Methods used in the imposition of Colonial rule in Africa.

In the last quarter  of the l9th  century,  Africans were subjected  to European  colonial  rule and different  methods were used to bring African societies under colonial rule depending on the prevailing  circumstances   in a given  society   e.g. the nature  of existing  political institutions     (Non   centralised     or  centralised     societies)    relationship     between    the neighbouring  states, availability  or lack of funds, the nature of African response,  goad or bad  reports  from  the  men  on  the  spot  (imperialists),    the  existing   rivaling   imperial powers,  the nature of African economies etc.                                        
As regards  such  circumstances,   the colonialists   could  decide  to use  either  peaceful  or violent  means.  Nevertheless  quite often  they liked the peaceful  means  as they were not expensive  and destructive  for fear of African resistance. But at the  last resort, they could apply the militaristic  violent  methods  as willingly  or unwillingly  the Africans  had to be colonised. The peaceful means included;-
1.      Treaty Signing
The  nature  of existing  political  system  influenced  the Europeans  to use  methods  like treaty signing. This was most conducive among centralised societies which had recognised kings that would decide to sell the independence  of their kingdom by signing a treaty with the Europeans without consulting the entire population under his control. This method was not fit for non centralised  societies where the authority  of a big society were in control of many clan heads in collaboration with elders.
By use of these  treaties,  European  colonisers  managed  to conquer  African  territories  by claiming  mastery  over  their  territories.   This  method  was  recommended   by  the  Berlin conference  of  1884-85 where  the European  powers  recognised  treaties  that they signed with  respective  African  societies  as an evidence  of possessing  a given  African  territory under their control.
Some of the outstanding  treaties  signed in Africa  included  the Rudd concession  of  1888 between  chief  Lobengula  of the Ndebele  and  Charles  Rudd  a British  representative   in Central Africa. The 1900 Buganda agreement, the 1900 Toro agreement, the 1901 Ankole agreement with Lord Lugard, the Sir George Golddie's  agreements  with over 37 chiefs in
West  Africa,   Karl  Peters'   treaties   in Tanganyika    and  Henry   Morton   Stanley   treaties   with
Congolese   chiefs  on behalf  of king  Leopold   II.
The  negative   part  of these  treaties   was  that  African   chiefs   signed  treaties  out of ignorance because   they  didn't   know  the  languages   used  and  the  after  effects   like  the  loss  of African independence    after  the  signing   of agreements   With   Europeans.    These  left African   chiefs   in a very  weak  position   to oppose   the colonial   rule.
2        Divide  and rule policy:
This  was  mainly  applied   in areas  where  African   societies   or population    had poor  relations as  a result  of differences    between   their  leaders  or divisions    created   by Christian   religious sects  to easily  defeat   Africans   in case  of  impending    resistance    against   colonial   rule.  The colonisers   decided   to use  divide  and  rule  method  so as to completely    disunite  the Africans. This   was  done   along   tribal,   religious,    or  philosophical      lines.   In most   cases,   European
colonisers   could  ally  with  one  African   society   to defeat   the  other  and  in turn  they  would
ally with  the defeated   to overcome   the former  e.g. ·Britain used  Buganda   to defeat  Bunyoro in East  Africa.Britain     used  the  Masai  to defeat  the Nandi,   the British  used  Shona  to defeat
the   Ndebele    in   1893-94      British-Ndebele    war.  fu·:West    Africa    Samoure    Toure    of
Mandika's    long  standing   resistance   against  the Frenchwas     defeated   by assistance   from  the Tukolor   Empire   which  was  unfriendly    to the Mandika   Empire   with  the  military  assistance from  the French.        
3.        Use of missionaries:
This  was  one  of the  first  methods   used  in the  acquisition    of the  African   colonies.   It was  a conducive    method    employed     in  slave   trade   affected    areas.   Missionaries     first   came   to spread   Christianity,     Western    civilisation     and   to  cure   ignorance     of  the  people.    In  the process   of  doing  this.  they  were  softening   the  hearts   of potential    African   resisters   which resulted   into  future   colonisation     of  Africa.   African   resistance    was  rendered   impotent    by Christian   teachings   as for example;
"don't   kill",  "love  your  neighbour   as you  love  your  self'.   "love  your
enemies",    "blessed   are  those  who  suffer  on  earth  for  theirs  is in heaven",   "all power  comes  from  Godv and  even  that  of the colonizer,"    etc.
More  still,  many  of the converts   were  even  involved   in the treaty  signing  e.g the regents  of Buganda   kingdom   namely;   Sir ApolJo  Kagwa,   Stanislas   Mugwanya    and Zakaria   Kisingiri were   very   influential     in  the   signing    of  the   1900   Buganda     agreement     which   placed Buganda   under  the  control   of  the  British   rule.  Besides   the  above   missionaries    disunited Africans   along  religious   sects  as seen  earlier.
4.       Men  on the spot  (imperialists)
Their   role  was   quite   vital   in the  imposition     of  colonial    rule   in  Africa   and   such   men included   explorers   and  imperialists     like  Samuel   Baker   who  gave  the  Information about bunyoro,  George   Golddie   in West  Africa,   Cecil  Rhodes   in South  Africa  while  Du Chaillu De Brazza,  Leopold   IT, Dr David  Livingstone    and  Stanley  were  in centrral   Africa.
