King Khama, Emperor Joe and the great white queen

314 Pages·2008·1.65 MB·English

King Khama, Emperor Joe and the great white
queen: victorian Britain through African eyes
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King Khama, Emperor Joe and the great white queen: victorian Britain
through African eyes
Author/Creator Parsons, Neil
Publisher University of Chicago Press (Chicago)
Date 1998
Resource type Books
Language English
Subject
Coverage (spatial) Botswana, United Kingdom, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Coverage (temporal) 1835 - 1895
Source Northwestern University Libraries, Melville J. Herskovits
Library of African Studies, 960.31 P269k
Rights By kind permission of Neil Parsons.
Description This book recounts in detail the delegation of three
Batswana kings to Great Britain in 1895. Kings Khama,
Sebele, and Bathoen aimed at and succeeded in preventing
the annexation of the Bechuanaland Protectorate by the
white-settler states that were to become South Africa and
Rhodesia. The book is an examination of late Victorian
imperialism and culture and of the capacity of African
resistance by using diplomatic skill and alliances with social
forces in the society of the colonial power.
Format extent 392 pages
(length/size)
http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.crp2b20014
http://www.aluka.org
APR1
APR1960.3:P269k
Northwestern UniversityLibraryEvanston, Illinois 60208-2300
KING KHAMA,EMPERORJOE,
ANDTHE
GREAT WHITEQUEEN
Figure1.Bathoen, Sebele(withflowers)and Khama.Standing:Revs. WC.
WilloughbyandEdwinLloyd
KING KHAMAEMPEROR JOE
ANDTHE
freat WlteUheeli
VictorianBritain
through
AfricanEyes
NEILPARSONS
TheUniversityofChicagoPress
Chicago& London
?, .3/
NeilParsonsisaprofessorofhistoryattheUniversityofBotswana.Hisbooks
includeSeretseKhama,1921-1980andANewHistoryof Southern Africa.
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637 TheUniversityofChicago,Ltd.,
London©1998byNeilParsons
Allrightsreserved. Published1998PrintedintheUnitedStates of America
07060504030201009998 54321
ISBN(cloth):0-226-64744-7 ISBN(paper):0-226-64745-5
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataParsons,Neil.
KingKhama,EmperorJoe,andthegreatwhitequeen:
VictorianBritainthrough African eyes/NeilParsons.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographical referencesandindex.
ISBN0-226-64744-7-ISBN0-226-64745-5 (pbk.)
1.Africans-Travel-Great Britain-History-19th
century.2. Publicopinion-GreatBritain-History19thcentury.3.
Chamberlain,Joseph,1836-1914ViewsonAfrica.4.Africa-Foreignpublic
opinionGreatBritain.5.GreatBritain-History-Victoria,
1837-1901.6.Botswana-Foreign relations-Great
Britain.7.GreatBritain-Foreignrelations-Botswana.8.Khama,Africanchief,
1830(ca.)-1923.
I.Title.
DA125.N4P371998
327.4106883-dc2l 97-37111
CIP
(Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeets theminimumrequirementsofthe
AmericanNationalStandardforInformation Sciences-Permanenceof Paperfor
Printed LibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1992.
