MODES OF PRODUCTION

The Meaning and Origins of Feudalism in Africa Feudalism Was the third mode of production but the second in exploitation of land after slave mode of production. Feudalism as a term has various meanings. Feudalism may mean a piece of land for rent. It may mean of fief. The word fief means feudal estate or a substantial part of land handed over by its owner to other people for life long-use. The people, who were granted land for life-long use by the land owner, were called vassals. These had a lot of peasants below them. The owner of land was usually known as the land lord or the Feudal lord. The land lord enjoyed a lot of feudum. Feudum was a fee or the feudal benefice paid by the vassals and the peasants to their land lord. Consequently, we may define feudalism as a social and economic formation or system of organization which is based upon the relation of the landlord to the vassal and from the vassal to the peasants. Land becomes the major means of production. This social formation is usually furnished when there is a total unity of productive forces, (people and the tools they use), relations of production (efforts through which people find themselves producing their needs jointly and in groups) and the superstructures (the political, philosophical, legal, artistic, religious and other views of the societies) and their corresponding institutions. In some parts of Africa Slavery and feudalism coexisted in a number of areas. The economy of feudal societies was based on private ownership and renting of land and livestock. FORMS OF FEUDALISM Feudalism in Africa existed in various forms. Its nature depended on the place in which it was practiced. Example of the societies that exercised feudalism were those found in the interlacustrine region of East Africa, South Africa, west Africa, North Africa and the North- Eastern and the Southern interior of East Africa. In Karagwe and Buhaya, Feudalism had developed a system of private land ownership in the private estate known as Nyarubanja. Batwazi who were the members of royal family and kings favorites owned these estates. In other cases individual chiefs could create their own Nyarubanja, though in most cases the king created them as a present to notable subjects. The Nyarubanja system did not include the entire land, but it was just a small part.By 1980s it was estimated that only about ten percent of the land was under the Nyarubanja system. Due to high demands of commodity production the system developed much more in the nineteenth century. During this era rulers had to increase the production of raw materials for the purpose of exchange. The remaining part of the land was held as a clan land. Members of the clan owned this land communally and the clan head was responsible for apportioning it. Under Nyarubanja system the social relations of productions were based on two classes, that is the Batwazi (Rulers) and Batwarwa (Serfs). The latter were exploited by the former through payment of rent in kind and labor in service. The land lords, however exploited the Batwazi and the Batwarwa, as they had to render labor service and give and give him part of their produce. In the second half of the nineteenth century trade expanded and intensified exploitation because more produce was needed for trade. This demand entailed requirements of more labor which was provided by the Bairu slaves who were owned by the rulers. In Buganda state, chiefs owned private estate too. Before the nineteenth century chieftainship had been hereditary. However this system changed in the 19th century when the kabaka began to appoint chiefs. The new chiefs were given private estates whereas the former hereditary chiefs retained their old private estates. People who were given private estates were obliged to pay produce and labor service to the landlords. This system exploited them while the rest were much more exploited by the Bataka. The poor people under this system were known as Bakopi. They also rendered labor service and paid part of their produce, a system that was known as Obusulu and labor service- a system that was known as akasanvu to their immediate chiefs. The Bataka were in charge were in charge of the rest of land of the land which was clan land. They were very powerful and used their position to accumulate wealth through labor rendered by their clansmen. However, their power was lost later in the century when the Kabaka started to appoint chiefs to replace the Bataka. Another kingdom in East Africa, which practiced feudalism, was Bunyoro. It was one of the oldest kingdoms in the interlacustrine region characterized by decentralization political authority by the nineteenth century. The kingdom was divided into provinces known as Sazas, each under a chief. The Sazas were divided into districts that were under chiefs. By the nineteenth century chieftainship was hereditary. The caste system characterized the social relations of production in this region. It