Reasons Why East Africans collaborated. 1. Some societies collaborated with the Europeans in Order to get Military support against their hostile neighbors who were threatening their independence. Toro and Buganda for example collaborated with the British in order to fight Bunyoro as this was the only practicable way of preserving their independence. 2. Collaboration was also due to fear of the Military power of the colonialists. Colonialists had more powerful guns compared to the weak spears, bows and arrows used by Africans. Africans were therefore at a disadvantage and had no choice but to collaborate 3. Some Africans collaborated because they wanted to benefit from European trade. These included NabongoMumia of Wanga in Kenya And Mutesa 1 of Buganda 4. Collaboration was also a result of East Africans ignorance and naivity. They thought colonialists were just short term visitors only to realize that they had come to stay permanently. 5. Some Africans collaborated because of natural Calamities and disasters. The Kikuyu, Chagga, Masai and Usambara collaborated because they had been hit and weakened by disasters like famine, drought, locusts and disease invasion like small pox and rinderpest. They needed help from the colonialists who had afterallproved to have powerful medicinesand therefore could not resist them in any way. 6. Some Individual collaborators like SemeiKakungulu and Apollo Kagwa had their own selfish interests for wealth and prestige that had been promised by the colonialists. 7. Collaboration was a result of influence from the white missionaries who portrayed African beliefs as backward,archaic and inhumane.Many had already been softened and convicedtobelieve they had barbaric beliefs and traditions that needed change. 8. Africans had been weakened by slave trade of the 19th century. They were tired of being used as commodities and therefore they decided to collaborate with the Europeans as a solution.Besides,some communities had been depopulated by the trade,thus could not mount a serious resistance. 9. Some Africans wished to benefit in terms of technology and culture of the whites. One of their biggest desires was to know how to make guns. Security of their lives and property especially cows was very important. 10. Some African rulers like Mkwawa had terrorized their people and as a result, European rule was seen as a blessing. Africans felt it was better to be under Europeans than being under African dictators hence collaborating with colonialists. 11. Collaboration did not mean in any way that Africans were backward, and neither did it mean that they were progressive. Those that collaborated found themselves under circumstances that pushed them to submit. If anything they were brilliant people compared to resistors. The white men had to win them by force since they had guns. They therefore became partners in spreading the gospel of colonialism. Through the process of collaboration,East African communities experienced social economic and infrastructural developments while those that resisted suffered harassment.
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