Politics
is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual
level. It is to achieve and exerting positions of governance organized control
aver a human community, particularly a state.
African
political activities of pre colonial are these activities which were done associated with political or
government before the coming of
colonialist in Africa.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Rwanda
is a sovereign state in central and East Africa. Located a few degrees south of
the Equator. Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania Burundi and Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
Hunters
gathers settled the territory in the stone and iron ages followed later by
Bantu settlers. The population coalesce, first into doms and then into
kingdoms. The kingdom of Rwanda domininated the population with the Tutsi king
conquering others military centralizing power and later enacting anto-Hutu
policies.
The
economy of Rwanda is mostly based on substistence agriculture Tourism is a fast
growing sectors and is new the country leading foreign exchange earner. Human
occupation of Rwanda is thought to have begun shortly after the last ice age.
By the 15th century, the inhabitants had organized into a number of
Kingdoms. In the 19th c MWAMI (KING) Rwabugiri of the Kingdom of
Rwanda conducted a decades Long process of military conquest and administrative
consolidation that resulted in the kingdom coming to control most of what is
now Rwanda.
POLITICAL
ACTIVITIES IN RWANDA IN PRE COLONIAL ERA:-
Formation
of kingdom was founded in the 11st century by a pastoral group, the
Tutsi. It occupied approximately the territory controlled by modern state of
Rwanda. In the 15th c one chiefdom managed to incorporate of its
neighbors establishing the kingdom of Rwanda which ruled over most of what is
now considered Rwanda.
Distribution
of land to individuals. As the kings centralized their power and authority they
distribute land among their people rather than allaving it to be passed down
through lineage groups of which many
hereditary chiefs had been Hutu. Leaders were allowed to distribute land and
not any other people in the societies and these helped them to have their own
land from their chiefs. This system left Hutu in a serf-like status with Tutsi
chiefs as their feudal master.
Conquering
the weak societies. Under Mwami RwabagereRwanda become an expansionist state.
Rwabugiri did not bother to assers the ethnic identies of conquer people and
simply labbled all of them “Hutu” king chiefs were directing the army to
conquer weak societies so as to have big society and expand their areas.
Rwanda
practiced strong feudal system. As the economy of Rwanda developed ownership of
cows became sign of wealth and leadership of tribal groups was taken over by
royal families. The system was essentially feudal and there were many wars
between the various tribal families thought the regem
Rwanda
people produced democracy where by the leaders were elected or they were
inherited to chance or post of leadership. All these were accepted because they
had qualification such as wisdom, knowledge and age. In Rwanda the hereditary
chiefs was supposed to have power to manifest their land and cattle ownership,
Most of the hereditary chiefs were Tutsi.
To
settle disputes among the pastoralist and agriculturalist. The leader were
supposed to settle all disputes in the society by helping the people to obey
what they supposed to do. The second chief was the one who was responsible for
all the matters pertraining to cattles and all related desputes. The third
chief was responsible for agricultural land, produce and related affairs.
POLITICAL
ATIVITIES:-
This
was activities which was involved the rulling class from upper ranks to lower.
For example during pre-colonial period the rulling system was depend on the
culture of a certain tribe. There some of tribe called chief other Ntemi, For
those tribes which have central rulling their political activities was under authority
or system of administration with the king or emperor at the top and other
subordinates. It was include Toro, Uganda and Bunyoro of East Africa.
THE
PRE-COLONIAL AFRICAN SOCIETIES.
The
pre-colonial societies changed from early stone age to middle stone age where
hunting and fruit gathering were the common activities up to the modern new
stone age then Neolithic revolution occurred that made agriculture and
Pastoralism to the major economic activities. The pre colonial African
societies had their various norms,
culture traditions taboos which guided them any-body who went against them was
punished such as act shows that the pre-colonial societies were organized and
not barbaric.
TYPES
OF POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN THE PRE COLONIAL AFRICAN FORMATION:-
Centralized
societies/state organization.
Were
those societies that had a central ruling authority or system of administration
with the king or emperor at the top and other subordinates following example
include Rwanda, Toro, Uganda and Bunyoro of East Africa.
Decentralized
and societies / stateless.
Was
basic unit of political organization was the clan, various clans constituted a
tribe. These societies were loyal to the clan authority. The clan had was
chosen from among the clan authority
“The clan head was chosen from
among the clan elders when he merited the qualities of leadership such as
influence which was determined by age wisdom or wealth”[1]
Age-set organization:-
It
was the system of social organization were allocation of duties and
responsibilities in the societies were given according to age. For example the
societies which was under age set system Maasai, Fulan, Somali, Galla and
others
“The maasai distinctive of duties based
on age group and gender, children of 0-8 years joined their mother to perform
domestic duties. 8-18 were the youth who sent the cattle to the grazing areas,
the men between 18-40 were the warriors who were to protect the community above 50 years were the elders who
acted as the leaders in the society”[2]
The
Ntemi system, Ntemi chiefs governed small states:-
Ntemi
comes from the word Kutema which means finding a locality. Ntemi system had
emerged by the 12nd century in western and central Tanganyika in
areas of Usukuma, Unyamwezi in them they administered law and order.
Chieftainship
organization.
