I.
INTRODUCTION
Colonial agents,
were authorized individuals in London representing the interest of the North
American provinces. They conducted business for their respective colonial
governments and forth across the Atlantic ocean. Agents were either provincials
of influential Briton’s, possibly London Merchants or members of parliament.
These agents were settled and paid a fixed salary by the colonial government,
and give the long delays in communication, they played a great role in negotiation,
with royal official and explaining; colonial needs and resources. These agents
dealing with land problems, bourder disputes, military affairs and Indian
affairs, the famous agents was Benjamin Franklin, Richard Jackson, A prominent
London lawyer and Willium Samuel Johson was a connect ant lawyer who was known
in the 1760’s as a colonial right.
European power
refer to the one of the nations having great political social and economic
influence in international affairs. A nation that has exceptional and economic
strength and consequently plays a major often evasive role in internation
affairs. A nation or state that was the
ability to exert its influence on a gloal scale. The great power
characterically posses military and economic, strength as well as diplomatic
and soft power influence.
Colonization it
occurs whenever any one or species populate on area. Example of colonization
include the migration of Austonesian people across the islands and land in the
pacific ocean, another is the Bantu expansion. The periodic of colonization in ancient
times was from the Romans, The Roman empire conquered a large part of western
Europe, North Africa and west Asia.
Colonial rule
refers to the control by one power over a dependent area or people. The purpose
of colonial rule in Tanznia were exploitation of colony natural resources
creation of new market for the colonized extension of the colonizers way of
life beyond its national border.
II.
METHOD USED TO ESTABLISH COLONIAL RULE
After the
partition and scramble for East Africa, the British and German used various
methods in East Africa, however these method varied from place to place and
from time to time follows:-
a. Christian
missionaries.
Missionaries
paved the ways for colonization by preaching the message of love and
brotherhood which convinced the African that it was a sin to fight against the
Europeans.
b. The
signing of Bogus treaties and agreements.
These
fake treaties was another methods used to establishment colonial ruke in East
Africa and signing of treaties with African chiefs. For example the 1900
Buganda agreement, the Masai Agreement 1804. These assisted European to
establish colonial rule in Africa the most famous treaty was signed by Dr Karl
Peter and Chief Mangungo.
c.
The use of African Collaborators and
opportunities
The use of
African Collaborators and opportunities to conquer and annex areas that were
resisteant to colonialist ruke for example Apollokagawa and Semei Kakangulu.
d. The
use of explorer or adventures
Explorers and
adventures used were like Speke and Stanley who gave exaggerated reports to
their home government based on lakes, minerals climate and mountain which later
attracted colonialist.
“…They travelled through Uzigua along the Wami river
into Uluguru making bogur treaties as they moved along”[1]
e. The
method of divide and rule.
For
example by introducing different religions such as Catholic protestants and
Moslems. This created disunity among the enermy.
f. The
colonialist used the army .
The
colonialist used the army of occupation establish their ruke in East Africa.
This was effective in the areas of Bunyoro where the British used the army of
occupation. In other words they used military confortation for example Kabalega
of Bunyoro was attacked by the army and
German’s attacked the Hehe.
g. They
used chartered companies
They
used chartered companies to establish colonial rule in East Africa. For example
Imperialist British East Africa Company (IBEACO) which was a British company
introduced
h. They
built communication lines
They
built communication lines for example the Uganda Railways which facilitate the
movement of British troops from the coast to the interior. These were later
used to put down rebellion.
III.
BACKGROUND OF AGENT OF COLONIALISM
Prior to the 19th
century European enterprises in Africa were for longtime limited to the coastal
areas, for they purchased slaves at the coast through the use of Africa do
between . example the dutch had anchored their economic activities at the cape
earlier in the seventeenth century and introduced agriculture in the area,
which later grew volumiriously through the intergration of labour power
supplied by Bushmen and Honttentos. The Portuguese established themselves on
the coast of East Africa and Mozambique early
the 15th c. in West Africa European warmth enjoyed commercial
activities than anywhere during the era of the triangular slave trade. While
East African, European influence and introduced mainly by the British activities that were stationed at the coast
and on Zanzibar. The European activities harboured their roots on the coastal
zone as the hinterland was concived as a middle of what was called the “Dark
Continent”. Early in the 19th c explorers, Christian missionaries
and traders and administrators spreaded European activities. Their activities
inaquited colonialism, they were called agents of colonialism for they planted seeds of colonialism. The
imposition of colonial rule in Africa was the imposition of foreign rule on
African societies by the European powers in the late 19th c.
