ANALYSE THE MAIN POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FEATURES OF THE KINGDOM OF UGANDA

ANALYSE THE MAIN POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FEATURES OF THE KINGDOM OF UGANDA

Uganda kingdom was on the equator and surrounded by the great lakes of central Africa and was one of the last parts of the continent to be reached by outsiders. Its social life was mainly dominated by man as they emphasised descent through males, Most lineages maintained links to a home territory (butaka) within a larger clan territory,The family in Buganda was often described as a microcosm of the kingdom. The father was revered and obeyed as head of the family. Economically the traditional Ganda economy relied on crop cultivation. In contrast with many other East African economic systems, cattle played only a minor role and they also practised regional and inter-regional trade were they traded locally and with foreigners. Lastly politically the king was the leader of the clan system and the dominant position of the Buganda kingdom was further supported during the colonial period when Buganda was declared a British protectorate in 1894. Also missionaries had great influence in the politics of the Buganda.

Socially the Ganda organization emphasized descent through males. Four or five generations of descendants of one man, related through male forebears, constituted a patrilineage. A group of related lineage constituted a clan.According to Christopher Wringley clan leaders could summon a council of lineage heads, and council decisions affected all lineages within the clan1. Many of these decisions regulated marriage, which had always been between two different lineages, forming important social and political alliances for the men of both lineages. Lineage and clan leaders also helped maintain efficient land use practices, and they inspired pride in the group through ceremonies and remembrances of ancestors.

Most lineages maintained links to a home territory (butaka) within a larger clan territory, but lineage members did not necessarily live on butaka land. Christopher Wringley asserts that men from one lineage often formed the core of a village; their...

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