Central African History
Central African History
Central African History
MAP 1- BANTU MIGRATIONS INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA BEFORE 1800 (ADOPTED FROM
SENIOR AFRICAN HISTORY OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA BY ANASTASIA KASOMA)
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THE EARLY WAY OF LIFE OF THE BANTU SPEAKING
PEOPLE.
Social way of Life.
Socially, the Bantu speaking people were organized into a family
which was the basic unite of society. Several families formed a
family household. Several households combined to form a clan.
A number of clans formed villages. Several villages combined to
form a tribe or a chiefdom/kingdom.
In Bantu Society, Work was divided between the males and
females. The males hunted, fished and herded livestock. The
females fetched water, firewood, cooked and cleaned houses
and looked after children.
The Bantu lived in huts made of pole and mud and thatched
with grass. These huts were arranged in a circular form and in
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the middle was the Kraal to protect the animals. The diet of the
Bantu people included pulp, meat, wild fruits, roots and
vegetables, fish, wild insects and beer made from millet and
sorghum.
The Bantu celebrated important moments in life or rites of
passage such as birth. Puberty and marriages. The Bantu also
co-operated during these important moments. Cattle were
considered to be a symbol of wealth though it was used during
religious ceremonies and for bride price.
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Political Way of Life.
Politically, Bantu society was organized in some form of a
hierarchy. Households were under the leadership of the eldest
male member of the household. The clan was controlled the
eldest male member. Clans formed villages that were controlled
by a village Headman. Villages formed tribes, which were
herded by chief/King. Chiefs or Kings in Bantu society were
considered to be Semi-divine and because of this, they had a lot
of authority. They also acted as priests in important ceremonies.
QUESTIONS.
1. What were the origins of the Lunda? In what ways was
their political system different from the Luba?
5. Describe in brief the rise and fall of the Luba Kings and the
Political system they developed.
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External Factors.
• After 1850, the Swahili came into the Kingdom and
disrupted the Long Distance Trade on the east coast. They
started sending ivory and slaves to the coast and bypassing
the Mwatakazembe who lost monopoly of the trade. The
Swahili also started attacking villages within the Kingdom
and carrying off slaves. This weakened the Kingdom.
• Another external group that contributed to the decline of
the Kingdom was the Bayeke under the leadership of
Msiri. This was a nyamwezi group from Tanzania. Msiri
established a strong Kingdom to the east of the
Mwatakazembe Kingdom. It Was a weak Mwatakazembe
called Chinyata who allowed Msiri to settle west of Lake
Mweru in a copper and ivory rich area. Msiri made
friendships with some local chiefs such as those of the
Lamba and Sanga who were not content with the Lunda
rule. They started trading directly with Msiri and stopped
paying tribute to the Mwatakazembe. Msiri also cut off
communication between the Mwatakazembe and the
Mwatayamvu and took over control of the copper trade.
• The Arabs were another external group that contributed to
the decline of the Mwatakazembe Kingdom. The Arabs
were under the Leadership of a man called Tip-Tippu
(Tippo-Tib). By 1872, he found the Kazembe Kingdom so
weak that he was able to overthrow the ruling
Mwatakazembe Kafwiti Chikole and replaced him with a
puppet called Lukwesa. This interference shows how weak
the Kingdom had become.
• The Growing Bemba Kingdom on the east also contributed
to the decline of the Kingdom. Persistent Bemba attacks on
the Bisa middlemen in the Long Distance Trade led to the
loss of trade for the Kazembe and most of the Bisa joined
the growing Bemba Kingdom for protection.
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• The Final reason for the Decline of the Mwatakazembe
Kingdom was the arrival of the B.S.A Company in 1890.
However, by this time, the Kingdom was so weak that the
company faced very little resistance. In addition, the B.S.A
company troops had better weapons.
ORDINARY PEOPLE
This ensured that Undi had firm control of political affairs in the
Kingdom.
➢ Religious Powers- Undi was also perceived to be a
semi-divine ruler. He controlled the important rainmaking
Shrine. He also established a female rainmaker called
Makewane, who was in charge of the Shrine. This
contributed to the political power of Undi and it was also a
very important factor in uniting the Chewa people.
