Those Who Came Before Us
Those Who Came Before Us is an immersive journey into African history, oral traditions, and the pre-colonial kingdoms of the Great Lakes. From Buganda and Bunyoro to the mysteries of the Bachwezi and the spirits of Lake Victoria, each episode blends history and myth to reveal the emotional and spiritual world of East Africa. Together, we hold a lantern to the darkness of the past. So that the stories, fears, and ambitions of those who came before us are never forgotten.
New episodes explore African mythology, Buganda history, and the hidden worlds of pre-colonial East Africa.
Those Who Came Before Us
The Matriarchs of Uganda: Stories from the Precolonial Era
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Happy Mother's day to all mothers in the world. Queen - Mothers were vital to the power structures of the intralacustrine region. They were often the rallying points around which clans gathered to defend their candidate of choice. Here is a list of 5 pre-colonial Queen-Mothers of Uganda. Enjoy!!
Sources
Buganda
Laurence Schiller, “The Royal Women of Buganda” The International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 23, No. 3 (1990), pp. 455-473
JM Gray, “Mutesa of Buganda”
Rhiannon Stephens, “A History of Motherhood, Food Procurement and Politics in East-Central Uganda to the Nineteenth Century” ( Evanston, Illinois 2007)
https://arch.library.northwestern.edu/downloads/x633f108q
Kabaka Muteesa’s letter to Queen Victoria ;
Ham Mukasa, “Ebifa Ku Mulembe gwa Kabaka Mutesa” The Uganda Journal, Vol 1 No 2, April 1934. English Version translated by A.H.C. Full name isn’t displayed. Title in English is “Some Notes on the Reign of Kabaka Mutesa”.
https://original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu/UF00080855/00056/52j
Bunyoro
Ade Adefuye, “Kabalega and the Palwo: A Conflict of Aspirations”, (Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria Vol VIII NO 1 December, 1975)
J.W. Nyakatura, Anatomy of an African Kingdom (New York: Nok Publishers, 1973)
Edward I. Steinhart, Conflict and Collaboration, The Kingdoms of Western Uganda 1890-1907(New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1977) https://www.amazon.ca/Conflict-Collaboration-Kingdoms-Western-1890-1907/dp/0691615594/ref=sr_1_1?crid=U1JCNQI4FX7J&keywords=The+Kingdoms+of+Western+Uganda+1890-1907&qid=1694981666&s=books&sprefix=the+kingdoms+of+western+uganda+1890-1907%2Cstripbooks%2C151&sr=1-1
Ruth Fischer, Twilight Tales of the Black Baganda( London: Marshall Brothers, 1938)
https://kabalegafoundation.org/facts-about-omukama-kabalega.html
https://www.bunyorokitarausa.org/amasaaza-ga-bunyoro/
Busoga
David William Cohen, “Womunafu’s Bunafu” ( New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1977)