their special gifts and tasks during the worship at MAGONGA.

Even then, there was a lot else going on as different religious practices started to gain ground, like the MAJIBWE religion that once again was based on clans taking up their different roles.

I am tired now, but I will leave you with this…our religion is not a single easy neat thing that you can package, but one that has variables and layers that need more than just a short visit…so next time, come back for longer…yes….

And with that…POOF!

 

Daniel Story
Our thanks to Mona Nyambura Muchemi and AfriWetu who we partnered with to bring you that episode on the history of Buganda. Next time we’ll share with you one more installment from AfriWetu plus my interview with Mona on her work on the podcast and on the state of African public history more broadly. And of course, we encourage you to check out more great content from AfriWetu, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts.

History in Focus is a production of the American Historical Review, in partnership with the American Historical Association and the University Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz. You can find out more about this and other episodes at historians.org/ahr. That’s it for now. See you next time.