For Professor IsaacSchaperaonhisninetiethbirthday
To getitrightalways takesalittlelonger
Bojanggabobofane
(Grassdoesnotbinditself)
CONTENTS
ListofIllustrations ix
PrefaceandAcknowledgments xiii
ANoteonTerminology xvii
INTRODUCTION:
EPIPHANYONCLIFTONBRIDGE 1
ITHEN LETUs ALLBEPHILISTINES 7
2ATRINITYOFDUSKYKINGS 30
3ANOTHER SPHERE OFEXISTENCE 52
4 WESEE YOU WITH OUREYES 73
5BESIEGEDBYACURIOUSCROWD 91
6AKINDOFMIDDLE-CLASSROYALTY 104
7THEDAYAKINGCAMETOENDERBY 121
STHEYARE STRONG AND WEARE WEAK 132
9THEFOUNTAIN WHENCECAMETHE MISSIONARIES 149
10ATHINGTOLOOKAT WITHTHETEETH 160
viii CONTENTS
II INEVERYTOWNWE HAVE FOUNDFRIENDS 173
12KHAMA WILLPLAYTHEOLDGOOSEBERRY 187
13CHAMBERLAIN'SSETTLEMENT 201
141RHODESBEATEN BYTHREECANTING NATIVES 21215 IHADNo
IDEASHE WASSOSMALL 224
16DR.JAMESON,You HAEGOTASMOOTHTONGUE 240
CONCLUSION:HALFALoAF? 253
Appendix:Balladsofthe1895Tour 261
Notes 271
Bibliography 291
Index 303
ILLUSTRATIONS
MAPS
1 SouthernAfricainthe1890s(followingpage72)2 GreatBritain,1895:
wheretheBechuanachiefs
wentbytrain(precedingpage73)
3 "Mr.Rhodes'maximumoffer,"October26,1895
(followingpage186)
FIGURES
1 Bathoen,Sebele,and Khama,with W.C. Willoughby
andEdwin Lloyd (frontispiece)
Followingpage72
2 An1894visionofacenturyhence:aerialtramway
runningalongthesides ofdepartmentstoresinOxford
Street,London
3 The"New Woman"(1):womanasathlete
4 The"New Woman"(2):womanasaesthete
5 Expandingempires(1):Rhodes as theNapoleonof
Africa, againstabackgroundofslaughterafterthe
ConquestofMatabeleland,1893
6 Expandingempires(2):Rhodes as "themanin
possession"ofMatabelelandfaces penny-pinching"Little
Englanders"Gladstoneand Labouchere
7 Expandingempires(3):cartoonfromtheGerman
satiricalmagazineKladderadatschcommentingonthe
FrenchinvasionofMadagascar
8 Expandingempires(4):cartoonfromtheAmerican
journalJudge,commentingonUncleSam'sattitude
toCuba
9 Khama, Khama's SetswanasecretaryRatshosa, Khama's
EnglishsecretarySimon Seisa,andJohnSmithMoffat
ILLUSTRATIONS
10TheBritishGeneralElection,July1895:electionnight
in FleetStreet
11Mr.Chamberlain'sChamberofHorrors12TheChamberlainHen andthe
BechuanaDuckling13 Thechiefswith SirSidneyand LadyShippardatVryburg
14TheTantallonCastleandCaptainRobinson15Passengers onboardthe
TantallonCastle16"The ThreeKings of Africa":Sebele,Bathoen, Khama,
and Willoughbyastheyappearedin astudioportrait17"Bung"inAfrica:Khama
andChamberlainasthey
appearedinPunch
Followingpage186
18Khama,Sebele,andBathoenseatedin frontofthe
conservatoryofacountryhousewiththeirattendants 19Thursday,September19:
SomalivillageattheCrystal
Palace
20Thechiefs atEnderby(1):arrivalnearthelych-gateofthe
Anglicanparishchurchin Leicester Lane
21Thechiefs atEnderby(2):luncheonintheCongregational
schoolhouse
22Thechiefs atEnderby(3): groupphotographofthe
entendedYoungfamilyand guestsoutsidetheYoung
homein SeineLane
23Thechiefs atEnderby(4): Khamaand Mrs.Young24 KHAMA:"Ithinkthe
kingisbutaman,as Iam":a
responsetothe"Khamaboom"inMoonshine
25Theidolsofthehour: Khama,thelordprovostof
Glasgow,Sebele, and Willoughby,attheGlasgow City
Chambers,October24,1895
26StudioportraitofBathoen,Sebele, Khama, Willoughby,
andLloyd
27Theportraitandsignatureof KhamathatmadeSebele
andBathoenjealous whenitwascoloredandimpressed
onaStaffordshireporcelainplate
28TheVaaldriftscrisis (1):July1895 cartoonfromtheCape
pressindicates thereason Krugerputsanctionsonthe
BritishinCapeColony
29TheVaaldriftscrisis (2):October1895cartoonfromthe
Capepress showstheconsequences fortheTransvaaloftryingtoclosethe Vaal
RiverdriftstoCapewagontraffic30 Wednesday,November13,1895, at
Chatham:Bathoen,
Khama,Sebele, Kwenaetsile,KehutileGohiwamang,
SimeonSeisa,and Willoughby,withGeneralSirCharles
Warrenand Warren's aide-de-camp
31 Wednesday, November20,1895:KingKhamabeing
presentedwithaphotographicportraitofQueen Victoria
ILLUSTRATIONS xi
32Responses totheChamberlainsettlement(1): "TheNew
Black Wedge"
33Responses totheChamberlainsettlement(2): "It's allvery
wellfor you, Khama..."