➢ Raids- This was an important factor in the development of
the Kingdom.Undi conquered and assimilated weaker
groups such as the, Nsenga, Chewa and the Tumbuka.
These were incorporated into the Kingdom. At its height,
Undi,s Kingdom was vast. It included the Eastern Province
of Zambia, parts of Mozambique’s Tete districts and parts
of Malawi.
➢ The concentration of Power in the Phiri Clan; Undi gave
posts of Sub-chiefs to members of the Phiri Clan. He also
encouraged the members of the clan to intermarry with
women from other clans and the defeated tribes. The
sub-chiefs were loyal to Undi because of Family
relationship ties. In this way, Undi was able to maintain
Unity in the Kingdom.
➢ Natural Resources; Undi’s Kingdom was also very rich in
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Natural Resources. To begin with, Undi, s area was well
watered and had fertile soils. Besides there were other
natural resources such as salt, iron ore, ivory and gold. In
addition, by mid 1700, the mining of Gold in the Kingdom
by he Portuguese became very important. The Portuguese
and their Chikunda agents mined the gold got their share
and gave a percentage to Undi. All these natural resources
enabled Undi to participate in the Long Distance Trade.
➢ Tribute System; Tribute was collected from the defeated
chiefs and the subordinate chiefs as a sign of loyalty to
Undi. This tribute was in form of ivory, slaves and gold.
This also enabled the Undi to participate in the Long
Distance Trade.
➢ Monopoly of the Long Distance Trade; The rich natural
resources and the Tribute System enabled Undi to
participate in and later monopolise the Long distance
Trade. In exchange for local products such as ivory, gold
and slaves, Undi was given items such as guns, gunpowder
and beads. This economic factor greatly contributed to the
development of Undi’s Kingdom.
➢ Slave Trading; it also contributed to the development of
the Kingdom. At about the same time that Gold mining was
at its peak, trade in slaves had also started and was highly
profitable. Many people were sold as slaves. This led to an
increase in Undi,s Economic power. This human labour
was needed for the huge plantations called the Prazoes in
the Zambezi valley.
QUESTIONS.
1. Outline the origins, development and the importance of
Malawi Kingdom of Kalonga in Central Africa. Explain why
its importance declined after A.D 1700. [ 14: 6].
2. Give an account of the History of the Bemba up to 1900.
(Pay particular attention to the origins, political
development, expansion and decline)
3. Write on the following by showing how they affected the
History of Central Africa
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VILLAGES
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he wasted much of the food stored by his father on useless
parties.
• He killed most of the old people in the Kingdom both the
Kololo and the Makalaka because he believed that they
had bewitched him.
• He sent those who were running away from Linyati due to
the malaria to die there.
Therefore, Sekeletu to a larger extent was responsible for the
collapse of Kololo rule in Bulozi. This was because he lost the
trust and the confident of the people he led both the Kololo and
the Makalaka. They started looking for a chance when they
would get rid of him. During Sekeletu’s rule, many Makalaka
fled to Nyengo and Lukulu and reinforced the opposition to
Kololo rule.
In addition, Sekeletu did not have foresight and was too selfish
to put in place a proper system of succession after his death.
Therefore, after his death, there in 1863, the Kingdom suffered
two civil wars that led to the Collapse of Kololo rule.
In 1863 after the death of Sekeletu, there was a civil war among
the Kololo to choose a successor. The Lozi or the Luyana took
advantage of this division amongst the Kololo to overthrow
them and restore Bulozi rule to the Litunga and gain their
independence.
After the Kololo civil war, a man called Mporolo came to power
but he was unable to restore Kololo rule in Bulozi. Therefore, in
a rebellion Ngambela Njekwa, Sipopa one of Mulambwa’s sons
was restored as the 1st Litunga after Kololo rule, headed that.
Internal Factors.
• Weak Leadership- Nyahuma was a weak leader due to the
fact that he was young and inexperienced. Therefore, he
could not effectively control the vast empire built by
Matope and Mutota.
