Dr. Umar Kasule presentation "The Reciprocal influence between Islam and Bantu culture" was presented at 2nd International Congress on Islamic Civilisation in Southern Africa.

1. Reciprocal Influence between Islam
and Bantu Culture: The Baganda
Experience
Being a conference paper to be delivered at the
2ND CONGRESS ON “ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN
SOUTHERN AFRICA” (DURBAN, 4-6 MARCH 2016)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Umar Ahmad Kasule

2. The Baganda and Bantu
• Baganda are one of the major ethnic groups of
the greater Bantu family that settled in the
lake Victoria basin
• They followed the northernmost route of
Bantu migration from Cameroon through the
Congo and settled on the northern shores of
Lake Victoria occupying the fertile lands
thereof.

3. Map showing Bantu Migration pattern

4. The Baganda and Bantu cont’d
• They established a monarchical rule that
survived for over 1000 years till 1962
• They were the first Bantu, ipso facto the first
local ethnic group, to accept Islam from the
Arab traders in the region
• Their centralized political organization was a
significant factor in allowing Islamization
process

5. The Baganda and Bantu cont’d
• The first Baganda Muslims enjoyed a favorable
position in Buganda
• They even once had a Muslim king (Muteesa I)
who made the first attempt to Islamize
Baganda culture beginning with the royals
• Arrival of the Christian colonialists
disadvantaged the early Muslim community in
Buganda

6. Baganda/Islamic culture
• In this discussion culture should be
understood from three broad dimensions
namely:
1. As a linguistic expression
2. As an ontological expression
3. As a behavioral expression and (this is
the core of our concern)
• Both cultures; the Baganda and the Islamic are
known to be rich the above aspects

7. Baganda/Bantu linguistic expression
• The most obvious cultural dimension that
defines Baganda as Bantu is linguistic,
• Their use of ‘ntu’ even in definition of
themselves or things surrounding them or
even ideas, is quite revealing e.g. the first
Muganda was called Kintu, and the Baganda
are also called “baana ba Kintu” children of
Kintu and therefore “tuli bantu” we are
people,

8. Linguistic expression cont’d
• It can be rightly argued that the term Bantu
among the Baganda is a short form of “Baana
ba Kintu” where the other two terms “Baana
and ba…” are silenced into “Bantu”. Other
expressions include:
• “abantu bonna” all mankind, “ebintu byaffe”
our things, “ekintu ekikulu” the major idea,
“obuntu bulamu” humaneness etc

9. Baganda ontological expression
• At the ontological dimension, the above
linguistic expression puts the being of people
(abantu) and all other things (ebintu) away
and apart from Allah’s being
• This presupposes an acknowledgement of
Allah as being one, without plurality and
without likeness because all the Baganda
terms that refer to God, Allah do not have
“ntu” in them

10. Ontology Cont’d
• I have not yet come across a specific name for
Allah nor a term that stands for his essence
(dhat) among the Baganda
• Rather they refer to Allah by way of attributes
such as “Katonda” the creator (al-khaaliqu),
“liiso ddene” the ever seeing (al-baswiir),
“Namugereka” the orginator (al-mubdi’u),
“Ddunda” the maintainer (al-muqiit) e.t.c

11. Baganda Behavioral expression
• Baganda behavioral dimensions include:
worship and prayer, economic practices,
power and influence, aesthetics, individual
and society relations, and technology
• Our concern is in aspects of death, funeral and
marriage customs which actually cut across all
the above dimensions
• Similar dimensions are also richly found in the
Islamic tradition

12. The Baganda on death
• The Baganda understanding of death is
expressed in no better terms than their
proverbs such as:
1. “sekiriba kya ttaka: mpaawo atalikyambala”
meaning; the garment of clay (i.e the
grave):every body is obliged to put it on
2. “okufa si ngombo, nti eridiba” meaning:
death is not a fashion (about which one
may say) it will soon fall into disuse.

