WEEK THREE

The reaction of the Africans to the imposition of colonial rule

The European found it more difficult to occupy and establish effective authority than they had

anticipated. They had assumed that Africans would be "pacified" easily. Pacified means would accept

colonial rule: the peace of the colonial master.

- Africans were primitive and those who would oppose the colonial order would be forced

to submit by quick military expeditions.

- It meant that Africans were not considered rational: they did not think for themselves and

had no initiative at all. The second assumption meant that Africans who opposed

Europeans were bandits and blood thirsty while those who accepted were peace loving

and progressive.

Rebellion and Revolts

The colonisers and colonist liked the Africans who did not resorts to arms. They were described

as progressives and realists. Those resorted to arms were viewed as backward and primitive.

Most Africans resisted either by resorting to arms or by collaborating. Collaborators were viewed

as gainers while resisters were thought to as losers.

- Resistors were called heroes and nationalists while collaborators were called traitors and

villains. The new school characterised Africans reaction as active resistance and passive
 resistance. Active resistance was through armed confrontation whereas passive resisters

were uncooperative to the colonisers. Active resistance called primary resistance while

passive resistance was called secondary resistance. Primary resistance was more

important than secondary resistance diplomacy was the most strategy of the

collaborators.

Methods used to establish colonial Rule

1. By Treaties. The British Administrators signed treaties with the traditional chief e.g. the

Maasai agreement of 1904-1911 (Lenana agreed to allow Europeans to take over some

Maasai Land).

2. Military Force. Military expedition were sent to areas where people had refused to

cooperate i.e. they were conquered military.

3. Company rule. The British and Germans used chartered companies to rule their colonies. In

order to effectively administer the land, they constructed administrative centres in the

areas of jurisdiction.

4. Treachery. This method involved the policy of divide and rule. A good example of treachery

is the case of the Italians who signed a treaty of friendship with Menelik ll but published an

Italian version that stated that Menelik had agreed that Ethiopia should become an Italian

protectorate.

5. A blend of diplomacy and force. On some occasions, Europeans would use a combination

of treaties and force. For instance, the British initially signed treaties with the Ndebele but
 they fought them during the Ndebele War of 1897 and chimurenga war of 1896-1897.

The nature of African Reactions

1. The organisation of the society.

- African society was divided into those with states and those without therefore states had

recognised rulers like kings where as those without kings were ruled by councils of elders

for councils of priest.

- European respected the states because the political organisation resembled their own.

- British failed to use the Fante against the Ashante and so attacked the Ashante breaking

their power, sovereignty and independence SACO also failed to use the shona against

Ndebele.

- Africans leaders who had no professional armies or who could not play diplomacy at the

international level were easily divided, defeated and captured killed in a battle or exiled.

- Historian of this period suggested that societies without leaders posed up the longest

armed resistance.

2. The role of religion.

- The three main religion in Africa traditional, Islam and Christianity. Some Africans followed

traditional religion while others embraced Islam or Christianity. Religion called for

collective responsibility and purity.

missionaries. Moslems regarded Europeans as infidels or people against slave trade which

had economically sustained some of them in East and Central Africa.

- Traditional religion and Islam united the people against colonisers when alliance or armed

reaction had failed. In most cases Christianity sided with missionaries who supported their

home government.

- Shona in 1896-1897 priest told the soldiers that bullet would not penetrate their bodies

but were defeated in 1897 Maji Maji soldiers were defeated in 1907. The Giriama of Kenya

and Xhosa of South Africa were united by religious elements but were defeated.

- Moslem resisted the colonizers. Islamic elements played a role in west Africa against France

in Egypt 1881-1882, the Sudan (the Madhist 1881-1885) and the Fulani against the British.

- In Uganda the traditionalist, Moslem and Christianity acted independently and in alliance

against the British. The French Catholics, British Protestants and Moslem ousted Kabaka

Mwanga with the help of the traditionalist. Mwanga allied with king Kaberega of Bunyoro

to fight with the British. Mwanga had helped British fight the Bunyoro. The two were

captured by the British and exiled at Seychelles in 1899.

3. Earlier contacts with Europeans or Arabs.

- People at the coast got in contact with foreigners before those in the interior. The

strategy of alliance worked well among the coastal people a good example is the Fante with

the British. The Africans in interior did not distinguish between Europeans and Arabs.