IV.
DIVISION OF AGENTS OF COLONIALISM
A. EXPLORERS
Explorer came to
East Africa and Africa generally with geographical interests where they wanted
to collect the information and knowledge over the sources of lake, river and
location of mountains, at sometimes explorers were called travelers. The most
famous explorers came from England, Portugal, Spain, Italy and France. The
voyages of discovery undertaken by these famous European explorers were
motivated by wealth of gold, silver and spices which increased power in Europe.
Some of the famous explorers were sir Francis Drake English 1540-1597
circumnavigates the world, sir Walter Raleigh English 1552-1618, The discovery
of Euiana and establishing the Virginia colony of Roanoke Island in 1584, Marco
Polo Italian 1254-1324 explanation of China and Asia, Ferdinand Magwllan
Portugal 1480-1521 first voyage around the world by this famous explorer,
Christopher Columbus Italian Spanish 1451-1506 Discovey of the New World by
their famous explorer, Francisco Pizarro Spanish 1478-1541 famous explorer who
conquered the Incas of Peru, Vasco Nunez de Balboa Spanish 1475-1519, Vasco da
Gama Portuguese 1469-1524 discovery of an ocean route from Portugal to the East
by this famous explorer Hermando Re Soto Spanish 1500-1542 first European to
explorer Florida and South East America, Bartholomew Dias Portuguese 1457-1599
the first European explorer the land a 1487 voyage the cape of Good Hope on the
Southern West tip of South Africa.
B. THE
MISSIONARIES
A missionaries
was a member of religious group sennt into an area to do evangelism on
ministries of services, such as education, literacy, social justice, health
care and economic development.
“The world “Mission” originated
from 1598 when Jesuits sent members abroad derived from the Latin meaning “to
sent” . By the nineteenth century missionary activities had started in Africa,
the Pionners were the protestants churches of Europe and America. it was only
later, that Roman Catholic arrived especially from France. Some of the
missionaries of the world were like; James Hannington saint in Anglicanism who
was killed in Uganda, Charles Willium pearson pioneer of church of Uganda,
Joseph Booth a missionary to what is now Malawi, David Livingstone, missionary
and explorer in Africa, , Robert Moffat, Scotish misionary to Africa Joseph
Crane Hartzell missionary work in Africa, Philipo Miriye, missionary to
Nigeria. The domination of missionary were
the London missionary society, the church missionary society. Roman
Catholic missionary society (CMS) and the Universities mission to central
Africa (UMCA). Few Christian missionaries were directly active agents of
imperialism. But they were ingredients of the increasingly assertive European
access to Africa. In most case Christian missionaries played an important role
in promoting and shaping the advent of European
colonialism
“In Tanzania missionaries, moved in from central
Africa. They included the CMS near lake Tanganyika and the UMCA in the South
founding the mission at Masai. The Holy Ghost father’s worked at the coast
while the white father’s worked in central and western Tanzania”[2]
C. TRADER’S
Traders were
among the first European to reach the interior of Africa and the came under the
influence of missionaries and explorer. Their new aims was to export the new
sources of raw material, market and area for investment . at the beginning the
trader was taking place in Zanzibar and the coast of Indian ocean. American
port of Boston and Salem with cotton clothes called “Merchant”. Example of
traders are William Macknon, James Stevenson, Harry Johnston and Karl Peter’s.
V. ROLE OF AGENTS OF COLONIALIST
A. SOCIAL
ROLE
Destruction of
indigenous African Values. Using education and Christianity as main tools.
Missionaries speeded Christianity with softing people African mind by the word
of from the bible so that they could accept easily colonialism. All African
tradition and values were ignored by colonialist and spread their own.
