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55-635: The colonial and neo-colonial governments in Central Africa instituted programs to encourage the Basongora to abandon their traditional lifestyle, and most of the territory traditionally owned by the Songora community has been appropriated for use as national parks or has been settled and occupied by other communities, notably the Batoro and Bakonzo . Also Songora territory has been partitioned into several districts and

110-586: A Kongolese army of 5,000, was destroyed by an army of Afro-Portuguese at the Battle of Mbwila . The empire dissolved into petty polities, fighting among each other for war captives to sell into slavery. Kongo gained captives from the Kingdom of Ndongo in wars of conquest. Ndongo was ruled by the ngola . Ndongo would also engage in slave trading with the Portuguese, with São Tomé being a transit point to Brazil. The kingdom

165-468: A fee to use this area. The governments only enforced rules and regulations to a limited extent. Local governments and traditional authorities are increasingly engaged in rent-seeking , collecting license fees with the help of the police or army. Oil is also a major export of the countries of northern and eastern Central Africa, notably making up a large proportion of the GDPs of Chad and South Sudan. Following

220-426: A great import impact on the diet, health and appearance of the Songora. Age determines seniority in social relations, and men and women are considered equal. The Songora are generally monogamous. Traditionally the Songora were monotheistic. The Songora reacted to a tetanus epidermic in the 1880s by requiring everyone in the community to remove the four front lower teeth, as a means to force-feed medication to victims of

275-425: A male ruler (Omu'Kama). The confederacy emerged from a single Songora state that dates back to the 12th century consisted of several provinces including Kisaka-Makara, Kitagwenda, Bugaya, Bunyaruguru and Kiyanja. According to their own oral history , the Basongora emerged from the ancient empires of Shenzi/Chwezi. The traditional homeland of the Basongora is the region centred in the foothills and plains that surround

330-660: Is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Middle Africa is an analogous term used by the United Nations in its geoscheme for Africa and consists of the following countries: Angola , Cameroon , Central African Republic , Chad , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Republic of the Congo , Equatorial Guinea , Gabon , and São Tomé and Príncipe . The United Nations Office for Central Africa also includes Burundi and Rwanda in

385-513: Is distributed across Uganda and Congo. The traditional lifestyle of the Basongora is notable for its adaptation to dry savanna and scrublands , as well as mountainous terrain. The Basongora are a mixed Nilotic / Bantu group in East and Central Africa , traditionally residing in the foothills and plains at the floor of the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and the hills around the base of

440-648: Is evidence of iron smelting in the Central African Republic that may date back to 3000 to 2500 BCE. Extensive walled settlements have recently been found in Northeast Nigeria, approximately 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Lake Chad dating to the first millennium BCE. Trade and improved agricultural techniques supported more sophisticated societies, leading to the early civilizations of West Africa: Sao , Kanem , Bornu , Shilluk , Baguirmi , and Wadai . Around 2500 BCE, Bantu migrants had reached

495-620: Is now the country of Chad. Baguirmi emerged to the southeast of the Kanem–Bornu Empire . The kingdom's first ruler was Mbang Birni Besse. Later in his reign, the Bornu Empire conquered and made the state a tributary. The Wadai Empire was centered in Chad from the 17th century. The Tunjur people founded the Wadai Kingdom to the east of Bornu in the 16th century. In the 17th century, there

550-464: Is possible only in the southern belt. Slash-and-burn agriculture is a common practice. Flood recession agriculture is practiced around Lake Chad and in the riverine wetlands. Nomadic herders migrate with their animals into the grasslands of the northern part of the basin for a few weeks during each short rainy season, where they intensively graze the highly nutritious grasses. When the dry season starts they move back south, either to grazing lands around

605-792: The Bantu Migration , Central Africa is primarily inhabited by Native African or Bantu peoples and Bantu languages predominate. These include the Mongo , Kongo and Luba peoples. Central Africa also includes many Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo Ubangian communities: in north western Central Africa the Nilo-Saharan Kanuri predominate. Most of the Ubangian speakers in Africa (often grouped with Niger-Congo) are also found in Central Africa, such as

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660-564: The Central African CFA franc . The African Development Bank , on the other hand, defines Central Africa as seven countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. The Central African Federation (1953–1963), also called the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland , was made up of what are now the nations of Malawi , Zambia , and Zimbabwe . Similarly,