34Advertiser'sviewof African colonization(1): the
Bechuanachiefsin London
35Advertiser'sviewof African colonization(2): theAngloAsante(Ashanti)War
in WestAfrica
36Advertiser'sviewof African colonization(3): thejameson
RaidinSouthAfrica
PREFACEAND
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This bookcanandshouldberead as asimplenarrative,tellingatalethathasnot
beentoldinsuchdetailbefore.Itcan alsobeseen asacontributiontoanumberof
areasofscholarlyinquiryanddebate.
First,itisastudyinthehistoricalanthropologyof "Western"capitalistsociety, at
theheightofBritishimperialpowerandindustrialmight,asseenbyintelligent
outsiders.Thereconstructionofthe"discoveries" ofimperialEuropeandNorth
AmericabyobserversfromAfrica,Asia,SouthAmerica,andthePacificis,as
ApollonDavidsonpoints outinhisCecilRhodesandHisTimes (Moscow:
ProgressPublishers,1988),agreatchallengefor"historians,psychologists and
ethnographers." Thereisalsoafascinationinfictionaboutseeing"ourselves as
othersseeus,"touseRobertBurns's phrase-afascinationthat goesbackin
Englishliteratureatleast asfarasJonathan Swift's Gulliver'sTravels(1726),and
thatcontinuesthrough workssuchasABayardfiromBengal,theadventuresof
"Baboo"inBritain(1902). Ifwemaytranslatethatfascinationfromfiction to
nonfictionandputitin"postmodern" literaryterms,thispresentbookmaybesaid
tobeanattempttoallowimperial"subalterns" tospeakforthemselves-portraying
Westernsocietyas"other"ratherthan as"us."
Second,thisbookmaybeseenas acontributiontothesocialandpolitical history
oflateVictorianBritain.Itreveals across-section overafewmonths ofprovincial
andmetropolitanEngland,Scotland,and Wales, andtheworkingsofso-called
middle-classmoralityin publicopinionandthepress. It gauges theextentto
whichjingoismorimperialistfervorhadovercomethebodypolitic;andindicates
howtheLiberal"Nonconformistconscience"and Tory"romanticanticapitalism"
canbeunderstoodinterms ofthencurrentideas ofevangelicalism and
humanitarianism,temperance,andevenpacifism.
Third,thisbookisacontributionintherecentlyrevivedfieldof
PREFACEANDACKNOWLEDGMENTS
imperialhistory. Khama, Sebele,andBathoenimmenselycomplicatedand
therebyunderminedCecilRhodes'spreparations fortheso-calledJameson Raid.
This bookshowshowJosephChamberlain,starpoliticianofthenew
Conservative-Unionistgovernmentandcolonial minister,was compromisedby
thethreechiefsasspectersfromhisradicalpastandbyhispriorknowledgeof
Rhodes'ssecretplans.
Fourth,andperhaps mostimportantly,thisbookis acontributiontothehistoryof
Africa. Itdemonstratesjusthowdifficultitwastoachievethediplomatic
alternativetoarmedresistanceagainstcolonialization-topreservea measureof
autonomyratherthaninvitingconquestanddispossession.Itshowsthe
"subimperialism"ofAfricanrulersexercisingleveragewithinEuropean
imperialismandpursuingtheirownagendaofexpansionism,andhowcolonial
andmissionarydesigns couldbesubvertedandusedforotherpurposes.
SpecificallyforBotswanahistory,thisbookadds fueltothedebateastowhether
itwasthesuccess ofthethreechiefs orthefailureoftheJamesonRaidthat
preservedtheBechuanalandProtectoratefromincorporationintoRhodesiaand
SouthAfrica.
Finally,on apersonalnote,thisbookisastudyoftheintersectionofthe
antecedentsoftwosocieties withwhich Iamfamiliartoday-Britainand
Botswana.ItistheproductofalongpersonalquestfortherootsofanAfrican
civilizationthatstartledmeonfirstacquaintanceas alateadolescent. Itis alsoa
formofapologyforadolescentvandalism,inspiredbyparentsbornintoan ageof
reactionagainstVictorianculture,inhelpingtodestroydecorativeplaster onthe
exteriorofalateVictorianhousein London.
Theideaofthis bookwassuggested, asthecentenaryof1895approached, by
Prof. IsaacSchapera,thedoyenofscholarswhohavestudiedBotswanaand its
people.Butmystudyof 1895hasbeen manymoreyears in gestation.
Thevisitofthethreekings or chiefsfromBotswanatoBritainfirstintrigued me
when Iwasaneighteen-year-old atMoengCollegeinBotswana.Ireadaboutthe
visitinAnthonySillery's Bechuanaland Protectorate(1952) andlearnedaboutits
significanceinBotswana'shistoryfrommyheadmaster,thelateB.C.Thema.
