Tag

Pre-colonial

The Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara: Pre-colonial Warfare


In today’s episode, we talk about the military of  the pre-colonial African kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara.
For most of its history, Bunyoro did not have a standing army. Instead, they relied on the common man to take up arms when called upon by his chiefs. These armies were called Obwesengeze.
That was until the 1870s when Kabaleega created the Abarusura army, a force dedicated to the protection of the state.
The army was led by several commanders such as Rwabudongo, Ireeta, Kikukule, Nyakamatura and Byabachwezi.

The Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara: Pre-Colonial Bunyoro Society


This episode is an attempt to reconstruct the pre-colonial society of Bunyoro.  I discuss their clans, livelihoods, marriage and justice etc. Please note that the information presented was collected during the colonial period in Uganda. Therefore it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that everything was exactly the same as in pre-colonial times.