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.

Interaction is a state in which people from one community got into contact with one another. This links and contacts were established by Africans since the late Stone Age and Iron Age up to the middle of the 19 century when Africans was not yet colonized by Europeans. However the interaction continued to exist in the manner which favored the white men during the colonial period. After 1960 the Africans still interacted in order to help themselves achieve development in the new period of independence. In pre-colonial African societies existed two types of interaction. Social interaction were contacts in which various group of people with similar language characteristics moved from their cradle land and settled in other regions occupied by indigenous people known as the huntergatherers or Bushmen. Economic interaction were contacts which were based on commerce between the people of Africa. Different African groups crossed their boundaries together with commodities which were exchanged in other African societies. For more SOCIAL INTERACTION: Social interaction took place through migration, religion, war, music, medicine and marriage. 1. MIGRATION East Africa belongs to four main language groups namely the Khoisan, the Cushites, the Nilotes and the Bantu. Historical evidences show that the earliest inhabitants of East Africa were of Khoisan origin. Their speech is described as had “click” sound. It was similar to the language of present day KhoiKhoi and San of South Africa. They were nomadic hunters and gathers. These early large groups interacted with the larger Cushites, Bantu and the Nilotes communities that began settling in East Africa from the first century A.D. The remnants of them include Sandawe and Hadzabe of Tanzania and the Okiek (Dorobo) of Kenya. The origin home kind of the Nilotes was in the Nile valley in Sudan. Some Bantu communities of East Africa included Nyamwezi, Sukuma, Chagga and Pare of Tanzania, kikuyu, Kamba. Luhya of Kenya and Baganda, Basoga and Banyoro of Uganda. Through interaction of one community practiced medicine interacted with another led to some changes such as introduction of iron technology in East Africa. 2. RELIGION Religion played a crucial role in all African societies. Religious beliefs were taken seriously and affected every phase of life. There was a variety of religious activities in pre-colonial Africa. These included burial rites purifications, rituals naming of ceremonies and prayers to bless soldiers before they went to war. Religious activities took place at different levels such as family level, clan level and community level e.g. The Bushmen of Congo held prayers before going to hunt as they believed that God was the source of all food. Among the Asante people of West Africa the king of Asante (Asantehene) based his right to office on the possession of the Royal or Golden stool, Asantehene was regarded as the chief priest. Natural cults also existed in many parts of Africa. Their main aim was to please the spirits and legendary heroes e.g. the juju practiced in Western Africa the Shona held a cult called Mwani. The king of Shona (Mwanamtapa) was regarded as decline. 3. WARS African communities engaged in war from time to time; they fought with various reasons such as to increase the number of the herds of livestock, to get fertile land for agriculture purposes and expansion of the kingdom e.g. Buganda conquered Buddu, Karagwe and Busoga to expand their kingdom by 1839. Egyptian army had established their base at Gondokora the area located around Southern Khartoum and by 1869, Egyptian had raided and destroyed the Lango and Ancholi religion in the modern day Uganda. 4. MUSIC AND DANCES African music and dances brought people together; communities’ rites and ceremonies were accompanied by songs and dances. Every African society developed songs for work, Labourers sang while clearing fields, sowing and harvesting goods example of dances were Mdundiko among the Zaramo and Sindimba of Makonde. The Yomba of West Africa performed Orik music where by other songs praised or condemned certain characteristics including leadership and relation with neighbours. Dance were also performed for different purposes; some dance were open to everyone while others restricted to a certain secret society professional and artisans example Chagga men and women performed a dance called Rring during wedding ceremonies and Luguru led their dance called Gubi. 5. MEDICINE African’s had medicine men and women who played important role both spiritually and medically. Those who practice medicine interacted with many members of the society as patient visited some of the well known medicine men and women. Some medicine men and women were also political advisors and leaders example Kinjekitile Ngwale of Southern Tanzania most of the medicine were extracted from plant roots, barks and leaves e.g. The (neem tree) Mwarobaini is mostly used by various medicine in Matebele. 