The issue of intermarriage has been in Uganda media for quite some time now and it is increasingly providing vital information following Phionah Kesaasi’s article which appeared in the Observer (Uganda) in April 2010. Kesaasi argued that Bairu men marry Bahima, Batutsi and Bahororo women because they are more beautiful than Bairu women and there was nothing to be ashamed of. Ipso facto, Bahima men do not marry Bairu women because they are less beautiful than Bahima women, implying there was nothing to apologize about. She added that traditionally when a man marries, he favors in-laws than his relatives. These two remarks generated a storm of criticism and many questions.
Earlier Ephraim Kamuhangire had written in response to my article “Why Rujumbura’s Bairu are impoverished” that in Rujumbura Bairu elite had married so many Bahororo women that there was no way a political uprising of Bairu peasants against Bahororo domination would succeed implying that Bairu elite would join their in-laws and crush such attempts. Therefore Bahororo’s indefinite domination of Bairu was very secure. By the way in my article referred to above I never raised the issue of intermarriage. Kamuhangire picked it out of the hat to make a point that Bairu have no chance of ever controlling the political game in Rujumbura. Since that time I have reflected on what he and Kesaasi wrote.
In the Great Lakes Region the dominating Batutsi, Bahima and Bahororo of Nilotic Luo-decent (their Bachwezi ancestry has been difficult to establish because Bachwezi were Bantu. For more information see Eric Kashambuzi 2008 and 2009) are very few – less than ten percent of the total population. And they produce many more women than men. The dominated Bahutu and Bairu ethnic group comprise 90 percent of the total population.
Because of the nomadic nature of pastoralism in a hostile environment marked by shortages of pasture and water, droughts, epidemics (e. g. 1890s rinderpest), bovine diseases and cattle theft, Bahima and their cousins became warriors in order to survive. So when these pastoralists came into contact with Bantu mixed farmers who lived relatively peacefully and had no sophisticated fighting experience, Bantu were easily conquered where and when there was resistance.
In order for Bahima and Batutsi to dominate Bairu and Bahutu indefinitely they adopted two principal strategies: impoverish Bairu and Bahutu by denying them ownership of productive cattle which was a major source of wealth creation, exact heavy tribute especially on wealthy Bahutu and Bairu and encourage economically and militarily outstanding Bairu and Bahutu elite (who became few as time passed) to marry Bahima, Bahororo and Batutsi women and be ‘tutsified’ as a strict condition i.e. join Bahororo, Bahima and Batutsi class and abandon your own people. That way impoverished Bairu and Bahutu regardless of their numerical superiority would remain powerless and voiceless politically, militarily, economically.
During colonial days, Batutsi, Bahororo and Bahima were used as civil servants to administer colonies under European supervision through the indirect rule system. The encouragement of Bahutu and Bairu men to marry Bahima, Bahororo and Batutsi women continued to be encouraged but it was done very selectively and on a small scale as in pre-colonial days and therefore few men qualified. The ruling class had enough men to occupy key positions in the colonial and missionary administrations.
With independence and majority rule the balance of power changed. Bahima and Batutsi numerical inferiority now became a major challenge. In order to reverse the gains made by Bahutu and Bairu; Bahima, Bahororo and Batutsi came up with a formula: build a military force and have Bahima, Batutsi and Bahororo women (except those from the ruling class) marry Bahutu and Bairu elites in large numbers. Before independence, it was very difficult to date a Muhima, Mututsi or Muhororo girl if you did not belong to that ethnic group.
Suddenly Bahororo and Bahima women opened up to Bairu men in Ankole and Kigezi districts. This time coincided with many Batutsi refugees coming into Uganda from Rwanda and their women descended on Bairu students and men like a tropical torrential rain. And their Bahima, Bahororo and Batutsi men did not object like before!
Bairu students and men leap-frogged to this change of heart thinking it was one of the fruits of independence to date a Muhima, Mututsi or Muhororo woman. Some of them joined the bandwagon for dating purposes only thinking that when it was time to get married they would find Bairu women. They did not realize that the women they were dating had different plans. Some women became pregnant intentionally and others stayed with Bairu boy friends for a few years that relatives of the girls forced their Bairu boyfriends to marry them either because they had made them pregnant or they had made the girls lose opportunities to find other men. I witnessed these developments unfold.
Meanwhile Bairu women stuck to their tradition of waiting for men to approach them not realizing that the game had changed and it was women to approach men directly or indirectly. The aggressive Bahima, Bahororo and Batutsi women had gained the upper hand. Bairu men married them and changed allegiance to their in-laws – leaving Bairu women and relatives gnashing teeth in anger and disbelief!
As Bahima, Batutsi and Bahororo tighten their political grip on the Great Lakes Region (there are projects on Tutsi Empire and East African Federation), they need more men to occupy intermediate positions in the political, military, economic and administrative systems (the top positions are reserved for the ruling class only).
There are stories that Bairu men – married or not – are being enticed with offers of good jobs or lucrative businesses on condition they marry Batutsi, Bahima and Bahororo women and become Bahima, Batutsi and Bahororo. In short, they must truly denounce their ancestral roots. This is what Kesaasi and Kamuhangire were indirectly referring to.
This explains why in Rujumbura Bahororo are able to do whatever they want including converting Rukungiri town into a municipality virtually without discussion even when Bairu know the decision is very costly to them in many ways.
There are stories that Bashambo women in Uganda have formed an organization called Bashambokazi Kumanayana (to know one another). One of the goals (subject to confirmation) is to arrange for Bahima, Batutsi and Bahororo women to marry Bairu and increasingly other Uganda elite men to boost support for the ruling Bahororo, Batutsi and Bahororo class. Thus we are likely to witness yet more “men drain” from Bairu and increasingly from other Ugandans to the Bahororo, Batutsi and Bahima camp.
Brazil deliberately produced “… a privileged mulatto class to occupy the intermediate positions in the economy, thus forming a bridge between the poor and the rich and between blacks and whites” (Political Science Quarterly Spring 1995).
Do you see a resemblance in Uganda?