Gideon Were Publications

Review
Reviewed Work(s): A COURT CHRONICLE: The Karagwe Kingdom by Israel K. Katoke
Review by: WILLIAM R. OCHIENG
Source: Transafrican Journal of History, Vol. 5, No. 1 (1976), pp. 152-155
Published by: Gideon Were Publications
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24520293
Accessed: 09-04-2020 00:13 UTC

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152 TRANSAFRICAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY

A COURT CHRONICLE:

The Karagwe Kingdom

Israel K. Katoke

East African Publishing House, 1975

Price Shs. 35.00 Pages 182

ness of this book. For one thing

I would like to start my com
ments on Dr. Israel Katoke's
Dr. Katoke has ignored the
contribution
book, The Karagwe Kingdom, by to our knowledge
of the western shores of Lake
confessing my general ignorance
Victoria by the mentioned
about the history of north
western Tanzania and south writers. For the other thing the
western Uganda. That, at any author is in love with kings. The
rate, is why I elected to readbook
Dr. hardly tells us the general
Katoke's book. I thought I aspects of everyday life of the
would be wiser at the finish of it.
Karagwe peasants. In other
I was disappointed. Dr. Katoke words, this is too much a court
is not telling us anything new. history. We really do not meet
Indeed his earlier book, The the people.
Making of Karagwe Kingdom, Let us raise more substantive
although up-hill reading, was issues.
a In his introduction Dr.
much better book than this Katoke discusses "Chronology
expanded version. and Dating," as used in his book.
May be I am simply prejudicedTo many scholars concerned
because Dr. Katoke is such a with African history Chronology
still poses a very significant
wearisome writer. But having
problem. How is an ordinary
read A. R. Dunbar, A History
of Bunyoro-Kitara, M. S.African
M. reader supposed to be
Kiwanuka The Emprie of Bu lieve that a certain event happen
nyoro-Kitara, G. N. Uzoigwe, ed around 1450 and not around
Revolution and Revolt of the 1560? Says Dr. Katoke: "While
Kingdom of Nkore in Western two earlier Karagwe historians
Uganda, D. W. Cohen, used a generation to mean a
The Historical Traditionsperiod of of fifteen and eighteen
Busoga and H. Cory, Historia years respectively, I have given
ya Wilaya ya Bukoba, I came twenty-five years for each genera
out wondering about the useful tion. My calculation was infiu

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 BOOK REVIEWS 153

enced by two factors: one, does not discuss the political

most historians dealing with economy of the Kingdom. How
similar situations in other parts did the King raise the revenue
of East Africa have estimated a for maintaining the system?
generation to be between twenty How were the governors, court
five and thirty years; two, calcu iers and soldiers paid? Or did
lating from the reigns of the they simply love the King? O.K.
more recent Bakama of Karagwe the Bahima aristocracy were
there are about four generations mainly pastoralists while the
between Rumanyika Orugundu Bairu (or Abanyambo) were
and B. I. Ruhinda. If we divide farmers. So what?
one hundred years by four, And may be the most dis
appointing section of this book
we arrive at exactly twenty-five
years." is the chapter entitled "Geogra
Having said the above Dr. phical Setting." The chapter is
Katoke goes ahead to use twenty anthropological in the sense that
five years to represent a genera it tells us the geographical
tion. In other words, he pegs character of Karagwe today.
the chronology of the Karagwe And this is assumed to have
on this unsubstantiated assump affected the evolution of the
tion. We are not told what peasants of Karagwe from time
"similar situations in other parts
immemorial. One wishes to deny
of East Africa" means. We are this assumption. From the works
not even afforded a clue as to of scholars like D. J. Schove,
why the "generations betweenS. H. Ominde, B. E. Conn, K. W
Rumanyika Orugundu and B. Butzer
I and H. P. Berlage we
Ruhinda" are used as represen
learn that the climate and vege
tative generations? What onetation
is of eastern Africa has not
always been the same. We have
saying is that the chronology
used in this book is fake. had periods of glaciation, ex
Let us raise another point treme rainfall and extreme
that escaped the notice of Dr. droughts. All these have affected
Katoke. He makes us believe, the habitation and evolution of
that apart from the brief in East African communities. Are
vasion of Karagwe by Bunyoro we to believe that Karagwe was
(he doesn't specify the date) the throughout history insulated
Karagwe Kingdom was very stro from these vicissitudes of cli
ng, with princes and governors mate ? What one is saying is that
looking after the King's interests this chapter is of no use to
in the provinces, but Dr. Katoke anybody.