was divided into two classes, which were rulers who were the Bahima (pastoralist) and the exploited were the Bairu (agriculturist). Here ones position was determined by birth, which meant that all chiefs had to be Bahima, and, initially, only the Bahima could join the army. By the second half of the 19th century merchant class emerged from the ruling class. Initially, the king monopolized trade, but due to centralized political authority, some of the provincial chiefs carried on trade themselves. Therefore many provincial chiefs became extremely powerful. In order to control this power, kings decided to keep them near the king’s court for easy watch but some chiefs managed to break away and decided to form their independent chiefdom such as Chope and Tope. In Rwanda, Burundi and Buha feudalism developed under the ubugabire system. In these regions the feudal relations revolved around the cattle ownership. The Tutsi could transfer their cattle to the Hutu. The donor (Tutsi), therefore became the master (sebuja) of the recipient known as Bagabire. The Omugabire and his family were obliged to perform several duties for the master. This includes house building, cultivation and governing the property of the master. In other cases, the Tutsi owned the land and gave it to the Hutu in return for rent through the Ubugabire system. Another form of feudalism was found along the East African coast. This was known as Umwinyi. In this region the Wamwinyi who controlled the productive forces such as land, serfs and tenants monopolized the political and economic power. The serfs and tenants were given land by Wamwinyi (feudal lords) to live on them. In return labor service or tributes were paid to the wamwinyi. In Zanzibar Feudalism existed mainly before the Arab colonization. The Mwinyi Mkuu was the greatest landlord and ruled Zanzibar with the help of Sheha in Unguja and Diwani in Pemba. He had Shekua who usually collected rent from the serfs. Shekua was also responsible for recruiting laborers who worked for Mwinyi Mkuu in the land under his control. After the coming of the Arabs, the feudal relations in Zanzibar were transformed. It was intensified by racism and religion. The society was divided into three classes, which are Arabs, Shiraz and Africans in decreasing order of autonomy. The Nyamwezi and Sukuma formed another type of eudalism in East Africa. The power of leaders was based on the control of producers themselves. Mtemis ability to control andmobilize labor was based in ideology. The Mtemi organized his people to open up new land wherever it was available. The process of opening up new land was known as Kutema. The feudal mode of production was practiced also in other areasoutside Eat Africa. In North Eastern Africa for example Egypt had had developed feudal relations by the 19th century. Pharaoh managed to control the land and gave it to peasant in return for rent. It also developed in conjunctions with the building of pyramids and in the serving of pharaoh CHARACTERISTICS OF FEUDALISM Agriculture became the major economic activity: Following the discovery of iron technology productive forces were improved drastically. Payment of rent to the land lords; rent was paid in various forms. Labour rent; existed in form of labour or service in which peasants (serf) were required to work for three days in week for the land lords. Rent in kind: The serfs regularly had to deliver the quantities of his products to the land lords. The products could be in form of grain, cattle or vegetables. Money rent: Was the system in which money used as a major means of paying rent. Exploitation of man by man example peasants (serf) were exploited by land lords and the distribution of production was not equal. Little freedom to peasant; peasants were tired due to various restrictions as they were treated as children. Private ownership of major means of production such as land, mining sites, houses and cattle all these belonged to feudal lords. Division labour: This based on age and sex where men specialized in military while women specialized in farming and taking care of children. Existence of classes; landlords as exploiters and serfs as exploited class. Little surplus enjoyed by feudal lords. Existence of strong political institutions in form of kingdoms and empires example Bunyoro, Buganda and Karagwe. Feudalism in Africa existed in various forms. Its nature depended on place in which it was practiced for instance societies that exercised feudalism were those found in the interlacustine region of East Africa, South Africa, West Africa and the North Eastern Africa. Improved productive forces: Especially tools applied in agriculture and military warfare, this was brought about by iron technology. Generally, African kingdoms such as Buganda and some forest states of West Africa, used means of production centered around either land or livestock-especially cattle-peasants could use the land freely but they were required to pay rent.