6. MARRIAGE Marriage occupies a position of great importance in African communities. Every member of the society jugs to build their own family. In Buganda the Kabaka married from different clans in order to enhance political unity in the kingdom. Therefore social interactions strengthened through marriage. At the same time marriage led to emergence of new culture examples Swahili culture as the result of mixture of Bantu and Arab culture To interact is to spend time with one another in a way that you have an effect on each other. For example, you interact with the teacher in the classroom. You listern and take notes as the teacher teaches. You ask question were you do not understand and the teacher answers them. Through this interaction, you learn new things and the teacher get to know how to help you understand the lesson better. Social interaction is estate in which people from one community got into contact with one another. This links and contacts were established by Africans since the late Stone Age and Iron Age up to the middle of the 19 century when Africans was not yet colonized by the Europeans. However the interaction continued to exist in the manner which favoured the white men during the time of colonial period. After 1960 the Africans still interacted in order to help themselves achieve development in the new period of independence. There are many social, factors which made several groups with common language shift from homeland to new areas which were occupied by Bushmen as the indigenous people of African regions. These factors are; Over population-was an increase of people in one area. The Bantu increased in number while they were still in the Niger region of Western Africa. They interacted other people to look for land to settle surplus population. Internal conflict over resources such as land for farming and water led to the movement in which several groups reached the Bushmen and absorbed the in their groups. Natural disaster such as earthquakes, epidemics like smallpox, and sleeping sickness forced many Bantu, Nilotes, and Cushties to interact with Bushmen. The desire for land to carryout economic activities such as farming by the Bantu and pastoralism by plain Nilotes led to the movement and Interaction with other people outside their land of origin. They interact and moved due to the desire to exploit and realize new areas in other parts. They wanted agriculture and grazing land. The discovery of the knowledge of iron working and invention of iron tools. This made the clearing of land for cultivation faster and easier which led to the interaction among the Bantu with other peoples in other regions of the continent. Invasion in their land made many groups to migrate to establish settlement in other areas. For example the coming of the Arabs in West Africa put pressure on the Bantu to shift to new areas. Clan struggle and succession conflicts between several groups of Africans forced them to move to another areas. Eventually, they moved and physically interacted with other peoples outside to establish separate clan organization. IMPACT OF INTERACTION In the process of migration people moved from their origin place to various destination. This caused people to lose their originality. In the places where they settled the natives of those areas interacted with them and formed new social groups. Those group probably differed from the original groups in terms of their values, beliefs and customs. It led to emergency of new language; as people of different languages like Bantu, Nilotes, Cushites and Khoisan met with other groups. For example Kiswahili language developed in East Africa having most of the Bantu vocabularies It caused intermarriages; when people moved from their original land and established new settlement they got married with natives and established new social relations. Intermarriage strength relationship among the people. It avoided social conflicts, since people were united together It causes population increase; the places which were attractive for people’s settlement became highly populated. In those regions immigration was common than emigration. Those areas also offered a conducive environment for natural population increase. For instance, the interlacustrine region, where land was very fertile and provided highly yield, became very attractive for the people to settle. It also attracted population growth due to large supply of food stuff

THE ORIGIN OF NGONI TRIBE The ngoni were Bantu Nguni speakers who lived in a clan groups, Ngoni tribe divided into different groups and each group has a leader. Every leader was responsible for his group prosperity and security within the group. There were Zulu who led by Senzangokana, Mtheswa under Dingiswayo, Ngwane under Sobhuza and Ndwande under Zwinde in Natal between the coast of Indian ocean and the Drankensburg Mountains of South Africa as well as River Tugela and River Limpopo The movement of the Ngoni towards East Africa and Central Africa began in the early 19th century when the clans were fighting “Mfecane wars” which were also known as wandering wars among themselves. During Mfecane confrontation there was Tshaka as the leader of Zulu clan after the death of his father Senzangokana. Zwangedaba and Maseko Ngoni Settled in East Africa after long movement from South Africa. When Zwangedaba died in 1848 his group experienced succession conflicts among his sons and members of the royal family. The conflicts led to the split into five groups which moved away from ufipa to different directions. Three of the group took the southern route into Zambia and Malawi. The other two groups such as the “Tuta” travelled north into Holoholo Ukimbu and Unyamwezi to reach Lake Victoria, later they become an ally of King Mirambo of Unyamwezi. The other group was the Gwangara under Zulu Gama.They took Eastern route by defeating the Hehe and Sangu until they reached Songea where they met the Maseko Ngoni. In this place they fought strongly and made the Maseko Ngoni cross river Ruvuma to Mozambique. Some Maseko moved Morogoro where they became known as the Mbunga. J Stephen, 2007 A HISTORY OF AF In the begging of the 19th century, the great Zulu warrior known as Shaka, began his career of conquest and establishment of the powerful Zulu Empire in the area today known as Natal, in South Africa. The