Apolo Kagwa
Encyclopedia
Sir Apolo Kagwa KCMG MBE
(1864–1927) is considered Buganda
's first and foremost ethnographer
. He was appointed prime minister (Katikkiro) of the Kingdom of Buganda by King Mwanga II
in 1890, and served in that capacity until 1926. From 1897, Kagwa served as regent
until 1914 when the infant King Daudi Chwa
came of age.
Apolo Kagwa was an administrative apprentice at the Royal palace of Buganda when the first Christian missionaries arrived in the 1870s. These palace apprentices, referred to as "pages
" by European historians of the era, were bright youths from all over the kingdom sent to the palace to train as the next generation of leaders. He was one of the earliest converts to the Protestant faith, and nearly became one of the Uganda Martyrs when King Mwanga II fell out with the Christians a few years later. He was reportedly spared execution because he had already shown himself to be exceptionally capable as an assistant in the Treasury.
In 1885–87 the kingdom fell into a religious civil war with Protestants, Catholics and Moslem factions vying for control. Kagwa, still in his twenties, was from early on recognised as the leader of the Protestant faction. A keen rifleman, Kagwa served actively in combat during these wars. The Moslems
were in ascendancy in the early part of the war, and Kagwa and other Protestants spent some time in exile in the neighboring kingdom of Ankole
. King Mwanga, temporarily deposed, was restored in 1890 with the assistance of the Protestants, and Kagwa was named Katikkiro (Prime Minister). King Mwanga was again deposed in 1897 when he rejected British rule and led an unsuccessful fight for independence. An infant prince, Daudi Chwa, was named King with Kagwa as one of three regents. Kagwa was one of the negotiators of the Uganda Agreement, by which Buganda became a British protectorate with limited internal autonomy.
Kagwa authored many books on Buganda, including a general history Bassekabaka ba Buganda, a treatise on laws and customs Empisa z'Abaganda and a collection of folklore Engero z'Abaganda. His history of Buganda included brief histories of the neighboring kingdoms of Bunyoro and Ankole. He was a strong supporter of the establishment of modern education in Uganda. In particular, he was appalled by what he saw as a tendency of the sons of the nation's leaders to grow up spoiled (in contrast to the spartan upbringing his generation received from the palace apprenticeship system). He worked with British missionaries to establish boarding schools, notably King's College Budo, explicitly to keep young noblemen from growing up spoiled.
His manuscripts and personal papers are in the Africana collection of the Makerere University
library in Kampala.
During the later years of his ministry his relationship with the British colonial government was tense; Kagwa believed Buganda's autonomy was being repeatedly encroached upon.
He was the first African to receive the honour of knighthood
.
He had two children, Michael Kawalya Kagwa
(who served as Katikiro from 1945 to 1950) and Luusi Naku. His grandchildren include Apollo Kironde
, Uganda's first Ambassador to the United Nations
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(1864–1927) is considered Buganda
Buganda
Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
's first and foremost ethnographer
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
. He was appointed prime minister (Katikkiro) of the Kingdom of Buganda by King Mwanga II
Mwanga II of Buganda
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
in 1890, and served in that capacity until 1926. From 1897, Kagwa served as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
until 1914 when the infant King Daudi Chwa
Daudi Cwa II of Buganda
Captain Sir Daudi Chwa II, KCMG, KBE, was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1897 until 1939. He was the 34th Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
came of age.
Apolo Kagwa was an administrative apprentice at the Royal palace of Buganda when the first Christian missionaries arrived in the 1870s. These palace apprentices, referred to as "pages
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
" by European historians of the era, were bright youths from all over the kingdom sent to the palace to train as the next generation of leaders. He was one of the earliest converts to the Protestant faith, and nearly became one of the Uganda Martyrs when King Mwanga II fell out with the Christians a few years later. He was reportedly spared execution because he had already shown himself to be exceptionally capable as an assistant in the Treasury.
In 1885–87 the kingdom fell into a religious civil war with Protestants, Catholics and Moslem factions vying for control. Kagwa, still in his twenties, was from early on recognised as the leader of the Protestant faction. A keen rifleman, Kagwa served actively in combat during these wars. The Moslems
Islam in Uganda
According to the National Census 2002 Islam is practiced by 12.1 percent of the population.-History:Islam had arrived in Uganda from the north and through inland networks of the East African coastal trade by the mid-nineteenth century...
were in ascendancy in the early part of the war, and Kagwa and other Protestants spent some time in exile in the neighboring kingdom of Ankole
Ankole
Ankole, also referred to as Nkore, is one of four traditional kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdom is located in the southwestern Uganda, east of Lake Edward. It was ruled by a monarch known as The Mugabe or Omugabe of Ankole. The kingdom was formally abolished in 1967 by the government of President...
. King Mwanga, temporarily deposed, was restored in 1890 with the assistance of the Protestants, and Kagwa was named Katikkiro (Prime Minister). King Mwanga was again deposed in 1897 when he rejected British rule and led an unsuccessful fight for independence. An infant prince, Daudi Chwa, was named King with Kagwa as one of three regents. Kagwa was one of the negotiators of the Uganda Agreement, by which Buganda became a British protectorate with limited internal autonomy.
Kagwa authored many books on Buganda, including a general history Bassekabaka ba Buganda, a treatise on laws and customs Empisa z'Abaganda and a collection of folklore Engero z'Abaganda. His history of Buganda included brief histories of the neighboring kingdoms of Bunyoro and Ankole. He was a strong supporter of the establishment of modern education in Uganda. In particular, he was appalled by what he saw as a tendency of the sons of the nation's leaders to grow up spoiled (in contrast to the spartan upbringing his generation received from the palace apprenticeship system). He worked with British missionaries to establish boarding schools, notably King's College Budo, explicitly to keep young noblemen from growing up spoiled.
His manuscripts and personal papers are in the Africana collection of the Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
library in Kampala.
During the later years of his ministry his relationship with the British colonial government was tense; Kagwa believed Buganda's autonomy was being repeatedly encroached upon.
He was the first African to receive the honour of knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
.
He had two children, Michael Kawalya Kagwa
Michael Kawalya Kagwa
Michael Kawalya Kagwa was the Katikiro of the Ugandan Kingdom of Buganda from 1945 to 1950. Kawalya Kagwa's father Apolo Kagwa, was an influential Katikiro and regent.-References:...
(who served as Katikiro from 1945 to 1950) and Luusi Naku. His grandchildren include Apollo Kironde
Apollo Kironde
Apollo Kironde was the first Ambassador to the United Nations from Uganda.He was the scion of an ancient aristocratic family of the Nsenene . His grandfather was a regent to the young Bugandan king Chwa when the British arrived...
, Uganda's first Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.