715-676: The Congo Crisis (1960–1965) which ended with the installment of Joseph Mobutu as president and renamed the country Zaire in 1971. Equatorial Guinea gained independence from Spain in 1968, leading to the election of Francisco Macías Nguema , now widely regarded as one of the most brutal dictators in history. In 1961, Angola became involved in the Portuguese Colonial War , a 13-year-long struggle for independence in Lusophone Africa . It gained independence only in 1975, following

770-763: The Gbaya , Banda and Zande , in northern Central Africa. Notable Central African supra-regional organizations include the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Economic Community of Central African States . The predominant religions of Central Africa are Christianity and traditional faiths . Islam is also practiced in some areas in Chad and the Central African Republic . Due to common historical processes and widespread demographic movements between

825-587: The Great Rift Valley located in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania has yielded the greatest amount of ancient human fossils, the northern portion of the Western Arm of the Rift Valley - home of the Songora - remains largely unexplored, although it appears to contain important fossils. The lack of exploration has been caused by the high level of war and civil conflict in the region. Central Africa Central Africa

880-478: The Kingdom of Kongo under a ruler called the manikongo , residing in the fertile Pool Malebo area on the lower Congo River . The capital was M'banza-Kongo . With superior organization, they were able to conquer their neighbors and extract tribute. They were experts in metalwork, pottery, and weaving raffia cloth. They stimulated interregional trade via a tribute system controlled by the manikongo . Later, maize (corn) and cassava (manioc) would be introduced to

935-550: The Rutshuru and Rwenzori mountain ranges. Some of the most notable Songora monarchs include Kyomya Bwachali who died around 1850, and was the maternal grandfather of King Ntare V of Nkore kingdom. The last precolonial King of Busongora was King Kasigano . He was deposed in 1906 by the British, ostensively for his having sought to ally himself with the Belgians in the Congo. Busongora

990-468: The Rwenzori Mountain Range . The Songora traditional economy was largely based on cattle-rearing, as well as salt-manufacture and trade in iron. The political organization of the Songora was a form confederacy of several states united by a parliament called Muhabuzi, and a constitutional monarchy led by a trimviate that consisted of an empress dowager (Omu'Gabe'kati), a female ruler (Omu'Go), and

1045-510: The manikongo . In 1506, Afonso I (1506–1542), a Christian, took over the throne. Slave trading increased with Afonso's wars of conquest. About 1568 to 1569, the Jaga invaded Kongo, laying waste to the kingdom and forcing the manikongo into exile. In 1574, Manikongo Álvaro I was reinstated with the help of Portuguese mercenaries. During the latter part of the 1660s, the Portuguese tried to gain control of Kongo. Manikongo António I (1661–1665), with

1100-721: The 1974 Carnation Revolution in Lisbon . São Tomé and Príncipe also gained independence in 1975 in the aftermath of the Carnation Revolution. In 2011, South Sudan gained its independence from the Republic of Sudan after over 50 years of war . In the 21st century, many jihadist and Islamist groups began to operate in the Central African region, including the Seleka and the Ansaru . Over

1155-855: The Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa covers dioceses in Botswana , Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian has synods in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These states are now typically considered part of East or Southern Africa . The Congo River basin has historically been ecologically significant to the populations of Central Africa, serving as an important supra-regional organization in Central Africa. Archeological finds in Central Africa have been made which date back over 100,000 years. According to Zagato and Holl, there

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1210-641: The Bornu empire had expanded and recaptured the parts of Kanem that had been conquered by the Bulala. Satellite states of Bornu included the Damagaram in the west and Baguirmi to the southeast of Lake Chad. The Shilluk Kingdom was centered in South Sudan from the 15th century from along a strip of land along the western bank of White Nile, from Lake No to about 12° north latitude . The capital and royal residence were in

1265-523: The British and French concluded an agreement to clarify the boundary between French West Africa and what would become Nigeria . A boundary was agreed along a line from Say on the Niger to Barruwa on Lake Chad , but leaving the Sokoto Caliphate in the British sphere. Parfait-Louis Monteil was given charge of an expedition to discover where this line actually ran. On 9 April 1892 he reached Kukawa on