• Succession Disputes- Due to Nyahuma’s weakness, he was
challenged by his Sub-chiefs Togwa and Changa. The two
senior chiefs stopped paying tribute to the Mwenemutapa
and became very powerful as they started trading directly
with the Portuguese in Sena and Tete. In a rebellion led by
Changa, the two Sub-chiefs broke away from the
Mwenemutapa Kingdom. The two had political ambitions
to take over the Kingdom. A civil war broke out and
Changa broke away from the Mwenemutapa Kingdom.
Nyahuma Killed Changa who was succeded by his son
Changa II.
In 1490, Nyahuma was killed by Changa II who took over
the Mwenemutapa Kingdom and gave himself the title of
Changamire which meant the “unwanted one”. However,
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in 1494, Nyahuma’s son Chikuyo revenged his father’s
death by defeating Changamire. He managed to recapture
the Northern part of the Kingdom while the Southern part
broke away under Changamire I’s son Changamire II who
established the Rozwi Kingdom whose capital was at old
Zimbabwe. The Mwenemutapa was split into two. The two
Kingdoms engaged in continuous wars with military help
from the Portuguese. These wars further weakened the
Mwenemutapa Kingdom.
External Factors.
The Major external factor for the decline of the Mwenemutapa
Kingdom was the Portuguese interference in the Kingdom. The
Portuguese entered the Mwenemutapa Kingdom around 1516
during the rule of Chikuyo. They came through an explorer
called Antonio Fernandes who was sent from Tete.
The Portuguese entered the Kingdom Under the Pretext that
they only had economic interest in the Kingdom. But they also
had political ambitions to create a Portuguese empire in Central
Africa by conquering difficult chiefs.
The Portuguese befriended Mwenemutapa Chikuyo by offering
him financial and military help against the Rozwi Empire.
However, during the rule of Mwenemutapa Negomo, in 1560,
the Portuguese sent missionaries to the Kingdom under Father
P.J Silvera. The missionaries converted Negomo and some of his
official in the Kingdom to Christianity. The Portuguese became
extremely influential in the Kingdom. This made the Arabs and
the Swahili to become jealous, as they were afraid of losing all
trade to the Portuguese. They convinced Mwenemutapa Negomo
that the missionaries had come as spies to the Kingdom. Negomo
Killed Silvera and his group. He later realized his mistake and
apologized to the Portuguese. This led to the Signing of a treaty.
The Terms were;
• The Mwenemutapa gave the Portuguese a strip of land
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from Tete to the coast.
• He also allowed the Portuguese to control some gold mines
and look for more gold in the Kingdom..
• The Mwenemutapa also allowed the Portuguese to open a
garrison near his capital, which could help him defend his
Kingdom enemies, but it could also be used against him.
This treaty gave the Portuguese a lot of freedom and power in
the Kingdom, which they used to further undermine the
Mwenemutapa. However, the Portuguese government under
King Sebastian did not accept Negomo’s apology and between
1568 and 1600 the government tried to colonise the Kingdom but
failed.
The Portuguese continued interfering in the during the rule of
Mwenemutapa Gatsi Rusere who signed a new economic
alliance with the Portuguese. They gave him military aid and in
return Gatsi Rusere gave them land on which the Portuguese
established huge plantations called Prazoes. The Portuguese
also made illegal land and deals with sub-chiefs whom they gave
guns and encouraged to rebel against the Mwenemutapa. Gatsi
Rusere was completely undermined by the Portuguese and his
people decided to overthrow him. A more Militant
Mwenemutapa Kapararidze replaced him in 1623.
Between 1623 and 1628, Kapararidze tried to get rid of the
Portuguese from the Kingdom. He stopped trade with them and
started attacking Portuguese settlements. In 1628, the
Portuguese killed Kapararidze and replaced him with a puppet
Mwenemutapa called Mavura.
During the rule of Mavura, the Portuguese were given more
political and economic powers. After Mavura’s death in 1665,
the Kingdom was thrown into a civil war between 1665 and
1693. After 1693, another militant Mwenemutapa came to power
and wanted to get rid of the Portuguese. He enlisted the help of
Changamire Dombo of the Rozwi Empire. Together they
defeated and drove the Portuguese away into the Zambezi
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valley. However, Changamire Dombo turned against the
Mwenemutapa and defeated him and made the Kingdom into a
small district of the Rozwi Empire.