- The Arabs involvement in the slave trade had established relationship of conflict rather
 than cooperation in east and central Africa.

- The presence of missionaries in the interior was tolerated by Africans and a good number

did not realise that they were supporters of colonisation.

4. The role of attitude.

- Europeans coloniser did not hide the racist and Darwinian ideas of superiority. Europeans

colonisers, travellers, missionaries and traders did not like Africans culture. The Africans

on the other hand concluded from Europeans skin that they were children. Only the

Ethiopian were respected because they were Christians. African reactions to Europeans

was therefore psychological. It prepared the confrontation during the process of

colonisation.

5. The terrain and policies of colonisers.

- Trading companies claimed that they had establish authority in order to acquire the areas

for their home government. The officials of GEACO and BEACO created conflict and armed

confrontation. The Hehe, Yao and Nyamwezi opposed the policies of forced labour for

plantation owned by the GEACO.

- The terrain played an important role in resistance. French found it easy to advance in west

Africa and overran states and societies. The Africans such as Samori Toure used guerrilla

warfare effectively. The British found it difficult to conquer the people of the forest area

of west Africa. The terrain helped the Nandi in Kenya against the British.

6. The scramble in Africa.

- It flared/sparkled up after the Berlin conference. Europeans wanted to gather spheres for
 their home governments. The colonisers and colonist had agreed in the Brussels

convention of 1890 that they should not sell the most recent arms to Africans.

- Africans therefore used old fashioned weapons bought or given to them before 1890.

Emperor Menelik ll managed to play Europeans rivals against each other and get recent

weapons some of which were successful used against Italians in 1896.

- Africans were disunited and their societies unstable.

- Finally, the war of the mind that fooled Africans to the extent of believing that Europeans

were "good guys"

Importance of African reaction

1. It determined the nature of colonial rule. Indirect rule was practiced where alliance had at

first been used and direct rule was imposed where armed confrontation was used against

colonisers.

2. Africans were connected with mass nationalism. The Germans called the maji maji revolt of

the people and later the nationalist leader Julius Nyerere called it a nationalist movement.

3. The reaction was against an unrecognised authority particularly authority from outside

being imposed on a people. That is why colonisers imposed military solution.

Note.

African communities resisted European occupation for various reasons. In some cases, the

communities were unwilling to surrender their sovereignty to the foreigners. In others the
 Africans were un-happy with the harsh treatment they received at the hands of the colonial

administrators including forced to vacate their lands, heavy taxation, forced labour. The

following are examples of communities that resisted Ethiopia (Menelik ll, Maji Maji, Mandikka,

Ndebele, Agiriyama Bukusu Somalia.). African lost independence by 1914 because Africans were

technologically backward.

Why armed resistance failed

1. African lacked sophisticated weapons they used spears, bows and arrows which could not

master the guns.

2. Epidemic and natural calamities had reduced the population of some Africans communities.

3. Some African communities were organised in small autonomous communities which were

not united to provide a common front to face the enemy.

4. Sometimes there was poor leadership on the part of the Africans.

5. In most cases communities were not cohesive but kept calling one another. This gave the

European to concentrate their soldiers in an area at a time and play one community

against another.

6. The Africans were not as trained as the Europeans.

Why the Europeans were able to conquer Africa?

1. Because of earlier activities of European missionaries and explorer (way before 1890

Europeans had gathered wide knowledge of African terrain, economy society, resources

strength and weaknesses etc more than what Africans knew about Europe.
2. Owing to the medical technological improvement and especially the discovery of quinine to

treat malaria. European became less fearful to Africa.

3. Inter-state rivalries and conflicts among Africans e.g. Mande against Tukuloor, the Asante

against the Fante, the Baganda against Bunyoro.

4. Intra- state divisions rivalries and disintegration e.g. the leadership wrangles between the

Kwavi Maasai led by Senteu and Kaputie and Matapatu led by Lenana.

5. Finally, the overwhelming military and technological superiority that Europe enjoyed over

Africa.

6. The uneven nature of trade between Europe and Africa in 1870s as well as the industrial

revolution taking place in Europe ensured that material and financial resources available

to the Europeans were overwhelming in comparison to the Africans. Hence they could

spend millions and sustain protracted military campaigns overseas as compared to

Africans states.