What's the deal with Buganda?

[CrackerJack45]

As someone who is not at all versed in African history I find it very interesting that Buganda is currently the only modern era civ we have 100% confirmed so far, especially seeing as I had never heard of it before it's reveal in Civ 7. With that said my lack of knowledge on the subject means I have no clue where to even begin speculating on what its unique bonuses would be. Will they be a diplomatic civ? Economic? Cultural? Will they have bonuses to navigable rivers like the strange Egypt > Songhai > Buganda evolution SEEMS to be setting up? I don't see any rivers looking at maps. What do we think Firaxis' plan is with Buganda? I'm very curious.

 

[AriochIV]

I hadn't heard of it either, and I suppose that's because it's not an actual country. It's a subdivision of Uganda.

 

[CrackerJack45]

Looking into them briefly I also found out about the Kasubi Tombs which looks like it could perhaps be their associated wonder (Idk if people have already speculated this or not).

 

[moysturfurmer]

Looking into them briefly I also found out about the Kasubi Tombs which looks like it could perhaps be their associated wonder (Idk if people have already speculated this or not).

View attachment 700959

Yeah someone found a screenshot of this in one of the gameplay videos.

 

[CrackerJack45]

Yeah someone found a screenshot of this in one of the gameplay videos.

Oooh, nice I'll have to go looking for that!

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I hadn't heard of it either, and I suppose that's because it's not an actual country. It's a subdivision of Uganda.

It was a pre-colonial independent kingdom for a while before it was conquered by the British, and then became a subdivision of the current country of Uganda.

 

[Takfloyd]

I suspect we'll probably be getting a lot of weird civ choices like this. Kind of sabotages the argument that "it makes sense you can't stay as the same civ the whole game because the civ doesn't exist anymore in the modern world", when we have modern era civ options like Buganda that also don't exist in the modern world as anything more than a random subsection of some undeveloped country. I mean come on, their "wonder" is a straw hut? In the modern era?

It only really makes sense if there truly are a LOT of civs in the game and every region of the world gets a representative for each era. There's not much to choose from in eastern Africa. But I have a feeling more prosperous modern era African countries like Nigeria, South Africa and even modern Egypt won't be represented and this is what we're stuck with for modern Africa in general.

 

[Zaarin]

Buganda that also don't exist in the modern world

Civ7's Modern Age begins in the mid 19th century. This is what Britannica has to say about the Kingdom of Buganda:

Buganda, powerful kingdom of East Africa during the 19th century, located along the northern shore of Lake Victoria in present-day south-central Uganda. Buganda’s insistence on maintaining a separate political identity contributed to Uganda’s destabilization after that country reached independence in 1962.

So it would seem that the Kingdom of Buganda was a major player in East Africa in the Modern Age. I am by no means an expert in African history and can't tell you whether Buganda was the best choice, but it doesn't seem like the worst, either. (Plus, I enjoy when Civ teaches me something new. I hadn't heard of Buganda before, and most of what I know of Uganda would be some of the coffee growing regions.)

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

So it would seem that the Kingdom of Buganda was a major player in East Africa in the Modern Age. I am by no means an expert in African history and can't tell you whether Buganda was the best choice, but it doesn't seem like the worst, either. (Plus, I enjoy when Civ teaches me something new. I hadn't heard of Buganda before, and most of what I know of Uganda would be some of the coffee growing regions.)

I admit I only know of Buganda because of @Patine has been advocating for it. I'm sure he has more insight.

 

[Xandinho]

Buganda was an unexpected choice, but I can understand it - perhaps they wanted to avoid selecting a post-colonial African state. There are a few other options for African civilizations in Age 3 that aren't quite as obscure. Besides the obvious choice of Ethiopia, there's Ashanti, whose kingdom lasted until the transition from the industrial to the modern era.

The inclusion of Buganda makes me think that we might see more cultures in Age 3 that aren't exactly nation-states. I could see the Mapuche fitting this criterion, as they remain a significant indigenous group in Chile.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Buganda was an unexpected choice, but I can understand it - perhaps they wanted to avoid selecting a post-colonial African state. There are a few other options for African civilizations in Age 3 that aren't quite as obscure. Besides the obvious choice of Ethiopia, there's Ashanti, whose kingdom lasted until the transition from the industrial to the modern era.

I can't believe you left off the Zulu.
Can you imagine Zulu Impi fighting British Redcoats in the Modern Age? Oh wait!

