Topic 1: CENTRALIZED AND DECENTRALIZED SOCIETIES _ Pre-Colonial African Societies - History 1 Notes Form 5 and 6
CENTRALIZED AND DECENTRALIZED SOCIETIES IN PRE–COLONIAL AFRICA
In these societies the power is centralized to a single person and the system of leadership was hereditary in nature.
The examples of centralized societies are Toro, Buganda, Bunyoro of East Africa, Asante, Dahomey, Benin, Oyo, Tokolo and Sokoto of West Africa.
Characteristics of centralized societies:-
They extended over larger areas for the reason that territories were annexed and put under the governor who ruled on behalf of the King e.g. Zulu state and Buganda Kingdom.
The Kings wielded political power that represented state authority. The centralization of power ensured national unity among the members of the society. As the King had supreme power, then he commanded wealth loyalty from his subjects, respect and prestige.
The throne (power) was hereditary in nature that Kings named their successor from among their children or relatives. It was the custom of the King to nominate his successor from amongst his children (family members) when he was living, if he died without appointing him, the elders and other important official have to take the responsibility of appointing the best child to take the throne.
The internal stability of the Kingdom and defense from external aggression of neighboring states forced these societies to set up stable military machinery. This was aimed at maintaining the homogeneity of the Kingdom.
Despite the hierarchy in administration the Kings and their officials exercised authoritarianism rule (Absolutism) towards the subjects or followers. The council of elders whose role was to adult the king. They assisted him.
The King was vested with juridical authority. His courts arbitrated all disputes and misunderstanding within the Kingdom as the King was the highest court of appeal.
The King controlled the wealth of the Kingdom. He directed on how land should be used by all members of the society, for example land for agricultural activities and animal husbandry. He looted property and controlled foreign trade, through these means Kingdom accumulated much wealth in his state and he was expected to share generously with his subjects.
The expansionist policy of conquest and raids accumulated much wealth for the Kingdom. The war captures were distributed to faithful servants and his hard working soldiers to make the harder and become braver.
CASE STUDY
THE BUGANDA KINGDOM
The Buganda Kingdom was geographically on the shores of Lake Victoria; that means it is found in the interlacutrine region. It grew to its apex by the mid of the 19th C. This was highly centralized monarchy and was one of the daughter states that came into existence after the collapse of the vastly expanded BunyoroKitara Kingdom.
By the second half of the 19th C Buganda became one of the strongest and largest Kingdoms in the interlacustrine region. They conquest and controlled several Kingdoms. Buganda Kingdom was under the leadership of Kabaka Mutesa.
Factors responsible for the rise of the Buganda
Centralization of power. The Kabaka governed the political organ and was considered as overall ruler. All political power was concentrated in his hands. He appointed all leaders on merit and dismissed all chiefs. His decision was final and binding. There was a hierarchy in administration, whereby there were a number of chiefs below the Kabaka. They helped to spread Kabaka‟s authority throughout the Kingdom. The Kabaka‟s throne was hereditary but there was no royal family / clan
Organized Administrative System. The Kabaka governed the Kingdom with assistance of advisory council (Lukiiko). The council constituted the Prime Minister (Katikiro), the treasure (Muhanika) and the Chief justice (Mugema) as well as country chiefs; all these were Kabaka‟s nominees. The legislative council gave advice to the Kabaka and enacted laws.
Stable military machinery.
Kabaka established strong and well disciplined army for the sake of maintaining political stability in the state and defend the kingdom from external aggression. The Kabaka used army to maintain law and order, to pin down the rivals powers and pursued expansionist policy.
Bureaucratic system of government.
The Bureaucratic system was employed in order to ensure effective administration of the Kingdom; whereby the whole of Buganda was divided into two countries (Gomborola), the sub–countries into parishes (Miluka) and finally perishes into sub–parishes. At all level the chief were Kabaka‟s appointees.
Kabaka’s marriage in each clan.
The Buganda Kingdom had approximately 52 clans, each with its own leadership. These provided the basis for the political unity for the whole administration of the Kingdom. For the sake of political harmony in the Kingdom, Kabaka married almost from every important clan. Hence intermarriages were a political weapon and created the possibility of getting Kabaka from any clan.
Agriculture.
Good climate and fertile soil favored crop cultivation. Due to the availability of goods, the population of the Kingdom began in tinkles and became flooded. Also some of them engaged in livestock keeping (pastoralism).
