ASSESS THE CAREER AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF LEWANIKA OF THE LOZI IN THE 19th CENTURY CENTURY

1..
Approach
• Lewanika’s background.
• Analyze his achievements.
• Consider his failures.
• Conclude logically.
Points to consider.
1. He was born around 1830's and became a king of the lozi in 1876.
2. He visited London on an adventurous tour sponsored by British colonialists from where he picked interest in education and Christianity.
3. Had stiff succession disputes before he took over power; however he was helped by slave traders (Angola) to succeed.
4. He was a skilled statesman and diplomat in character but he was aware of the colonial threats in Congo.
5. He centralized the administration and he appointed his own local chiefs in areas that proved disloyal.
6. Made several concessions with the British, e.g. the Lochner treaty of 1890, 1898 Lawley treaty that earned him reputation:
7. The treaties he signed helped him to retain independence for some time.
8. He carried out international trade contacts with the Portuguese dealing in pangas, clothes and later also traded with the British before the relations with the British South African company.
9. He was the commander in chief of armed forces, so he created a strong army for expansion and protection of the kingdom.
10. He is credited for having participated in the abolition of slave trade.
11. Education and Christianity was encouraged among the Lozi, though he was not converted.
12. He obtained jobs for his people as warrant chief in the nearby acquired British territories e.g. in Mashona and Matebele land.
13. He resisted against Massive land alienation by the British in his kingdom.
14. He made reforms in agriculture, used better farming methods his kingdom.
15. He banned the burning of men found guilty to with banned the burning of men found guilty to witchcraft hence modernizer
His failures
1. He became victim of the European treaty signing, so lacked foresight
2. He supported European cultures like Christianity and education which sabotaged traditional culture of the Lozi
3. Due to his collaboration with the whites, he finally lost his independence
4He influenced the early loss of the Ndebele independence due to his collaborative skills.
Despite the fact that he achieved a lot of the Lozi, as a modernizer finally lost his independence. Hence he was both a Hero and a Villia.