This
was the combination of villages under one leadership the leader in this
organization was always the chief or king for example such societies included the
kikuyu the Toro and others the chiefs almost had role like that of the clan
leader
BACKGROUND
OF PRE-COLONIAL AFRICAN SOCIETIES POLITACAL ACTIVITIES IN RWANDA:
When
European first explored the region around the Great lake Chad that ha since
became Rwanda they created an interpretation of the people found in the region
as three race distinct tribe, in existing in a complex social order the Tutsis,
Hutu and Twa. The Tutsis, an elite minority of about 14% of the population were
tall slim pastoralists. The Hutu majority about 85% of the population were
stocky strong farmers. And the Twa were magnalised minority of 1% of the
population, a tribe of pygmies dwelling in the forests as hunters and
gatherers.
Although
these groups were dinstinct and stratified in relation to one another the
boundary between Tutsi and Hutu was some what open to social mobility. The
Tutsi elite were defined by their exchicive ownership of land and cattle Hutus,
However though disenfranchised socially and politically could shed Hutuness or
Kwihutura, by accumulating wealth, and thereby rising through the social
hierarchy to the status of Tutsi.
“A constrasting picture of human
cultural diversity was recorded in the early Rwandan oral histories ritual
texts and biographies in which the term Tutsi, Hutu and Twa were quite rarely
used and had meaning different from those conviced by European”[3]
POLITICAL
ACTIVITIES OF PRE COLONIAL AFRICAN SOCITIES IN RWANDA
Generally
historians are divided on the origins of Rwanda
three ethnic groups, Bahutu, Batutsi and Batwa. However they are agreed
that pre-colonial Rwanda was highly organized and had a centralized system of
administration. The king was presided over by Umwami (king) from mainly the
Nyinginya clan of the Tutsi sub group.
The
Umwing nearly had absolutely powers but was assisted by three main chiefs
general staff who was like the modern day army commander or joint chief of
integrity and expansion. The second chief was cattle chief who over saw all
matters pertaining to cattle keeping grazing and setting related disputes. The
third chief was the land chief who was responsible for agriculture land produce
and related affairs.
“The chiefs were mainly Tutsi but
most often the chief of land was Hutu”[4]
The
relationship between the king and the rest of the population was as else where
unequal sustained by the highly organized system of “Ubuhake” a client list
kind of relationship between the landed and the less landed and the ordinary
Unlike
what same scholars have written Ubuhake was mainly an economic system which
enable a symbiosis kind of relationship between the wealth and priviledge and
the less previledge. It was the system in which the ordinary Bahutu Batutsi and
Batwa participated and mutually benefited.
“Ubuhake was voluntary subscribed
to and was entered into for many reasons include protection and anticipation
and getting favours from the most affluent and powerfull”[5]
Abatwa
were marginalized and often discriminated against both the Hutu and Tutsi. Hutu
and Tutsi were less sharply distinct and individuals could and did move from
one category to the other on the basis of accumulation of wealth.
A
range oge of institution mediated social relations, notably the clan system
which spanned the entire Rwanda society. The institution of Ubuhake is credited
for harmonizing and ensuring a strong enterdependency between and among Rwanda
pre colonial society the personalized relationship between two individuals for
unequal status. The patron was mostly Tutsi , But clients could be a Hutu of
inferior social status or Tutsi one person could be a client as as well as
patron, even Tutsi patrons of Hutu could be a client yet of another Tutsi only
Umwami is the one who could not be a client. One could be a patron or client
depending on how many cows you have
“It seems that the people
themselves identified each other according to clan affiliation rather than
ethnicity”[6]
(David
Newbury has shown that while the term Hutu and Tutsi existed in pre colonial
time they were not as entrenched)
Pre
colonial Rwanda’s main economic activities were cattle keeping and farming. It
‘s on the basis of these economic activities that determined ones status or
family status in society. Because cows were considered very important in the
pre colonial economy, Rwandans with more cows were considered more affluent
than farmers. The other economic activities was hunting and gathering. This was
mainly done by the less privileged members of the Banyarwanda community known
as Abatwa.
CONCLUSION:-
On
26th October 1960 parmehutu assumed political power after wining the
referendum elections which prepares Rwanda to become a republic and an interim
government was put in place G. Kayibunda
immediately established a parliament and government representing the public.
In
January 1961 the UN commission visited Rwanda to inspect the achievement of
Belgian administration in Rwanda ParmeHutu called a general meeting in which
declare Rwanda as a public. Therefore all the political activities that
developed in Rwanda were under the incluence and close supervision of Belgium
president J.P Harroy and colonel G.
Logiest were at the full control of all activities and collaborated with
parmehutu that was under preparation for full political independence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Assa (2006) HISTORY OF AFRICA FROM 1800-1914 VOL-1
; East Africa Education Publisher Ltd, kampala
F.
Angels (1975) THE ORIGIN OF THE
FAMILY PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE STATE; Path Finder, New York
J.D. Clark (1970) PRE-HISTORY OF AFRICA; Thomes and Hudson Publisher, London.
Prunier
Gerald (2009) AFRICA WORLD WAR;
Oxford university press, London
R.Halvet (1970) AFRICA
TO 1875; Heinemann London
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