In their  records  when  in Africa,   they  wrote  about  population   on African   societies   on issues like  their  military   strength,   nature  of  their  economies    etc.  This  was  important   information
to Europeans  at home  since  it assisted  them to decide .on which  method  to use in the imposition  of colonial rule in a particular African society e.g. Lord Lugard who had been operating  in Africa for quite a long time, the British parliament  honoured  him with a title "Lord"  for the advice he gave to the British on how to occupy Uganda and Nigeria.
Sir Samuel Baker's  information on Bunyoro following a humiliating defeat of his forces at the  hands of Kabalega  in the Battle  of Masindi  in  1872 made the British  to use violent means  in bringing  Bunyoro  under their control.  Dr. David  Livinstone's   report  and other missionaries  in Central and South Africa influenced the decision  to use the British South
African Company under Cecil Rhodes in imposing colonial rule in the area.                                    ..
5.      Use of chartered companies:
These were mainly used in cases where  the home governments  were bankrupt. They were always  licenced by their home governments  to develop African territories  hence fulfilling the Berlin Theory of effective occupation  which would have been otherwise expensive for their  home  governments.   They  secured  a number  of treaties,  stopped  slave  trade  and administered   specific  African   territories   on  behalf  of  their  home  governments.   Such companies  included  the Imperial  British  East African  Company,  Royal Niger Company, Germany  East African Company and British South African Company.
6.      Deceit and Trickery:
European  colonialism  in Africa was established  with a lot of courage  using  all kinds of words to many Africans who collaborated  with colonialists  fell victims of European dirty tricks. The people who were vulnerable  to those tricks were mainly  the opportunists  e.g. Semei Kakungulu,  who helped  the British colonialists  to extend  the white  man's  rule in Eastern Uganda and when he failed to get what he was promised. He was demoralised  but nevertheless  the Europeans  had achieved  their goal. Such Africans  took time to discover that.the Europeans were unwilling to share their achievements with anybody especially the Africans.
7.      Use of high commissioners:
These  were representatives  of diplomatic  relations  that had developed  between  Africans and Europeans  in their representations.   However  these commissioners  served  to weaken the  strength  of Africans  against  the  foreigners.  They  interfered  with  African  politics, commerce  and their general ways of life. Good examples of these include Gerald  Portal a British high commissioner to Zanzibar who confirmed the need for the British protectorate over  Uganda  which  he achieved  in  1894 on behalf  of the Brinsh  government.  Another example  was  Sir Harry Johnstone,  a special  commissioner   to Uganda  who acted  as an architecture  in the signing of the 1900 Buganda agreement which eroded the independence of Buganda  Kingdom and later acted as nucleus for extension of colonialism  to the rest of Ugandan  provinces.  It was also Earnest  Berkely,  a British  commissioner  who extended British rule to Bunyoro, northern parts of Uganda and later Busoga. Therefore,  Africa was taken over by colonialismpartly through the wosks of high commissioners.
violent  methods: Use of gunboat  diplomacy: this  method    involved     the   heaping    up  of  military     weapons     in  challenging     African territories.        It was   important    for  intimidation     to  those   African   chiefs   who  attempted    to resist  colonialism.    In Africa  this  method  was  applied   by  the British   against  the Madi  tribe northern   Uganda   and  against   the  Kyabazinga    of  Busoga   in  Eastern   Uganda.   Such  an tion  made  the  potential    African   resisters   realise   any  attempts   to  resist  the  colonial   rule could  easily  be silenced.  1.Deployment  method: This involved   the  distribution    or  deploying    soldiers   in  a challenging    African   society.  It involved  the building   up  of forts/garrisons    before  establishing    themselves    in agiven area. it was important   as a provision   for  security   against   African   resisters   or  European         colonial powers.   In  Uganda   Lord   Lugard   established    a  fort  at Old  Kampala    in order    to challenge the  expected    danger    of  Carl   Peters   from   Tanganyika     who   was   about  to encroach    on Buganda.   George   Golddie   applied  a similar   method   in Nigeria   to challenge African  chiefs End the  French.   From   such  garrisons    and  forts,   soldiers   would   be dispatched to various corners    of  African    territories     where   dangers    would    emerge    to challenge to interests of colonisers.  2.Outright  military   conquests: This  was  a last  resort   method   applied   to African   societies  that  had completely refused to be colonised.   This  was  usually   expensive   and  destructive  and therefore fit to be used as last alternative   since  using  it would  undermine    the colonial  economic motive of maximum exploitation   of  colonies   by meeting   minimum   costs  in colonial acquisition in Africa,   this method  was  applied   against  the Ndebele   society   in  1893 – 94 british-ndebelle war against Samoure   Toure   of  Mandika   by  the  French   forces,   against   Kabalega of Buganda by the British,   Germany     used   it  against    Mkwawa    of  the  Hehe   in Tanganyika    while britian applied   it against  the Nandi   of Kenya.  This  kind  of approach   to colonialism was     inevitable cause  these  Europeans    had  come  to colonise   Africans   whether   Africans   we're willing or not.  Revision   questions. 2.    How did Nigeria   become   a British  colony? 3.    ’’Divide  and  rule method   was responsible    for colonisation    of Buganda   in  1900".  Discuss 4.    How  did Uganda   become   a British  colony? 5.    In what  ways  did  Congo  become  a Belgium   colony?