However, between 1695 and 1917, the Mwenemutapa Kingdom
continued to decline as the Kingdom fell prey to attacks from the
Ndebele, Ngoni, Nxaba,s Ngoni as well as the Swahili, yahoo and
the Portuguese slave traders. The Portuguese killed the last
Mwenemutapa in 1917. The marked the end of the
Mwenemutapa Kingdom as the title was abolished in 1917.
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QUESTIONS.
1. Give an account illustrated by a Sketch map of the Nguni
incursions into Central Africa in the first half of the 19th
century.
Religious reasons.
➢ The Portuguese wanted to spread Christianity by getting
rid of Islam in Africa.
➢ They were also looking for a Christian King in Africa by the
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name of Prester John who they wanted to use to spread
Christianity in Africa.
Political reasons.
The Portuguese later developed political ambitions and
wanted to create a Portuguese empire in Central Africa from
the east coast to the west coast. This was to be achieved
through getting rid of all-powerful African Kingdoms in
Central Africa.
2nd Expedition.
The 2nd Expedition was undertaken from the West Coast
(Angola) in 1802. This was an unofficial expedition. Two
Pombeiros Pedro Baptista and Amara Jose undertook it.
Between 1806 and 1810, the two men stayed in the
Mwatakazembe Kingdom. During their stay, they made
important observations on the political and Economic
Organisation of the Kingdom that would help the Portuguese to
achieve their aims.
The two men made observations and recorded details of copper
mining, copper and ivory trade and the important role of the
Bisa in the Long Distance Trade. The Two went back to Luanda
in 1811.
The Results of this unofficial expediton was that it gave the
Portuguese enough information on the trade patterns in the
Kingdom. This made the Portuguese even more determined to
control the kingdom. They decided to send more expeditions to
the Kingdom.
QUESTIONS.
1. Illustrate how the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries in
the Zambezi Valley led to the intensified Portuguese
activities in the area between the second half of the 16th
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century up to the first half of the 19th century. [20].
DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
Before the 1800s, there were many European explorers who
ventured into Central Africa, especially the Portuguese who
explored the Interior of Central Africa. However, after 1850,
David Livingstone became the most well known explorer and
missionary in central Africa. This was because he shared his
Knowledge of Central Africa Through Producing Reports,
pamphlets, books and giving speeches and lectures on his
explorations of Central Africa to European society. David
Livingstone Greatly contributed to the History of Central Africa.
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David Livingstone’s background.
David Livingstone was born in a small village of Blantyre in
Glasgow in Scotland in 1813. From 1823, he worked a cotton
factory and did night school and correspondence studies. In
1840, he graduated as a medical doctor. In 1841, he came to
Africa for the first time as a missionary under Dr. Robert Moffat
of the London Missionary Society (L.M.S).
From 1841 to 1849, he worked with Moffat at the Kuruman
Mission among the Tswana people. However, he decided to
establish his own mission station among the Griqua people at
Kolobeng Mission. However, David Livingstone realized that he
could contribute more to missionary work by exploring the
interior of Central Africa and opening it up for more missionary
work.
In 1851, Livingstone Visited Barotseland and Met Sebitwane the
ruler of the Lozi Kingdom. Sebitwane agreed to make
Barotseland the Base for missionary work in central Africa. This
marked the Beginning of Livingstone’s career as an explorer as
well as a missionary.
Leading Missionaries.
a) Bishop Mackenzie-He was the Leader of the first
missionary group that arrived in Malawi and setup a
mission at Magomero. However, in 1862, Bishop
Mackenzie died of Malaria fever.
b) Bishop Tozer-He took over leadership of the UMCA after
the death of Bishop Mackenzie. He later established a
mission station at Zanzibar.
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Work of the UMCA.
