Colonial Administration in Northern Rhodesia

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to present a study of British colonial policy in Northern Rhodesia by focusing special attention in one area. From 1899 to 1924 Northern Rhodesia was ruled by the chartered British South Africa Company thereafter by the colonial office as a Crown Colony. The discussion will show how the company went about asserting its rule among the peoples of present-day North-Western province of Zambia as well as the transition to an Imperial government after 1924. The area selected is of special interest for various reasons. Mwinilunga is inhabited by the Lunda who possess the traditions of the great pre-colonial Lunda Empire which flourished in the Congo. During the partition of the continent by colonial powers the Lunda tribe in this area were divided into three political fragments of the British, Portuguese and Belgians. This presented special problems for colonial administrators on all sides and those encountered by the British administration in Mwinilunga are discussed. Finally, and not the least, the Lunda of Mwinilunga came under the influence of a Christian missionary movement whose structure and organisation differed in many ways from those of other movements and the effects of this phenomenon are also demonstrated.