Social, Economic and Political Organisation of African Societies

Syllabus tag: KCSE | History and Government | Form 2 | Topic 14 African Societies

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Distinguish centralised from decentralised political systems.
• Describe the social, economic and political organisation of Buganda.
• Describe the organisation of the Shona and the Asante.
• Compare the three societies and explain the reasons for their rise and decline.

Summary

African societies were centralised under kings or decentralised under councils of elders. Buganda was a centralised kingdom under the Kabaka; the Shona of Zimbabwe under the Mwene Mutapa; and the Asante of Ghana under the Asantehene, united by the Golden Stool. All three grew on agriculture and trade and were weakened by European intervention.