Bishop Mackenzie established the first mission at Magomero in
1861. However, the mission was a failure because of the Yao
Slave raiders and because Magomero was mosquito infested and
it mission work disrupted a failure.
The second mission work was at Zanzibar and Bishop Tozer led
it. He established this mission among the freed slaves in 1863. In
1873, he built a cathedral where the biggest slave market in East
Africa had been. This was after the ruler of Zanzibar Sultan
Bargash was persuaded to close the Slave market in 1870.
However, after 1875, the UMCA returned to Malawi and
established a chain of missions. This was as a result of the
travels of W.P Johnson and Chauncy Maples around Lake
Malawi. In 1885, a permanent mission was established at
Likoma. Using a steam boat called Charles Jansen, Johnson
established more mission stations such as Bandawe and
supplied them with all required necessities i.e. medicines.
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achieved through the colonisation of the African Clergy.
• The UMCA also built schools to reduce illiteracy and taught
Practical Subjects such as carpentry and brick laying. The
UMCA also built clinics and hospitals.
• The UMCA campaigned against slave trade and offered
refugee to many runaway slaves and especially at Likoma.
• The UMCA was also influential in local politics were
warlike tribes were pacified while cruel customs were
abandoned.
Leading Missionary.
The leading missionary of PEMS was Françoise Coillard, a
French missionary. He was sent to Barotseland from Botswana
where he worked among the Ngwato where PEMS was initially
based. Coillard established his first mission at Sefula in 1885. He
converted Lewanika’s son Litia and became a friend and
personal adviser to Lewanika.
WHITE FATHERS.
This was a Roman Catholic order, which was founded in 1848 by
a French Cardinal Lavigerie. Its aim was to spread Christianity
and campaign against the slave trade North of the Zambezi
River. This was one of the most successful mission societies in
Northern Zambia.
Leading Missionary.
The Leading missionary of the White fathers in Central Africa
was Father Dupont who was of French origin. He was the one
who was responsible for the establishment of most mission
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stations in northern Zambia. He also became very influential in
the Politics of the Bemba Kingdom as a political adviser to the
Chitimukulu. He later became the Bishop of Mbala and was
nicknamed Motto Motto by the local people.
Leading Missionary.
Dr. Robert Laws was the leading missionary of the FCS. He was
a medical doctor who was specialized in the surgical
Department. He had a strong personality and was a courageous
and determined individual. He led the Livingstonia Mission for
52 years.
CONCLUSION.
Later missionary activities in Africa were as a result of the
exploration work that David Livingstone did. Though he was not
successful during his time, the later missionaries achieved most
of Livingstone’s aims. Positively, the missionary activities led to
improved lives for Africans through the provision of education
and health facilities. They also led to the abolition of slavery
and slave trade while bad customs such as the raiding of other
groups and burning of witches were discouraged. On the
negative side, missionaries acted as agents of colonization in
Central Africa because of their political influence on African
rulers.
QUESTIONS.
1. Who were the leading figures of the Livingstonia Mission?
Describe the aims and achievements of the Mission. [20].
Occupation of Matebeleland.
The occupation of Matebeleland completed the British
occupation of Southern Rhodesia. The Occupation of
Matebeleland was achieved through war. The British realized
that Lobengula was not going to willingly hand over
Matebeleland to them. Therefore, the only option open to them
was through war.
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Course/Stages of the Anglo-Ndebele War of 1893.
❖ From 14th July to October 1893, both sides started
preparing for war. The Ndebele were 18000 in number
while the white settlers were only 3500 but had an
advantage in mobility as they used horses and had modern
weapons such as the Maxim gun.
Jameson started organizing an army and recruiting the
settlers. He signed an agreement with the settlers on behalf
of the B.S.A Company called The Victoria Agreement. This
was a secret agreement that stated that after the defeat of
the Ndebele all who participated would be given 2,700
acres of land, 20 gold claims and a share of Lobengula’s
cattle.
The B.S.A. Company troops were organised into three
columns. The Fort Victoria and Fort Salisbury troops were
led by Allan Wilson and Major William Forbes
respectively. The third column was from Tati and Captain
Raaf commanded it.
