Send us a text 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 Ea ..read more

Send us a text The Uganda Martyrs incident that resulted in the deaths of 45 christian converts in 1886 is widely known to christians worldwide. Unbeknownst to many, there is another martyrdom incident that occurred 10 or so years prior. In fact, there are 2 events that interestingly happened around the same time.   These obscure episodes in Buganda and African history ironically feed into each other and are what I present today. This was a really fascinating story for me to learn about. Just to be clear, I do not claim that Kabaka Muteesa 1, who is responsible for the killings, to be a d ..read more

Send us a text Busiki and Busambira are among the many small nations that came under the umbrella of the current Busoga kingdom. Unlike most of the well known busoga states ruled by the AbaiseNgobi clan, these 2 are headed by the lesser known AbaiseIgaga clan. Follow me as I talk about their pre-colonial history starting with their founder the meat giver Nemwe all the way to the end of the 1900s when they were incorporated into the Busoga Kingdom and largely the nation of Uganda. If you prefer to watch, check out the youtube channel link below. https://youtube.com/@thosewhocamebeforeus9326?si ..read more

Send us a text 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 Ea ..read more

Send us a text Today, I cover the pre-colonial history of the Bukooli state of the AbaiseWakooli clan up to 1900. Bukooli was one of the many states that came to make up the modern traditional kingdom of Busoga in Uganda, East Africa. I start with the origin of their founder Okali who travelled with and was brothers with Kakaire of the Abaisemenha clan from Episode 3. Bukooli grew into a state that attempted to dominate their neighbours. Their connection to the much larger kingdom of Buganda enhanced their military and economic opportunities granting them access to guns and goods from the Zan ..read more

Send us a text Bugweri is one of the chiefdoms that make up the current kingdom of Busoga. It is ruled by the AbaiseMenha clan. Imbued with the authority of Mukama from Bunyoro kingdom in the 18th century, their founder Kakaire established himself in the southern part of Bugweri where he took power from the AbaiseMusuubo clan. Their rulers are given the title of Menha. This is their pre-colonial history. Follow me on instagram @twcbupod Youtube, Tiktok and twitter @ThoseWhoCameBeforeUs Sources David William Cohen, “The Historical Tradition of Busoga; Mukama and Kintu” ( London: Clarendon Press ..read more

Send us a text The AbaiseNgobi are the clan from which the Kyabazinga(king) of Busoga will be picked. They are the royals of the kingdom. There were many states which were under their leadership. Today I discuss the pre-colonial history of the AbaiseNgobi of Kigulu chiefdom. FYI, I happen to be a prince from there. ;) Follow me on Instagram: TWCBUpod Tiktok: Those Who Came Before Us Youtube: Those Who Came Before Us References David William Cohen, “The Historical Tradition of Busoga; Mukama and Kintu” ( London: Clarendon Press, 1972) David William Cohen, “The Political Transformation of Nort ..read more

Send us a text This story is based on the folklore called "The famine" which was collected by Mrs George Baskerville. I think the name change is more fitting. lol. The name of the book it was published in is called "The Flame Tree and other folklore." Like and Subcribe. Check out my instagram page @twcbupod and Youtube channel for the video version. https://youtu.be/S64Z0Dfmj3I I am working on the next historical podcast and video on busoga. It's coming. In the meantime, I'll be posting folklore. Stay tuned ..read more

Send us a text The Busoga kingdom is located in Eastern Uganda. It's one of the 5 monarchies of Uganda. Today I talk about the pre-colonial beginnings of Busoga. Kintu and Mukama  are two men mentioned as being the fathers of the people who founded the many states that comprised this kingdom. Enjoy. :) There is a youtube version of today's episode if you would like to check that out. There are slight variations in presentation between the two but the information is the same.  Please follow link below. Subscribe and follow. https://youtu.be/2MGe3WVXKh8 References David William Cohen ..read more

Send us a text In today’s episode, we talk about the military of  the pre-colonial African kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara. For most of its history, Bunyoro did not have a standing army. Instead, they relied on the common man to take up arms when called upon by his chiefs. These armies were called Obwesengeze. That was until the 1870s when Kabaleega created the Abarusura army, a force dedicated to the protection of the state. The army was led by several commanders such as Rwabudongo, Ireeta, Kikukule, Nyakamatura and Byabachwezi. Enjoy the episode!! Sources Yolamu Ndoleriire Nsamba, Mystique In ..read more