1320-399: The Congo, as part of the kingdom. King Rwigi IV died on 28 April 2015. NB: The dates are approximate for most of the early rulers. List of Busongora rulers: Other notable figures in ancient Songora history include at least two empresses; Nyakahuma, and Kitami rwa Nyawera . The Queen Kiboga of Nkore was a Songora. She was also mother to Nkore's King Ntare V , and sister to King Kaihura of

1375-571: The German traveler Heinrich Barth . Kanem rose in the 8th century in the region to the north and east of Lake Chad. The Kanem empire went into decline, shrank, and in the 14th century was defeated by Bilala invaders from the Lake Fitri region. The Kanuri people of West Africa led by the Sayfuwa migrated to the west and south of the lake, where they established the Bornu Empire . By the late 16th century

1430-570: The Great Lakes Region in Central Africa. Halfway through the first millennium BCE, the Bantu had also settled as far south as what is now Angola . The West African Sao civilization flourished from ca. the 6th century BCE to as late as the 16th century CE in northern Central Africa. The Sao lived by the Chari River south of Lake Chad in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. They are

1485-535: The Lunda. The Imbangala of inland Angola claimed descent from a founder, Kinguri, brother of Queen Rweej, who could not tolerate the rule of mulopwe Tshibunda. Kinguri became the title of kings of states founded by Queen Rweej's brother. The Luena (Lwena) and Lozi (Luyani) in Zambia also claim descent from Kinguri. During the 17th century, a Lunda chief and warrior called Mwata Kazembe set up an Eastern Lunda kingdom in

1540-565: The Rwamashonje family, the Rubuubi family, the Rwakashamba family, Yefesi Saiba, and Ananais Mulumba, Isimbwa Kiiza Kagoro Mayor Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council 2006 to 2016. Songora society is strongly pastoral. Cattle motifs form an important part of the language. Cattle have an important place in the imagination, poetry and art of the community. The disciplines required in the management of cattle have

1595-799: The Security & Defence Parliamentary Committee, and as State Minister of Lands, Waters and Mineral resources in Uganda from 1981 to 1985, General James Kazini was commander of the Uganda People's Defence Force, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze a commander within the UPDF. Other notable Basongora include the Noble Sirasi Kisankara, the prophet Yombo Yowasi, the Rwabukurukuru family, Baguma Sam Twebaze, Wilson Isingoma, Boaz Kafuda, Prof. Mbabi-Katana, Enoch Rukidi, Kosia Mpazi,

1650-489: The Songora. Princess Kantunguru of Nkore was also a Songora and has a town named after her in western Uganda. Many of the rulers of states of Rwanda , Mpororo , Bunyoro , Toro and Nkore chose their wives from among the Songora. Other notable Songora kings in the pre-colonial era include: Kyomya III father of the founder of Bunyoro - Rukidi Mpuga; Bulemu I Rushoita, Rwigi II Kyeramaino Rweshakaramyambi, Nyabongo II Kikundi Nyakwirigita, Ihiingo, Goro, Nyabongo I, Kasheshe (for whom

1705-591: The Toro Development Company (TDC) that wound up in 1970, had leased some of their land, and was running projects such as the Mubuku Irrigation Scheme. When the cotton industry plummeted in the 1970s, the general Ugandan public lost interest in cotton, thus giving the Basongora pastoralists a chance to resettle in vast plains of Nyakatonzi. When the NRM government introduced the decentralization policy, it

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1760-535: The cattle populations of the Nyakatonzi Basongora, forcing them to disperse to other areas of Uganda and the eastern Congo. Basongora believe the outbreak began as a result of a virulent drugs vaccination program started by the colonial government. The biggest group that fled to the Congo did not return to the area until 1964 due to the strife caused by the Mulele rebellion there. In 1925, Parc Nationale des Virunga

1815-593: The coast as trade dealers, not venturing on conquest of the interior. Slavery wreaked havoc in the interior, with states initiating wars of conquest for captives. The Imbangala formed the slave-raiding state of Kasanje , a major source of slaves during the 17th and 18th centuries. During the Conference of Berlin in 1884–85 Africa was divided up between the European colonial powers, defining boundaries that are largely intact with today's post-colonial states. On 5 August 1890

