Difference in the rise of nationalism between Uganda and Tanganyika Nationalism refers to the rise of consciousness and love for on...
Difference in the rise of nationalism between Uganda and Tanganyika
Nationalism
refers to the rise of consciousness and love for ones country. In Africa it was
the desire for independence, self determination and common hatred to all evils
associated with colonial rule. In East Africa nationalism was characterized
mainly by the rise or formation of political parties such as Uganda People
Congress (UPC), Democratic Party and CP in Uganda, KANU and KADU in Kenya and TANU
in Tanganyika.[1]
Also nationalism refers to attitude
that the members of the nation have when they care about their nationally
identity and the actions that the members of the nation take when seeking to
achieve or to sustain self determination. Therefore African nationalism refers
to opposition to alien control, the consciousness of the belonging to a
particular Africa nation (actual or potential) to African in general, pride in
the nations culture, traditions, institution and achievements and awareness of
common political rights and responsibilities.[2]
In general nationalism refers to
sentiment based on common cultural characteristics that binds a population and
often produces a policy of national independence or separatism.
The
following are the background in the rise of nationalism in Uganda and
Tanganyika;
Uganda’s
approaches to independence were unlike that of most other colonial territories
were political parties had been organized to force self-rule or independence
from reluctant colonial regime. Whereas this conditions would required local
and regional differences to be subordinated to the greater extent goal of winning
independence. In Uganda parties were forced to cooperate with one another, with
the respect of independence already assured. One of the major parties Uganda
Royalist Party- Kabaka Yekka (KY) was even opposed to independence unless its
particular separatist was met. Out of Kabaka Yekka other political parties were
formed such as Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Uganda National Movement (UNM),
Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda Peoples Union (UPU). But later Uganda People’s
congress and Uganda Royalist Party made coalition so as to won majority seats
in the national assembly making Uganda to achieve full independence under
Milton Obote as the prime minister on 09th October 1962.
As the result of these political parties made
by the people in Uganda it led to attain their independence through peaceful
means, where in 1963 Kabaka Yekka of Buganda was made the first president of
Uganda. In order to build united Uganda there was a need to end up Kabakaship
in which 1966 was overthrown and pave the way for Milton Obote to become the
president of Uganda in the same year 1966.
Also the road of independence in
Tanganyika can be traced back late 1930’s, Tanganyika had experienced three
types of political actions none of which was nationalism. There were
association such as The Traditional Tanganyika Territory African Civil Servant
Association (TTACSA) and Tanganyika African Association (TAA) aimed at
legislative council but had no mass support. Tribal politicians like Kiiza of
Bukoba rarely had mass support and were concerned with tribal rather than
national issues.[3]
Popular resistance expressed on Majimaji
in opposition to agriculture regulations, certainly had mass support but did
not seek control of legislative council. None of these was the nationalistic
movement but they were the elements by which nationalistic movements was
created[4].
The beginnings of Tanganyika nationalism were normally associated with the
period after Second World War in which mass political parties were formed.
Example the transformation of Tanganyika African Association to Tanganyika
Africana National Union (TANU) in 1954 and the formation of different parties
such as United Tanganyika party (UTP) in 1958 and African National Congress
(ANC) in 1958 formed by Zuberi Mtemvu after leaving TANU.
The following are the difference in
the rise of nationalism between Uganda and Tanganyika.
Formation of political parties, both
in Tanganyika and Uganda from the beginning after 1945 there was formation of
political parties. In those political parties formed there were some
differences between those formed in Tanganyika and those formed in Uganda. The
political parties formed in Tanganyika based on racial and religious ideology.
For example Tanganyika United Party (UTP) and African National Congress (ANC)
were racial based in the sense that the UTP drew the bulk of its support from
the whites, mainly settlers, while ANC was basically an African political party
with ideologically bias against Asian and European. And African Muslims
National Union of Tanganyika (AMNUT) it was mainly based on religious bases,
mainly it draws its support exclusively from Muslims, defending Muslim
interest.
But the political parties formed in
Uganda were different to those of Tanganyika since they were guided by ethnic
ideology. The Uganda National Congress (UNC) and Uganda Royal Party under
Kabaka Yekka provide us with typical example of ethnic political parties most
of ethnic political parties saved the interest of other strong Kingdoms like
Bunyoro, Toro, Ankole and Busoga. Moreover the Democratic Party (DP) represent
typical example of parties characterized by religious ideology where most of
the membership come from the Catholic intelligentia and its leadership was pre-dominant Catholic.
