The last independent king of Buganda—now Uganda—King Mwanga II, began his reign in 1884. He was known to have both male and female lovers. King Mwanga [MU-WON-GAH] was an early fighter against colonialism. And modern LGBTQ+ activists tell his story as evidence that queerness is a part of Africa’s history.
Mwanga allowed homosexual relationships in court. His lovers, male and female, would all be addressed as “wife” and they called him “husband.” Mwanga II had people suspected of spying for the colonizers executed. Some accused him of killing men who refused his sexual advances, but at least one African biographer insists that while Mwanga’s wrath could be fierce, it wasn’t wasted on those who rebuffed advances. The King was fiercely against colonization and any threat to the sovereignty and safety of his nation was met with fierceness. The previous king, Mwanga I, allowed missionaries into the Buganda and his son, Mwanga II didn’t think that wise. He thought European missionaries were part of plans to colonize non-European countries. Additionally, it may be that some of his harem (men and women) had been influenced by Christians and were embracing Western ideas that were contrary to Bugandan culture. Within a year of Mwanga II enthronement, he had 10 Christian missionaries killed.
Consider this: in Africa, 36 countries, including Uganda, have criminalized homosexuality. All of them established those laws after being colonized by Europeans. His violence notwithstanding, Mwanga II may have been right about the dangers of Christian missiology. He was certainly right about the evils of colonization.
