Those Who Came Before Us
Most of us are aware of how badly represented Africa is. The continent is too often reduced to a number of degrading stereotypes. But Africa has a rich and diverse history. A history that is usually ignored or poorly understood not just by the world but by (sometimes) its own people. A certain British historian once referred to its past as darkness.
Well, I hope to be among those who hold a lantern to this so-called darkness of a history. Take my hand, as I guide you down the pathways of Africa’s supposed night covered past. Allow me to show you her numerous and diverse people, their perspectives, religion, and their stories.
Hosted by David Ibanda( a devoted student of African history with a penchant for Corny jokes)
Follow podcast instagram page at @twcbupod.
Those Who Came Before Us
The Missionary Who Never Arrived | Farewell from Across the Lake (Ep. 5)
At Kagei the crucial port on the southern shore of Lake Victoria and the main gateway to Buganda by canoe, James Hannington finally steps free after his detention by King Romwa of Buzinza. But just as the last stretch of his journey comes into view, sickness overwhelms him. Too weak to continue , Hannington realizes his long-awaited mission is slipping away. Buganda lies just across the water from Kagei yet it has never felt more unreachable.
Youtube Video Link: https://youtu.be/3Xzsp_FfSwU
Sources
- Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894
- Bennett, Norman Robert. Mirambo of Tanzania, 1840?-1884. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1971.
- Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908
- “Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ.
- Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890.
- Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252.
- Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886.
- Hartwig, Gerald W. “The Victoria Nyanza as a Trade Route in the Nineteenth Century.” The Journal of African History 11, no. 4 (1970): 535–52.
- Holmes, C. F. “Zanzibari Influence at the Southern End of Lake Victoria: The Lake Route.” African Historical Studies 4, no. 3 (1971): 477–503.
- Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79.
- Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910
- Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997.
- Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.