13. Baganda on death cont’d
3. “olumbe musolo: teruddukwa gyerukusanga
gy’owera” meaning; death is like tax: its
inescapable, where you meet it: there you
pay.
4. “olumbe terutta bumu” meaning death
does not occur in one way.
• Those proverbs give meaning to death at the
ontological level

14. Baganda on death Cont’d
• At the behavioral level, death is understood to
be the physical and material separation of the
dead from the living.
• The dead continue living in a spiritual realm,
for the soul is immortal
• The Baganda burry the body (omulambo) and
not the person (omuntu)

15. Baganda on death Cont’d
• The living dead (though in a spiritual form) are
always remembered e.g. mourning, installing
an heir, omuzimu, etc
• The Baganda believe in life after death though
not in terms of jannah and naar, they believe
in happiness and sadness of the righteous and
the evil respectively in the hereafter

16. Baganda on funeral
• The Baganda burry their dead as a communal
ritual. Nobody buries a person alone or with
his/her family only without raising suspicion
• They wash the dead body before burial
• They shroud the body in special bark-cloth
• They burry the dead without property for they
believe the spiritual world is incorporeal

17. Baganda on funeral cont’d
• They mourn their dead for a given time
depending on the closeness of the deceased
to a particular living person
• During the mourning period particular
conduct is expected to be observed especially
by children and spouse e.g. no sexual
intercourse, no working, wearing “amafuvu”

18. Baganda on funeral cont’d
• The climax of Baganda’s behavior towards the
dead are the last funeral rites
• They are meant to end the mourning period
• Baganda Muslims have brought this within
Islamic practice
• They recite the Qur’an overnight, pray for the
dead, give sermons about righteousness and
invoke Allah’s mercy and blessings on the
dead

19. Baganda on funeral cont’d
• Though last funeral rights is culturally more
common among Baganda, non-Baganda
Muslims in Uganda have adopted the practice
e.g Basoga and Banyoro
• Even non-Bantu communities such as the
Nubians who are Sudanic or Nilo-Saharans
have with time adopted this practice
• This is a Bantu influence on Islam

20. Baganda on funeral cont’d
• Islam, however has influenced the Baganda more
than the Baganda have influenced it
• Mulambuzi claimed “ traditional religions have to
a larger extent influenced the current shape of
both religions. There are more traces of
traditional religious practices in these religions
than traces of Christianity and Islam in Baganda
old beliefs and practices” (Mulambuzi, 1997:76)
• This is inaccurate and exaggerated

21. Baganda on funeral
• Islam has massively influenced the Baganda
practices on burial and funeral rites
• The Baganda no longer use bark-cloth to
shroud their dead they use white sheets
• They no longer wash their dead with banana
fiber, they use water mixed with perfume
• They sing tahliil hymes when taking their dead
for burial

22. Baganda on funeral
• They bury their dead facing the qibla at Mecca
• Women don’t mix with other mourners and so
they don’t approach the grave during burial
• The last funeral rites are imported into Islam
eliminating that which is contrary to the
religion
• The Qur’an has taken center stage in respect
of funeral proceedings as well as
remembrance of the dead

23. The Baganda on Marriage
• Baganda marry for three reasons:
1. Morality
2. Sex, initiation (manhood and not womanhood)
3. Procreation
• Virgins are celebrated and rewarded
• Promiscuity is punishable and condemned
• Inability to produce children can lead to
dissolution of a marriage

24. Baganda on marriage cont’d
• Baganda boys and girls are prepared for
marriage
• More attention is given to the girls than to
boys
• Girls preparation ranges from body
modification to appropriate conduct as a wife
• The paternal aunties and maternal uncles do
the training of girls and boys respectively

25. Baganda marriage cont’d
• The premarital training of both presupposes
virginity by the age of marriage (morality)
• The man or boy pays the girls’ family when
asking for the girl’s hand
• Once the payment is done the girl acquires a
new family where she will start new life
(mother of children)

26. Baganda marriage cont’d
• It’s the responsibility of the man to provide for
the family
• It’s the wife’s duty to carry out household
chores
• Both share in the provision of food, which
they cultivate together
• Husband is the owner of the family and all
property

27. Baganda marriage cont’d
• Baganda men are polygamous
• Many women are considered a source of
labour (compare with prophetic hadith where
a man complained of little means and prophet
advised him to marry a second wife)
• The larger the family the more the prestige of
a man in society

28. Conclusion
• Islam has immensely influenced the Baganda
or Bantu culture
• The Baganda too influenced Islamic practices
such as the reading of the Qur’an
• What many scholars some times refer to as
Islamization of indigenous culture could be
understood as Africanization of Islam and
hence the reciprocal process

29. The End
Thank you