❖ Before 24th October 1893, the British and the Ndebele
fought minor battles. However, on the night of 24th
October, the first major battle took place on the banks of
the Shaagani River. The Ndebele attacked the British
laager at and killed many of the African refugees who
were sleeping outside the laager. By midmorning, the
British had killed many Ndebele impis using the Maxim
gun. The British suffered few casualties.
❖ The second major battle was fought on 31st October along
the Mbembesi River. The Ndebele were defeated again.
On the 2nd of November 1893, the British troops resumed
their advance of Bulawayo Lobengula’s capital. The aim
was to capture the Capital and arrest Lobengula. However,
Lobengula abandoned and burnt his capital and fled
northwards towards the Zambezi River.
❖ On 4th November 1894, the British occupied Bulawayo and
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hoisted the British flag. This completed the British
occupation of Southern Rhodesia. The British troops were
sent to follow and capture Lobengula under the command
of Major Forbes. It is said that Lobengula tried to
surrender and offered 2 bags of gold to be taken to
Jameson as a peace offering. However, the two troopers
who found him killed him on the 4th of January 1894 and
stole the gold. The British leaders informed the Ndebele
that their King had died of Smallpox and before he died he
stated that he wanted them to stop fighting and leave in
peace with the British.
QUESTIONS.
1. What were the causes, events and the results of the
Ndebele War of 1893 to 1894? [20].
3. How did the British South African Company (B.S.A. Co) gain
control of North-western Rhodesia? [20].
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Disadvantages.
Federation led to a lack of broad based economy for Northern
Rhodesia as much emphasis was placed on the production of
copper which was a wasting resource. Besides, most of the
income from Northern Rhodesia went to develop the Federal
Government and Southern Rhodesia. This was why Africans in
Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland referred to Southern
Rhodesia as Bamba Zonke, which meant, “take all”.
Education in Northern Rhodesia was also neglected and this led
to lack of trained manpower at the time of independence. Racial
discrimination was also on the increase in the mines, shops and
hotels.
Besides, Northern Rhodesia did not benefit as much as she was
supposed to from the Hydro-electrical power on the Kariba
Dam. It would have been more advantageous if the Power
station had been on the Kafue River.
Nyasaland.
Advantages.
The Federation led to improvements in Agriculture in Nyasaland
i.e. the Tea growing scheme and tea became the main cash crop
of Nyasaland. The Federation also created job opportunities for
the people of Nyasaland who went to work in the copper mines
of Northern and Southern Rhodesia.
Most people from Nyasaland also benefited from the federation
by improving their education in Southern or abroad. Like N.
Rhodesia, Nyasaland also benefited from the Federation
politically as it led to the rise of African Nationalism. The
Federal Government also passed laws that contributed to the
gaining of independence for Nyasaland.
Disadvantages.
Federation delayed the development of Nyasaland as she was
used as a mere labour reservoir for Northern Rhodesia and
Southern Rhodesia. This lack of development was also as a
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result of the insufficient share of the Federal income, which was
not adequate for development. Africans in Nyasaland had
limited voting rights in the Federal and territorial elections. The
Federation also delayed the independence of Nyasaland as most
educated Africans left for better economic opportunities in N.
and S. Rhodesia.
Southern Rhodesia.
Advantages.
Southern Rhodesia benefited more from the Federation than the
two other territories. Southern Rhodesia got a larger percentage
of the Federal income i.e. 60% for the Federal Government
based at Salisbury and 17% for Southern Rhodesia as a territory.
This Contributed to the development of Infrastructure.
Africans were also encouraged to put into practice the policy of
Partnership by allowing some Africans to Participate in
elections. Southern Rhodesia also benefited more from the
Hydro-electrical power station.
Disadvantages.
The disadvantages were minimal for Southern Rhodesia. The
two main disadvantages were that Federation contributed to an
increase in racial discrimination and it also greatly delayed
Southern Rhodesian independence in comparison to the other
two territories.
QUESTIONS.
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1. List the terms of the Constitution of the Central African
Federation. What advantages did the Federation have on
Northern Rhodesia? [10:10].
THE END
Mr DREEZY
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