Later,as apostgraduatestudentinAfrican Studies attheUniversityofEdinburgh,
Iwas encouragedtopursuemyinterestthroughresearchbyProf."Sam"
Shepperson.
Amongotherswhohavehelpedmewiththis book,andtheprevious workoutof
whichit grew, Imustsingleout IsaacSchaperain London,"Sam"Shepperson,
nowretiredin Peterborough,andthelateAnthonySilleryofOxford;John
Aldridge,Davidjeffery,andKevinShillingtonin
PREFACEANDACKNOWLEDGMENTS
London;Rev.AndrewSellwoodandDavidNorth (forthefamilyofAlice Young)
inEnderby, Leicestershire;SekgomaKhamaof Serowe,nowin Stockholm;Tom
Tlou,JeffRamsay,andBarryMortoninGaborone;thelateJackChirenjeof
Harare;andApollonDavidsonofCapeTownand Moscow.
Finally,Iwishtoacknowledgetheassistanceoflibraryandofficestaffontwo
continents.
InEuropeIhavetothankthestaffofthelibraryoftheUniversityofEdinburgh
anditsformerCentreof African Studies,andtheNationalLibraryofScotlandin
Edinburgh;SellyOakColleges LibraryinBirmingham;theformerlibraries ofthe
London MissionarySociety(CongregationalCouncilfor World Mission)andof
theRoyalCommonwealthSocietyin London(nowattheSchoolofOrientaland
African Studies,UniversityofLondon, andtheUniversityofCambridge
respectively);thePublicRecordOfficeformerlyinChanceryLaneandnowat
Kew;theBritish Library's newspaperrepositoryatColindale;thearchivesof
MadameTussaud'swaxworksinMarylebone;theofficeoftheLord Mayor of
London(foratelephoneinquiry); andthelibraryoftheUniversityof London's
InstituteofCommonwealthStudies.
In AfricaIhavetothankthestaffofthearchivelibraryoftheKhamaIII
MemorialMuseumin Serowe;thelibrariesofthe BotswanaNationalArchives,of
theUniversityofBotswana,andoftheNationalMuseumand ArtGalleryin
Gaborone;thelibrariesoftheUniversityofZambiain LusakaandoftheNational
Archives ofZimbabweinHarare;the WilliamCullen LibraryattheUniversityof
the Witwatersrand;andtheAfricanStudies LibraryattheUniversityofCape
Town.Finallyawordofthanks tothestaffandstudents oftheDepartment of
History,UniversityofCapeTown,forhelpingmetomusterideasforthefirst
chapter.
Forpermissiontoreproduceillustrationsfromoriginals Iam gratefultoMr.
DavidNorthofEnderby, Leicestershire,thegrandnephewofthemissionary
teacherAliceYoung(figs.20-23),andto Ms. FionaBarbouroftheDuggin-
CroninGalleryattheMcGregorMemorial Museumin Kimberley(fig.30). Ialso
acknowledgethecourtesyoftheSchoolofOrientalandAfrican Studies Library,
UniversityofLondon,forallowingmetousecopiesofotherfigures(map 3and
fig.26). Specialthanks gotoJohnAldridgeoftheAldridgePressinChiswick,
London,forsplendidprintpreparationofmapsandillustrations,manyofthem
frommurkycopies,andtoMax Ellisforcoloringthecoverillustration.Finally
mygratitudegoestoDavidBrentandhiseditorialteamattheUniversityof
ChicagoPress,whosehelpfulnesshasmadethemintofriends.
ANOTEONTERMINOLOGY
Theterm"Great WhiteQueen"asappliedtoQueenVictoria(ruled1837-1901)
wasputintothemouths of"native" supplicantsbyBritishsettlerrecordsaround
theworldandcametobeacceptedinmetropolitan Britainascorrect"Sambo"
pidgin. MaryQueenofScotswas theoriginal WhiteQueen,assheworewidow's
white.Perhaps Victoria, whoworewidow'sblack, shouldhavebeentheBlack
Queen. IntheSetswanalanguageshewas known asMma-Mosadinyana,thatis,
asMrs.Little(Old) Lady.Mma-Mosadinyanacontinuedtobeusedafter
Victoria'sdeathbyTswanapeopletorefertotheBritishgovernmentin London.