1870-407: The colonial administrative boundaries. Chad , Gabon , the Republic of the Congo , and the Central African Republic became autonomous states with the dissolution of French Equatorial Africa in 1958, gaining full independence in 1960. The Democratic Republic of the Congo also gained independence from Belgium in 1960, but quickly devolved into a period of political upheaval and conflict known as

1925-495: The colonial occupation one hundred years prior. On 1 July 2012, the Songora installed Bwebale Ivan Rutakirwa Rwigi IV as the king of "BuSongora Kingdom", and claimed twenty sub-counties of Uganda as their territory. The sub-counties include: Muhokya, Bugoye, Nyakatonzi, Katwe, Karusandara, Mubuku, Ibuga, Hamukungu, Kasenyi, Busunga, and Katunguru, among others. The kingdom also claimed their ancestral areas of Shema, Bunyaruguru and Kitagwenda in Uganda, as well as Virunga National Park in

1980-550: The countries of Central Africa before the Bantu Migration into much of southern Central Africa, the cultures of the region evidence many similarities and interrelationships. Similar cultural practices stemming from common origins as largely Nilo-Saharan or Bantu peoples are also evident in Central Africa including in music, dance, art, body adornment, initiation, and marriage rituals. Some major Native African ethnic groups in Central Africa are as follows: Further information in

2035-503: The course of the 2010s, the internationally unrecognized secessionist state called Ambazonia gained increasing momentum in its home regions, resulting in the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon. The main economic activities of Central Africa are farming, herding and fishing. At least 40% of the rural population of northern and eastern Central Africa lives in poverty and routinely face chronic food shortages. Crop production based on rain

2090-471: The disease. When the epidermic ended, many Songora continued with the teeth removal even though it was no longer necessary in the era of syringes and other means of treatment. In recent decades the traditional Songora territory has yielded interesting artefacts that are of great value to general human history. The Ishango Bone is one of the items that was found in Songora territory. While the Eastern Arm of

2145-732: The earliest people to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon . Today, several ethnic groups of northern Cameroon and southern Chad but particularly the Sara people claim descent from the civilization of the Sao. Sao artifacts show that they were skilled workers in bronze , copper, and iron. Finds include bronze sculptures and terra cotta statues of human and animal figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewelry, highly decorated pottery, and spears. The largest Sao archaeological finds have been made south of Lake Chad. The West-Central African kingdom of Kanem–Bornu Empire

2200-421: The kingdom. His son Naweej expanded the empire further and is known as the first Lunda emperor, with the title Mwata Yamvo ( mwaant yaav , mwant yav ), the "Lord of Vipers". The Luba political system was retained, and conquered peoples were integrated into the system. The mwata yamvo assigned a cilool or kilolo (royal adviser) and tax collector to each state conquered. Numerous states claimed descent from

2255-475: The lakes and floodplains, or to the savannas further to the south. In the 2000–01 period, fisheries in the Lake Chad basin provided food and income to more than 10 million people, with a harvest of about 70,000 tons. Fisheries have traditionally been managed by a system where each village has recognized rights over a defined part of the river, wetland or lake, and fishers from elsewhere must seek permission and pay

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2310-572: The municipality/city of Kasese is named), Rutairuka, Makora, and Kaihura. During the post colonial era, beginning in the early 1960s, the Songora didn't formally have rulers recognized by the central governments in Uganda and Congo/ Zaire . However, there are several notable Songora personalities in various fields that have played a key role in maintaining the presence of the community. Among them are Timothy Bazarrabusa-an educationalist who served as Uganda's first High Commissioner to London, Amon Bazira , who served as Director of Intelligence, as Chair of

2365-710: The park – albeit illegally, thousands of others moved across the border with their herds into the Virunga National Park in the Congo. Between the 1940s and 1950s, the cotton growing enterprise lured particularly the Bakonjo from the highlands to the lowlands. By 1962, the Rwenzururu Freedom Movement had also displaced some Bakonjo from the mountains, forcing them to settle in parts of Busongora that had not been gazetted as protected areas. In 1962 Basongora started returning to their original areas only to find that