Also dispersal of population,
Tanganyika did not have concentrated populations in competitions’ with one
another which in other parts of Africa tended to create potentialities for
ethnic cleavages’ and in the same vein wealth and power were not concentrated
in the hands of one group. It was the kind of society where leadership could
come from any community not necessary backed by its ethnic superiority[5].
Unlike in Uganda where there was concentrated populations in the competition
with one another demanding to take part in the government. For example there
was jealous among the non Buganda of the special position occupied by the
Buganda aristocracy and the chiefs of Ankole and Toro agitated for several
years (1919-24) for land holding arrangements similar to those established in
Buganda particularly the creation of Mailo land.[6]
Language as one of the factor
differentiates the rise of nationalism in Uganda and Tanganyika. During the
struggle for independence in East Africa language played a greater role as it
was used as a unifying factor among the people. Tanganyika was having lingua
franca which unified all Tanganyika’s, thus Kiswahili served as the means to
unite all sectors of Tanganyika population. While in Uganda there was no
unifying language (lingua franca) which could unify people to struggle for
their independence. This pave the way for each region to struggle for
independence for their own interest as it was for Kabaka Yekka party.
Another greatest difference was the
contradiction among the people. For example in Uganda there was contradiction
among the privileged group and unprivileged group. One that was to form the
embryo of nationalism was that between the privileged and unprivileged group.
The privileged group consisted large of the Christian chiefs, who gained
control of land by the Buganda agreement of 1900; the unprivileged were mainly
coffee growing peasants. Protest movement began against Christian chiefs this
can be illustrated by five main organization; Bataka Federation, The sons of
Kitu, The Bataka Party, The Uganda African Farmer Union and the Uganda National
Congress.[7]
Unlike in Tanganyika were there was no
such kind of friction among the people, instead people of different character
and culture were come together and fight for their rights. For example when
TANU was formed out of TAA in 1954 it managed to spread her idea all over the
country because there was no any kind of friction among the people.
Nature
of the colonial rule is the another factor which bring differences in the rise
of nationalism in Tanganyika and Uganda, Tanganyika was first under the Germany
domination who used direct system to govern Tanganyika in which people were
directly forced to engage in work, this situation at the beginning made
Africans to promote unity so as to fight for their common enemy that’s there
was Majimaji resistance and Abushiri resistance. This made people in Tanganyika
even after the change of German rule to British rule who used indirect rule
under Truest ship territory they were not created tribalism or ethnic among
themselves as the result they were able to come together and struggle for
independence while in Uganda Africans were under the British rule who used
indirect rule from the beginning to the time of struggle for independence, this
situation made the Africans even when they were struggling for independence to
be affected with ethnic and tribalism as it was created by the British policy
of divide and rule.
Despite the differences in the rise
of nationalism in Tanganyika and Uganda there were some common reasons which
stimulated the rise of nationalism in East Africa. These factors were like
emergence of cold war led by United Soviet Socialist Revolution (USSR) in the
1917, who started supporting decolonization in Africa so as to get membership
in her socialist camp and the rise of United States of America (USA) as the
super capitalist power of the world who started pressurizing capitalist nations
to allow decolonization in their colonies.
REFERENCES
Assa, O. (2006). A history of Africa, vol 2. Kisumu: East African
Publishers.
Kimambo, I
& Temu A. (1969). A history of
Tanzania. Nairobi: East African Publishing House
Othiambo, E.S.O et al. (1997). A history of East Africa. London: Longman
[1]
Othiambo, E.S.O et al.
(1997). A history of East Africa.
London: Longman
[2] Assa, O. (2006). A history of Africa, vol 2. Kisumu: East African
Publishers. pg 1
[3]
Assa, O. (2006). A history of Africa, vol.2. Kisumu: East African
Publishers. pg 3
4 Assa, O.
(2006). A history of Africa, vol.2. Kisumu: East African Publishers. Pg
4
[5]
Ibid pg 53
[6] Ibid pg 62
[7] Ibid pg 63
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