Trade
The Buganda Kingdom developed trading contacts with he neighbors that were under governance of Kabaka. Because the Buganda were excellent bark clothes manufactures they participated in commercial activities by exchanging bark clothes for items such as iron tools and with the Bunyoro and cow , cattle, groundnuts and simsim with the iteso , langi and Ankelo.
NB: It is clearstated that the second half of 19th C, Buganda was one of the highly centralized Kingdom in the intercontinental region, Kingdom that had sound organization in the field of politics economic and social set up.
DECENTRALIZED SOCIETIES (STATES)
In decentralized societies, basic unit of political organization was a clan, various clans constituted a tribe. These societies were clan head loyal clan authority. The clan head was chosen from among the elders when they merited the qualities of leadership such as his influence, wisdom and age, wealth.
Decentralized societies, had the following characteristics or attributes:-
With equal rights to other members of the clan, the ruler had the responsibility of leading the clan but his position was hereditary. He resigned from power after the election of a new clan head, which took place whenever the former clan head became unpopular and was too old to perform his responsibilities.
There were no outstanding armies; the defense of the clan was carried out by all able bodied people (men). This was due to the fact that these societies did not involve in expansionistic policy and wars were scarce.
The clan elders works to solve internal conflicts but if they become difficult they were transferred to the general Assembly, voting made the final decision compared to the centralized societies in which the Kings made the ultimate decision and was final court of appeal.
Society was responsible to impose the disciplinary measures to the wrong doe‟s society. Society administrated punishment to help criminals to reform in character.
Decentralized societies / states had no control of the economy. They communally owned the major means of production.
Intermarriage occurred. Those of the same clan were prevented to marry each other instead; the emphasis was placed upon those of different clans, aiming to prevent the inheritance of disease.
CASE STUDY
The Nyamwezi
The Nyamwezi was located in the central part of Tanzania and often the best example of a decentralized society in East Africa.
The Nyamwezi did not develop well organized political institution as those of centralized states of Kingdoms instead they evolved segmented system.
The Nyamwezi were dominant in the long distance trade since they were involved in that trade and this was supported so much with their geographical location.
The prominent leaders of the Nyamwezi society were Mirambo and Nyungu ya Mawe.
The following are the factors that contributed to their strength.
Nyamwezi society was comprised of various Chiefdom that cash was autonomous from each other. It is the historical fact that the formation of chiefdom depended on the number (volume) of the people each could hold. In the 1880‟s eminent political leaders like Mirambo and Nyungu ya Mawe attempted to mobilize the Nyamwezi into strong and centralized political institution rooting into commercial enterprises.
Ntemi chiefs.
They governed small states in them and administered law and order. The Ntemi chiefs were not trained leaders as they are in to date systems of administration but they were mostly elders, who were elected rulers because of their age, knowledge and experience in the daily life. A council of elders and lesser chiefs counseled and supported the Ntemi chief in their governance.
Military machinery.
Chiefdom established its own small and well disciplined army in order to ensure political harmony in the chiefdom. That army was entrusted the duty for executing the law, order and security within the chiefdom. Through their trade with the Arabs, the Nyamwezi accumulated fire arm, ammunitions and were armed with local weapons within these circumstances. Mirambo and Nyungu ya Mawe developed an outstanding army which enable them to expand the Nyamwezi chiefdom.
Agriculture.
The Ntemi organized and motivated people to involve themselves in crop production in order to avoid famine. They cultivated mainly grains also the Ntemi controlled the major means of production for the benefit of all clans, if any member of the society used the land illegally would interfere by imposing disciplinary measures.
Trade.
Between the 18th and 19th century, the Nyamwezi supplemented there agricultural activities with the involvement in the long distance trade with coastal Arabs and Swahili traders. The Ntemi chiefs supplied ivory in great Amount as there area was considered as paradise of ivory. They also provide copper which was extracted in Katanga region in the present country known as DRC and iron equipment, including hoes, axes and spears. The Nyamwezi too traders slaves, which were raided from the neighboring Kingdoms that were highly demanded by Seyyid Said.
Nyamwezi commanded and supervised three caravan routes particularly from Tabora to Ujiji in the west, to Katanga in DRC, from Tabora to Karagwe Kingdom in the northwest, to Buganda and Bunyoro, from the Tabora to Lake Tanganyika in the South and from Tabora to the coast.