area initially had been occupied by a cluster of small independent Ngoni tribes. The powerful Shaka created a large centralized military kingdom that many people feared. Therefore, Ngoni people originated in the Natal region of South Africa. The Ngoni were Bantu Nguni speakers who lived in clan groups such as the Zulu led by Senzangakona, Mtheswa under Dingiswayo, and Ngwane under Sobhuza and Ndwandwe under Zwindwe in Natal between the coast of Indian Ocean and the Drankensberg Mountains of South of Africa as well River Limpopo. The movement of the Ngoni towards East Africa and Central Africa began in the early of 19th century when the clans were fighting “Mfecane Wars” which were also known as wandering wars among themselves. During Mfecane there was Shaka as the leader of the Zulu clan after the death of his father Senzangakona. Shaka became a powerful ruler who organized the army and conquered other clans in the region. Many people in the clans did not like to submit to the ruler of Shaka. They had to move westwards and northwards from the region. Those who went to the north finally settled in Southern Tanganyika where they are still known as the Ngoni. The Ngoni moved in groups since the beginning of their movement towards East Africa, firstly there was Ndwande led by Zwangendaba. It was the biggest group which started its movement from the South of River Zambezi. As it moved northwards its member destroyed Urozwi Kingdom which later lost much of its land to the Ndebele under Mzilikazi. Zwangedaba’s group then crossed the river Zambezi in 1835 and defeated the Chewa in Malawi. In 1840 the group arrived in Ufipa south west of Lake Tanganyika. They defeated the Fipa and set up their territory under Zwangendaba who died in 1845. Another group was Maseko led by Maputo or Mputa. They travelled along eastside of Lake Nyasa until they reached Songea where they settled and intermarried with the local people, mostly from the Yoa ethnic group Both Zwangendaba and Maseko Ngoni settled in East Africa after long movement from South Africa. When Zwangendaba died in 1848 his group experienced succession conflicts among his sons and members of royal family. The conflicts led to the split into five groups which moved away from Ufipa to different directions. Three of the groups took the southern route into Zambia and Malawi.The other two groups such as the “Tuta” travelled north into the Holoholo settlement from which they were taken out until they were conquered the Nyamwezi who were located in the areas with caravan trade route to the coast. The” Tuta” absorberd their captives into their group and among of those captives was Mirambo who spent most of his time to learn the Ngoni war tactics. Later he got out of the Tuta and became powerful Ntemi chief till he died in 1884. The other group was the Gwangara under Zulu Gama. They took eastern route by defeating the Hehe and Sangu until they reached Songea where they met the Maseko Ngoni. In this place they fought strongly and made the Maseko Ngoni cross river Ruvuma to Mozambique. Some Maseko moved to Morogoro where they became known as the Mbunga Basically, the Ngoni speaking societies were predominantly agriculturalist and pastoralists. They were the last largest Bantu people to migrate into central and East Africa in 1830,s As Shaka’s victorious armies extended their conquest, many other tribes fled Northwards to modern Mozambiq,Southern Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. By 1824, Shaka had become a dictator and his reign of terror could not be tolerated any more. There were various causes which led to the movement of the Ngoni towards East Africa. The basic causes were; The need of land to carryout economic activities made the Ngoni find their way to other areas.They were pastoral and agricultural people who wanted larger land for these activities. In the 19th century the Ngoni had shortage of land in Natal. The only alternative to secure to land was to migrate to occupy land in other region of the continent The rise of civil war known as “Mfecane” among the Ngoni clans in Natal was one of the possible causes which led to their movement. Many people in the region were over powered by Shaka during the fighting. They were conquered by his soldiers and for people to escape his rule they shifted northwards. Population growth in the Natal during the 19th century was a very important cause of the Ngoni movement.They were running away from being overcrowded in their homeland. Expansion of the state by the Zulu-Shaka forced many groups to migrate from the region. He expanded the Zulu nation by conquering and absorbing other clans into his regime. Many people feared to submit to Shaka’s rule. The Boer movement northwards to Natal contributed to the movement towards East and central Africa in 1880’s All Ngoni groups moved northwards up to East Africa, no single groups managed to go in other direction because of the following factors; Presence of Drankensberg Mountains and Kalahari Desert in the west. Ngoni speaking groups could not extend westwards because of physical difficulties. Ngoni were mainly peasants who needed fertile soil for the cultivation of food crops. Presence of the Indian ocean in the East. Ngoni group could not move eastwards because of the Indian Ocean. The movement of the Boers from the cape colony. Boers were moving from south heading northwards running away from the British who occupied South Africa through Cape.Boers were well armed and crushed all resistance on their way. Ngoni did not want to confront these peole. Because of these barriers, Ngoni decided to migrate nortwards and settled in Central and East Africa.

HISTORY