African Response to Colonial Rule
Senior 4 · History (Languages)
African Response to Colonial Rule
Lesson 1 of 4
25 min
Semei Kakungulu (1869 to 1928) was a general of the kingdom of Buganda and a Protestant convert. His many warriors, his links with the Buganda court and his faith made him a valuable ally for the British, who asked for his help in eastern Uganda. Kakungulu conquered Bukedi and Busoga, two areas outside Buganda, and brought them under British influence. He believed the British would make him their king.
They did not. Britain preferred to govern through civil servants it paid and controlled. Kakungulu was made president of the Busoga council but refused the title of king, and was later dismissed; in the end he was confined to an area of about 52 square kilometres around Mbale. His story raises the questions of this lesson: why did some Africans work with the colonisers, what did they gain, and what did it cost them and their people?
Definition
Collaboration: working with a colonial power, by alliance, service or acceptance, instead of resisting it. A collaborator is a person or group that did so. Historians use the word to describe a choice, not to insult: most collaborators acted for their own reasons and under heavy pressure.
Accommodation: accepting colonial rule in order to protect one's position, without actively serving it. Protection treaty: an agreement by which an African ruler accepted a European power's "protection", and in practice its control. Askari: an African soldier serving in a colonial army.
| Form | What it involved | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance by rulers | A ruler accepted protection in return for support against rivals | Rwanda's court accepted a German letter of protection in 1897 |
| Military and administrative service | Africans conquered or governed other Africans on the colonisers' behalf; askari filled colonial armies | Kakungulu in Bukedi and Busoga |
| Religious and educated collaboration | Converts, catechists, clerks and interpreters worked with missions and governments | Kakungulu's Protestant faith made him a valuable ally to the British |
| Chiefs under indirect rule | Existing rulers kept their posts by carrying out colonial orders | The Mwami and his chiefs under German rule |
Yuhi V Musinga came to the throne through the Rucunshu coup of 1896, and many nobles saw him as a usurper; his rule was popularly nicknamed Cyiimyamaboko, "it is force that rules". For his court, led by the queen mother Kanjogera and her Abega relatives, the Germans were useful allies:
| Date | Event | What the court gained |
|---|---|---|
| March 1897 | The court accepts Ramsay's letter of protection and flag | A powerful ally against internal enemies and the Congo Free State |
| 1901 | A revolt in Gisaka led by Rukura is crushed with German support | Control of a restless, recently conquered region |
| 1908 | At the court's request, the Germans arrest the Nyabingi medium Muhumuza, a rival claimant's champion | A dangerous opponent removed (until her escape in 1911) |
| April to May 1912 | German forces help the court crush Ndungutse's rebellion in the north | Northern areas that had been largely autonomous brought under the court |
The historians Ian and Jane Linden concluded that "Musinga's throne had been saved by German might". The alliance strengthened and centralised the monarchy. But it made the court dependent on its foreign protectors, and it did not protect Musinga from them: in November 1931 the Belgians, who had replaced the Germans, deposed him (Unit 4).
NTV Uganda: "Preserving the fading legacy of Semei Kakungulu", about 8 minutes, a 2025 news report from Mbale. Notice how Kakungulu is remembered there today, and compare it with his role as a British ally: does the report mention his conquests for Britain?
| For collaborators | For their societies |
|---|---|
| Gains: posts, land, titles, protection, education for their children | Some areas escaped the destruction of war |
| Losses: they became dependent on colonial goodwill and were often discarded when no longer needed (Kakungulu dismissed; Musinga deposed) | Loss of independence; colonial rule was extended with African help |
| They were sometimes resented as traitors by their own people | Divisions between collaborating and resisting groups, and between converts and others |
| In Rwanda: a more centralised monarchy, with heavier demands on northern communities |
Warning
Do not judge collaborators by the standards of later nationalism alone. In the 1890s nobody knew that colonial rule would last for sixty years. Rulers weighed immediate dangers: rivals, rebels, foreign armies. Explain their reasons before you judge the results. But do not excuse the results either: collaboration helped colonial rule spread at the expense of other Africans.
Tip
Why collaborate? "PRAISE". Protection against rivals, Rewards, Awareness of European firepower, Internal succession disputes, Shared religion and schooling, Expectation that it would not last (misunderstood treaties).
Important
Discuss. Was Kanjogera's court right to use German troops against Ndungutse in 1912? Consider the court's position in 1912, the northern communities, and what happened to the monarchy by 1931.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: the spectrum diagram, the tables, PRAISE and the exercises. This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Which is the best example of active collaboration?