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154 TRANSAFRICAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY

On pages eight and nine tersDr.

in connection with the
Katoke discusses the Stone Agethat led to their coming
events
people. He says that some of to Karagwe." Nowhere in this
these people occupied parts of book are their histories discus
Karagwe. He then says that sed.
these people "disappeared." He There are so many other faults
concludes: "There seems to be a with this book which one could
raise. I will, however, only raise
wide gap between the disappear
ance of the Stone Age people one last question. The rise of
and the advent of the Bantu Buganda to prominence in the
speaking people in Karagwe; a
nineteenth century has been con
similar situation exists in parts
nected with their acquisition of
of East and Central Africa." fire-arms from the Arab and
But are we to believe Dr. Swahili traders. All traders to
Katoke? Why should we, Buganda
espe had to pass through
cially when we know that Karagwe,
the which is depicted by
so-called Stone Age people, Dr. Katoke
like as a well organized
the Sandawe and Hadzapi, andare
strong state under King
still well-known communities in Rumanyika. How come that
mainland Tanzania, not far awayKing Rumanyika and his gover
from Karagwe? What, for ex nors did not take advantage of
ample, would make us disbelievethis trade to expand their King
that the practitioners of the dom at the expense of Buganda
Nzongenzi culture in Karagwe and Bunyoro?
were not Stone Age people ? I am afraid my assessment of
On page seven we are also told Dr. Katoke's book is rather
that the Bantu invaders of negative. This is not to say that
Karagwe consisted of "sub the book should be thrown to the
groups of the indigenous as well dogs. Perhaps other readers will
as immigrant people from the find it useful, especially those
surrounding countries." In this who are not acquainted with the
category of immigrants were the historical literature on the Bantu
Banyankore, Bakoki, Barundi, of the Lake Basin. I did not find
Baganda, Basubi, Banyarwanda, it useful. As I have already
Bazinza Baha, Baziba, Banya indicated the book is full of
ihangiro and those from theassumptions, unanalysed mytho
other Haya states. We are thenlogies and unwarranted inacura
cheated that "the history of cies. Besides, the writer failed
each of these groups will be to take advantage of the more
discussed in the subsequent chap recent literature on the evolution

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 BOOK REVIEWS 155

of the various Ugandan and however, absolve Dr. Katoke

north Tanzanian Bantu com from being a bad analyst and
munities. It is possible that the writer.
a boring
publishers have sat long on this
manuscript, which would mean WILLIAM R. OCHIENG'
that it was out of date before Department of History
it was published. This does not, Kenyatta University College

THE THOUGHT OF MONDLANE

Eduardo Mondlane

Panaf Books Limited, London. (1972) Pages 175

Price Shs. 24.60

The biography of Eduardo should be understood in this

Mondlane is yet another work pu
context.

blished anonymously by Panaf. Born in 1920, in a chiefly

Hitherto not much has come out family, Mondlane grew up in an
in the form of biographies of theatmosphere of oppression of the
freedom fighters in southern Africans by the colonial regimes
Africa. What prevails is mainlyin southern Africa. In particular,
brief sketches of the histories of
he was very much incensed by
the manner in which fellow
revolutionary leaders, appearing
incidentally in some obscure Mozambicans were treated when
journals. Those who would have working in the mines in South
written the life histories of Africa. While studying at the
certain eminent men in African University of Witwatersrand he
history were either denied theimbibed liberal ideas emanating
proper education qualifying themfrom the works of Marx and
for such academic exercise or Lenin. His participation in
student organisations at the
could simply not be allowed into
the European archives. What
University led to his expulsion
filtered out of such colonial in 1949 only to find himself in
territories were the biased in the hands of the Portuguese
formation provided by the colo authorities. It was out of these
experiences that he founded
nial officials justifying their pre
FRELIMO in 1962 for the libe
sence in Africa. The significance
of the biography of Mondlane
ration of Mozambique from

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