The Karagwe Kingdom: A History of the Banyambo of Northwest Tanzania c. 1400-1915. By Israel K. Katoke. Kampala: Fountain Publishers Edition, 2018. Pp. xvii, 206. UGX 20,000/= in Uganda.
The title of this book is misleading. This is not a history of the Banyambo. It is the history of the dynasty that ruled Karagwe during the period under consideration. It focuses on events of the births, ascensions, marriages, battles, coups d’état, palace intrigues of the kings and their courtiers. It hardly tells the story of the citizens who, like in many similar books, are relegated to the periphery as props in the story.
Originally part of the late Dr. Katoke’s PhD thesis in 1969, the story was first published in book form by East African Publishing House in 1975. The current volume is a reprint by Fountain Publishers, that excellent company that has dedicated extensive time and resources to bring back out-of-print texts about the Great Lakes Region of Africa.
It is a very useful and interesting story, largely culled from oral sources, including the last two kings of Karagwe. The author, though a good story teller, with an easy style that should appeal to the non-professional historian, repeats stories of some events and his style leaves one unclear about who did what and when.
Most events and rulers are presented in a factual manner without analysis of the broader consequences of their tenures in office. While there is mention of the neighbouring kingdoms (Buganda, Nkore, Rwanda, Burundi, Buha, Buzinza, Kihanja, Ihangiro), the story largely focuses on Karagwe without detailed presentation and discussion of the power-play and interactions of these states.
One who is not familiar with the story of Nkore, for examples, may be forgiven for thinking that the Ruhinda rulers of Karagwe were the same as those of Nkore.
Though it is an interesting book, it is not in the league of Samwiri Rubaraza Karugire’s magisterial treatment of the “Kingdom of Nkore in Western Uganda to 1896.” (Fountain Publishers, 2008).
That said, I enjoyed reading Katoke’s book, for it whetted my appetite and I look forward to exploring the literature on the ancient kingdoms of what became northwestern Tanzania. The author includes extensive references that will serve as a starting point for my learning.