2420-512: The region via trade with the Portuguese at their ports at Luanda and Benguela . The maize and cassava would result in population growth in the region and other parts of Africa, replacing millet as the main staple. By the 16th century, the manikongo held authority from the Atlantic in the west to the Kwango River in the east. Each territory was assigned a mani-mpembe (provincial governor) by

2475-502: The region, which are considered part of East Africa in the geoscheme. These eleven countries are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Six of those countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo) are also members of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and share a common currency,

2530-683: The shore of the lake. Over the next twenty years a large part of the Chad Basin was incorporated by treaty or by force into French West Africa . On 2 June 1909, the Wadai capital of Abéché was occupied by the French. The remainder of the basin was divided by the British in Nigeria, who took Kano in 1903, and the Germans in Cameroon. The countries of the basin regained their independence between 1956 and 1962, retaining

2585-445: The town of Fashoda . The kingdom was founded during the mid-15th century CE by its first ruler, Nyikang . During the 19th century, the Shilluk Kingdom faced decline following military assaults from the Ottoman Empire and later British and Sudanese colonization in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan . The Kingdom of Baguirmi existed as an independent state during the 16th and 17th centuries southeast of West-Central Africa Lake Chad region in what

2640-406: The valley of the Luapula River . The Lunda's western expansion also saw claims of descent by the Yaka and the Pende . The Lunda linked Central Africa with the western coast trade. The kingdom of Lunda came to an end in the 19th century when it was invaded by the Chokwe , who were armed with guns. By the 15th century CE, the farming Bakongo people ( ba being the plural prefix) were unified as

2695-506: Was a revolt of the Maba people who established a Muslim dynasty. At first, Wadai paid tribute to Bornu and Durfur, but by the 18th century, Wadai was fully independent and had become an aggressor against its neighbors. Following the Bantu Migration from Western Africa, Bantu kingdoms and empires began to develop in southern Central Africa. In the 1450s, a Luba from the royal family Ilunga Tshibinda married Lunda queen Rweej and united all Lunda peoples. Their son Mulopwe Luseeng expanded

2750-453: Was centered in the Lake Chad Basin . It was known as the Kanem Empire from the 9th century CE onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900. At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad , but also parts of modern eastern Niger , northeastern Nigeria , northern Cameroon and parts of South Sudan . The history of the Empire is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by

2805-476: Was created by the Belgian colonial authorities encompassing areas of the chiefdom of Kiyanja (of the Bamooli clan), Kakunda (now called Kyavinyonge), Rwemango, Makara, Kashansha and Bugaya among others and pressure to protect the adjoining ecosystem in Uganda led to the establishment of game reserves around Lake George (Known as Rweishamba by Basongora) and Lake Edward (locally known as Rweru) between 1906 and 1950. Several name changes followed and Kazinga National Park

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2860-410: Was gazetted in 1952 and in 1954 it was renamed Queen Elizabeth National Park by the colonial administration. This left only limited land for the pastoral Basongora. In 1940s the colonial government introduced cotton growing in Busongora. By coincidence, the best soil and suitable climate for cotton growing was in the Bwengo area and other plains of the Busongora County in Kasese. Although some remained in

2915-406: Was hijacked by the extremist fringe of the Bakonjo and was seen as an opportunity to displace and subjugate the Basongora. This coincided with peak cotton production between 1987 and 1989 and it is in the same period that Basongora were displaced from their ancestral lands of Bukangara and Rweihingo. On 12 May 2012 Basongora revived their ancient kingdom that had been dismembered and abolished during

2970-461: Was not as welcoming as Kongo; it viewed the Portuguese with great suspicion and as an enemy. The Portuguese in the latter part of the 16th century tried to gain control of Ndongo but were defeated by the Mbundu . Ndongo experienced depopulation from slave raiding. The leaders established another state at Matamba , affiliated with Queen Nzinga , who put up a strong resistance to the Portuguese until coming to terms with them. The Portuguese settled along

3025-404: Was then partitioned and divided between the Congo and Uganda Protectorate , and the portions that fell within Uganda were further sub-divided into several districts, all of which were then annexed to the kingdoms of Toro and Nkore. The Kingdom of Rwenzururu formed in the later part of the 20th century on the territory of Busongora. In 1931 there was an outbreak of rinderpest that decimated

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