Statecraft & Independence
Landmark
Lewanika
c. 1842 – 1916
Litunga of Barotseland, who sought British protection and signed away more than he knew
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Zambia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
He ruled Barotseland for most of four decades and, fearing the Portuguese to the west and the Ndebele to the east, put his kingdom under British protection — signing a concession whose terms he did not fully grasp.
Lewanika was born around 1842 near the Nyengo Swamp and was Litunga — king — of Barotseland from 1878 to 1884 and again from 1885 until his death in 1916, of the Luyana line restored to Bulozi after the death of the Kololo conqueror Sebetwane.
Fearing attack from the Portuguese in Angola to the west and the Ndebele to the east, he brought Barotseland under British protection, signing the Lochner Concession in June 1890 — which handed mineral and trading rights over his kingdom to the British South Africa Company, on terms he did not fully understand at the time. The Lozi remain the only people in Zambia with a king rather than a chief, and the kingdom's distinct standing traces to his reign.
Fearing attack from the Portuguese in Angola to the west and the Ndebele to the east, he brought Barotseland under British protection, signing the Lochner Concession in June 1890 — which handed mineral and trading rights over his kingdom to the British South Africa Company, on terms he did not fully understand at the time. The Lozi remain the only people in Zambia with a king rather than a chief, and the kingdom's distinct standing traces to his reign.
- Britannica — Lewanika
- Wikipedia — Lewanika
- Face2Face Africa — A look at the Lozi, the only people in Zambia with a king instead of a chief
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