Imperialism In Uganda

Uganda is an Eastern African country that is bordered by South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. First, Arab traders stumbled upon Uganda while looking for valuable goods. They ultimately found four African Kingdoms that were divided based on religion and ethnicity. The kingdoms included Buganda, Bunyoro-Kitara, Busoga, and Toro. As discussed in the lecture, the geography had a large impact on the success of agriculture in the country. Uganda is near Lake Victoria which is a sufficient source for cultivation as it can support a large population.

As the scramble for Africa began, European explorers began to search for African territory. In the 1860s, British

Even before the colonization, the villagers were active in trade of ivory, slaves and animal hides which linked Uganda with Africa's east coast. In addition, the people of Uganda were mostly farmers. However, after Britain declared Uganda a protectorate in 1893, it pursued economic policies that created a prosperous economy, mainly in order to aid Britain's textile industry. For example, cotton cultivation increased. As the lecture focused on, the colonization of Africa created a new demand for raw materials. Ugandans economy began to prosper as the Europeans brought in new tools and goods. During the rule of the British, they focused on economic and financial concerns of the country. In the 1900s Sir Harry H. Johnson, who was a British commissioner of Uganda worked to create an administration and to impose a tax. To complete his goals the commissioner decided to work with the Buganda chiefs. He created a compromise with Buganda to offer them employment if they supported his

Many villagers were in support of the British, while others were reluctant to follow. One main social aspect that caused conflict in the country is the influence of religion. Similar to events in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the British began to build missionary schools to spread Christianity. Nwoye, the son of the leader of Umuofia, joined the missionaries and converted to Christianity. However, this angered his father Okonkwo who did not support the colonization. There was a lot of religious disruptions between British influence of Christianity and Uganda’s who follow Islamic customs. These two were competitive religions in Uganda. As the lecture mentioned, Islam played an important role in parts of Africa as it helped develop trade links and unified people to help build a sense of state. In addition, in “Things Fall Apart” The Europeans affected Umuofia and the rest of the nine villages by bringing in their ideas and values before learning about the African culture and customs. Similar to Uganda the Europeans rarely tried to learn about the culture and values.