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

I can't believe you left off the Zulu.
Can you imagine Zulu Impi fighting British Redcoats in the Modern Age? Oh wait!

They did fight Royal Siamese Army in Humankind

 

[Patine]

I admit I only know of Buganda because of @Patine has been advocating for it. I'm sure he has more insight.

A Rwandan-Canadian friend of mine lived for 30 years as a refugee in Uganda after his parents fled Rwanda during the killings preceding the actual 100 days, but before he immigrated here to Canada, and he's fluent in the Baganda language, I do have a bit of a window on the culture.

 

[Krikkit1]

After a bit of Wikipedia:

?Resistance bonus? (after Uganda became an independent republic, the Buganda kingdom successfully fought to get itself reestablished)

Lake/Navigable River bonuses/War canoes: (They conquered the rest of the groups around Lake Victoria)

Hill / marsh bonuses (they kept housing on hillsides leaving the marsh hill tops for agriculture ….. )

?Plantation bonus? (Agriculture was mostly farming, few animals)



Forced labor of conquered peoples and human sacrifice in the precolonial period **** Firaxis might want to leave anything like this out**** (Aztecs are one thing, a modern nonEuro civ doing human sacrifice might be a bit of bad PR)

 

[CrackerJack45]

?Resistance bonus? (after Uganda became an independent republic, the Buganda kingdom successfully fought to get itself reestablished)

I think something like this that utilizes diplomacy and the new war support system might make sense?

 

[Krikkit1]

I think something like this that utilizes diplomacy and the new war support system might make sense?

I imagine that might also be more important in Era3

 

[Futumch]

It's funny how you don't really pay attention to things that were sitting under your nose the whole time. I really like old maps, and now - only after the Buganda were pointed out - I can see the place marked in my African maps. Protectorate of Buganda right beside Uganda in a 1909 colonial Africa map. I would have simply skimmed over it before now. See, Civ is an agency for learning. A good thing.

 

[Quintillus]

I've come across Buganda twice, once in Europa Universalis IV, and again in the book River of the Gods, by Candice Millard, an author whose works I highly recommend, particularly if "adventure non-fiction" is a genre you enjoy.

To quote the passage that gives perhaps the best short overview in the book of Buganda in the Civ VII modern age, pages 122-123:

By the nineteenth century, there were many autonomous kingdoms in the region [of East Africa]. In the north, the largest kingdom was Buganda, which had been founded nearly five hundred years earlier when the ruler of the Ganda people extended his control over the region. When Burton and Speake arrived in Zanzibar, the current king of Buganda, Mutesa I, had just come into power. During his twenty-eight-year reign, Mutesa I would reform and expand Buganda's military and keep a tight rein on Arab traders, foreign missionaries, and European explorers.

Although Arabs had been trading in the region for centuries, they were taking advantage of a system that had already been well established by East Africans.

Mutesa I ruled from 1856 to 1884.

I think one of the adjustments relative to earlier Civ versions is that "Modern" covers essentially 1800 and later, whereas in most Civ games the 1800s would be "Industrial", with "Modern" being either 1914 and later or 1945 and later, roughly, and varying by Civ game. So a civ that reached its zenith in the 1800s can fit, even though in previous Civ versions with more eras, that wouldn't count as "modern".

It does make me wonder if the Exploration Age might feature Zanzibar. Egypt -> Songhai -> Buganda seems tenuous, as has been discussed elsewhere. Zanzibar had a role in the Civ VII Modern era as well (and is now the "zan" in "Tanzania"), but is best known for its role in the Age of Exploration. ??? -> Zanzibar -> Buganda would be a tighter geographic chain, even if there isn't a "continuity of people" role.

 

[moondog385]

I’m thrilled Buganda made it in the game. It was on my radar because of this forum and I knew some people here would be happy when I saw it show up.

I’m also glad because this means the Modern Age won’t be dominated by “countries” in the sense we understand them. I want to play “civs” first and the others — like Australia, Canada, etc. — can come later.

 

[Hannibal XIII]

If I had to pick a 19th-century African power, I would've definitely gone for the Fulani (or Toucouleur), Ashanti or Madagascar first. Buganda was only one of many Great Lakes Bantu cattle kingdoms, others including Rwanda, Burundi and other kingdoms annexed into Uganda and other countries such as Ankole and Bunyoro.

If they wanted more specifically East African continental flavor without counting the Horn, I gotta say I'd have gone for Oman-Zanzibar first (and Kilwa in the exploration age.)