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Buganda and the paradox of colonial collaboration
Author: Asuman Bisiika. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- What many see as favouritism were concessions exacted from the colonial government via protests...
In August last year or thereabouts, I wrote about the dilemma the National Unity Platform was facing over projecting itself as a nationalist party. I wrote: “The National Unity Party (NUP) is subtly rallying the sense of Buganda nationalism. But NUP has an alibi: government has created an environment in which NUP cannot even form a political party (but grab one) and cannot even hold a proper national conference (Delegates Conference).
Given the circumstances, even if NUP wanted to run a nationalist party, it would not. What this portends is that NUP could just retreat into the most raw-sentiment political rallying point: Buganda nationalism. Whether we should blame that on Mr Museveni or NUP is moot. A senior NUP official called and we talked for over 45 minutes.
He said Baganda would not apologise for projecting their political strength in numbers and disposition. And that Uganda would benefit from a stable, prosperous and politically respected and appreciated Buganda.
Now, Buganda is in the news again. The issue: Land. To take an upper hand, some ideologues are emotionally blackmailing Buganda by accusing it of collaborating (with) and benefiting (from) colonialism.
Accusing African leaders of collaborating with colonialists is very tempting to political ideologues and persons involved in academic inquiry. Indeed Mr Museveni has deployed it on several occasions as an ideological verification (and justification) for his personal stand against traditionalist conservative idealism. However, scholarship needs to avoid this rather easy way of assessing Buganda’s response to colonialism. Whereas one British author has described the takeover of Buganda as the Norman Conquest without the Battle of Hastings, it is wrong to discount Buganda’s attempt to fight against colonialism.
Kabaka Mwanga’s efforts to resist colonialism in the manner and under the circumstances he did should not be discounted. That he joined hands with Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro, a non-Muganda leader, to fight against colonialism, is a pointer against the accusation of colonial collaboration.
And needless to say, since that voluntary coalition between Kabalega and Mwanga, there is no nationalist movement (political or otherwise) that has succeeded without the input or collaboration or endorsement or moral support of Buganda (witness: UPC in 1962 and NRM in 1986).
Buganda’s colonial collaborationists tag needs to be reviewed. Given the realities of the day, a scholar may view what many call Buganda’s colonial collaboration as mere acts of diplomacy. The compensation from those diplomatic engagements (collaboration?) may be viewed as colonial favouritism (and trigger the envy of other communities in Uganda); but there doesn’t seem to have been many other options open to Buganda at the time. The accusation of colonial collaboration and favouritism is a paradox. There is a need for subjecting this attitude to the rigours of academic inquiry. My fear is: the tag of colonial collaboration and favouritism (labelled on Buganda’s character) is likely to be abused by political ideologues to justify their call for a ‘strong central government’.
For the sake of academic argument, how would one reconcile the accusation of collaboration and favouritism with the fact that it is Buganda which led (from the front) the final assault on colonialism? What many see as favouritism were concessions exacted from the colonial government via protests and demands; and these demands and protests ran throughout the whole length of the life of the colonial regime until it gave way in 1962.
Dear Ugandans, we just need to accept our colonial history and move on; so we can concentrate on the future. Colonialism messed us; and given the circumstances of the time, there wasn’t much our forefathers could do. All Ugandans should just accept that Uganda, the product of this colonialism, is now a material reality.
Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of the East African Flagpost. [email protected]