They acted as
interpreter’s and propagandists at the time of treaty making. For example
Moffat stayed among the Ndebele for about 30 year serving the British South
African Company (BSAC) for making treaty between (BSAC) and king Lobengulala. By signing these
treaty they tend to be ruled easily.
Carried out
evangelism, they baptized people into Christianity which aimed at softening
minds of Tanzanian’s heart so that to be ready for colonialism, They emphasized
spiritual believes such as a “give to God what belongs to God and give to
Caesar what belong to Caesar
They built up
churches in the East Africa. Several number of churches were builded all over
the area covered by these missionaries for example they set up churches in
Zanzibar so that people should worship the lord.
Participated in
opening up various mission stations such missions help in evangelization into
the local population.
Missionaries
carried out linguistic research and came up with new development in language
for example Dr Kraft translated the bible into Swahili dictionary.
B. ECONOMIC
ROLE OF AGENT OF COLONIALIST
Introduction of
new crops. New crop introduced by missionaries in some areas for example Horner
grew coffee at Bagamoyo around 1870 by doing this they increased more
production of cash crops mainly monoculture production example. Sisal plantion
in Morogoro and Tanga. The time from 1946 to 1951 saw the Tanganyika groundnut
scheme, sugarcane plantation in Morogoro and Kagera.
Missionaries
carried out exploration work which led the discovery of several East African
physical features. For example Johanes Rebmann was the first European to
discover or see Kilimanjaro mountains in 1848. By doing exploration activities
they discovered strategic areas in our
country like where minerals found, also mostly fertile soil around all the country
like Chagga land around Kilimanjaro and Moshi region, so that they can
establishment their plantations to that profitable area.
Building
infrastructure. The builded infrastructure system like road railways airports
and sea ports. For example railways of Tabora so as to open the areas to
commerce and crops such as coffee and grounds. These infrastructure played a
great role on;
Firstly
transporting missionaries to spread religion to all places even in peripheral
area.
Secondly, to
transport colonial troops sa as to suppress African resistance in areas with
strong resistance.
Thirdly, To
transport raw material from the plantation to the sea ports so as to be
transported to the mother countries for more processing
Fourthly, to
transport raw material from sea ports to market to be sold by the slaves
“….Condtruction of the Tanga line had began as early
as 1891”[3]
By improving
infrastructure many it easily to control all plantation’s at a short period of
time and simply colonialism.
“…Of such companies the East Africa plantation
company and the German planters company made stations on the Pangani and Umba
rivers respectively”[4]
By improving the
infrastructure they played a great role in colonization of Tanzania since were
able to reach else where of the whole country
Introduction of new crops to African colonies. Cash crop
were introduced to African colonies and
people were being forced to grow that cash crops for example sisal plantation
in morogoro and Tanga, sugarcane plantation in kagera and morogor name Mtibwa
farms in our days and cotton plantation in Mwanza. Those people and slave lived
around this plantation were being forced to grow that crop and acceptes
colonization on that way.
They provide
important information about the nature of Tanzania societies. These agents of
colonialism sxplorer all areas of Tanzania searching for profitable area so as
they can establish their plantation because colonial agriculture was their
backborn of the economy during that time.
“…area of high economic potential and suitability
for immigration decided the site of German stations. In most case areas of
large population were those of high potential. In such areas the German usually
decides to herd the Aricans into fertile land”[5]
Thus they forced
African people to live in an infertile land so that to gave them an open space
where they can establish their economy by establishing large estate
and farms. So missionaries as they spreaded Christianity but also they
based on searching the profitable areas of Tanzania like Kilimanjaro and Meru.
[1]
I.N. Kimambo and A. J. Temu (1969); HISTORY
OF TANZANIA; EAPH, Nairobi pg 88-89
[2]
Assa Okoth (2006) A HISTORY OF AFRICA
1800-1914 VOL 1 ; Press
Kenya Nairobi pg 88
[3]
.N.
Kimambo and A. J. Temu (1969); HISTORY
OF TANZANIA; EAPH, Nairobi pg
103
[5]
.N.
Kimambo and A. J. Temu (1969); HISTORY
OF TANZANIA; EAPH, Nairobi pg 103
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