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 Social, Economic and Political Organization of African societies upto 19th C

Social organization of the Baganda.

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Social organization of the Baganda.
-The kingdom was divided in social classes with the royal family occupying the top of the hierarchy, then ruling class, the chiefs who ruled over the peasants or commoners known as bakopi.
-At the bottom of the social class were the slaves (Badu) who were acquired mainly through raids on neighboring communities such as Busoga, Toro and Bunyoro.
-The Baganda believed in the existence of many gods some of whom included;
a) Katonda, God the creator whose home was in heaven.
b) Kibuuka, God of war and thunder.
c) Mukasa, goddess of fertility who was worshipped in order to bless the nation
d) Kiwanuka, god of lightning.
e) Nawagenyi, goddess of Drought.
-The community also believed in the existence of ancestral spirits whose main responsibility was to maintain discipline in the clans since the spirits were believed to restrict their influence to close relatives.
- Balubaale were the spirits of people who had supernatural powers and were consulted through prophets or mediums.
-The Baganda had religious leaders, led by the kabaka, then the mediums, prophets, and medicine people.
-There also existed sorcerers called Balopo who were feared since they could cause harm to people.
-The Baganda society was polygamous. For example, the kabaka was required to marry from all clans to maintain links in the society.
-There was division of labor according to sex. Women tilled the land while men engaged in warfare, built houses, and made clothes from bark-cloth.


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