"EmperorJoe"was oneofJosephChamberlain's manynicknames,referringtohis
tenureas colonialsecretary(June1895-October1903).Asa youngrepublicanhe
was"RadicalJoe."Hecontinuedtobe"PushfulJoe." Afterhis betrayalofCharles
StewartParnellandIrishhomerule, Irishnationalistscalledhim 'Judas."
Khama(ruled1875-1923)was usuallyreferredto as "KingKhama"(oras
"KhamatheGood")inBritain;and"thethreekings"had aneatbiblicalringthat
appealedtotheBritishpressin1895.Sebeleand Bathoen,ontheotherhand,were
morecommonlycalled"chiefs" inthepressthoughallthreemenwereequalin
traditionalstatus.Thewordschiefandkingareusedinterchangeablyinthis book.
TheSetswanawordfor chiefiskgosi(pluraldikgosz).ButKhama, Sebele,and
Bathoenwere greater menthanmerechiefs.Each onewasaKgosiekgolo("great
chief"orparamountchief).
ThetermBechuanaland Protectorateusedinthetextissynonymouswiththe
boundaries oftoday's RepublicofBotswana.Other"Bechuana" territories
(includingthecolonycalledBritishBechuanaland between1885 and1895) today
constitutemuchoftheNorth WestandNorthern CapeProvincesoftheRepublic
ofSouthAfrica.
xviii ANOTEONTERMINOLOGY
ThewordBechuana(i.e. Be-chuana)is anarchaicversionofthe modern word
Batswana(i.e.Ba-tswana),referringtoTswanapeopleintheplural.Theword
Bechuanacontinuedinofficialusealmostuntiltheendofthecolonialperiodin
1966.Thesingularword foraTswanapersonwas Mochuana(nowMotswana),
andTswana languageandculturewereSechuana(nowSetswana).
INTRODUCTION
Epiphanyon
CliftonBridge
CLIFTONSUSPENSIONBRIDGECROSSESADIZZYINGgorgenearBristol
wheretheriverAvoncuts throughahillsidetowardtheSevernandtheBristol
Channel.Thebridge, completedin1829,isamonumenttotheingenuityofits
architect,thetwenty-three-year-oldengineer Isambard KingdomBrunel(1806-
59). Withiron frame,woodenplanking,brickand masonrytowers-andsuspension
chains takenfrom London's Hungerford footbridge,demolishedtomakewayfor
CharingCrossrailwaybridgeovertheThamesin1864-thenarrowspanstretches
for630feet(190 meters).
Itwasacross thisbridgethatfour gentlemen could beseencautiouslymaking
theirwayonemorningin September1895.ThreeAfricansofobviousseniority
andrespectability,insober graywoolensuits,werebeingcajoledtowalkonward
byashort,bespectacled whiteman withapointed beard.
Thepathfinder was WilliamCharles Willoughby,anordained ministerofthe
London MissionarySociety(LMS).Hehadbeen servinginthesouthernAfrican
missionfieldofBechuanalandforfour years.His reluctantfollowers-Khama,
Sebele,andBathoen-wereallchiefsorkings ofthe"Bechuana" (Batswana)
peopleofBritain's Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Reverend WilloughbyhadsprungthenovelexperienceoftheCliftonBridgeon
thethreedignitaries asapranktocatchthemunawares"beforetheyknew where
theywere." Hehadtaken themforaridein ahorsecarriageoverthehillsonthe
edgeofthe cityofBristol,alongaroadthatsuddenlyjuttedoutintospaceacross
Cliftongorge.
Theyalightednexttothebridgeandlookeddown intotheravinetosee"people
andcarriageslikelittlespotsbelowthem."Theywere"astonished..,beyond
measure,"but"itwas amatterofdignitywiththemtomanifestsurpriseat
nothing."
INTRODUCTION
Willoughbytookthemtothebeginningofthebridge,butthethreechiefsrefused
towalkanyfurther:"Weareafraid. We'll goback."
Willoughbychidedthem,"I'll goonthen."
"It'sdangerous,"theysaid.
"I'veawifeathome,"said Willoughby,"andamnotalikelymanto gointo
danger.I'mgoingacross anyhow."
Hestrodeoutalongthefootpathononesideofthebridge.Thechiefshesitantly
followedhim:"Atfirsttheywentholdingfastbytheuprights"onthefootpath.
Theythenfoundthatitfeltmuchsafertowalkdownthecenterofthe
carriageway.AccordingtotheBristolMercury,"Theyweremuchstruckwiththe
viewfromthemiddleofthegorge,andthentheycarefullyretractedtheirsteps."