History

Those Who Came Before Us

by David Ibanda | African History & Pre-colonial Narratives

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About the show

Those Who Came Before Us is an immersive journey into African history, oral traditions, and the pre-colonial kingdoms of the Great Lakes. From Buganda and Bunyoro to the mysteries of the Bachwezi and the spirits of Lake Victoria, each episode blends history and myth to reveal the emotional and spiritual world of East Africa. Together, we hold a lantern to the darkness of the past. So that the stories, fears, and ambitions of those who came before us are never forgotten. New episodes explore African mythology, Buganda history, and the hidden worlds of pre-colonial East Africa.

Latest episodes

African Spiritual Warfare: How Horns Protected and Attacked in the Great Lakes

May 9, 2026 · 19 min

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the role of horns in spiritual practice across kingdoms like Buganda, Bunyoro, and Busoga. Often filled, sealed, and carried, these horns were believed to contain forces that could protect…
The Envoys Who Saw the World: The Story I Didn’t Say

March 20, 2026 · 28 min

Send us Fan Mail This is the story I didn’t say. In the main episode, I focused on what the envoys meant to Buganda. Here, I slow things down and follow their journey step by step from the Nile, through Sudan, into Egypt, and eventually…
Kabaka Muteesa I’s 1879 Mission to London: Survival Diplomacy in Buganda

March 15, 2026 · 48 min

Send us Fan Mail By 1879, the kingdom of Buganda found itself caught in the expanding shadow of empire. To the north, Egyptian forces were pushing deeper into the Upper Nile, threatening to extend their authority toward the Great Lakes. In…
Master of the Waves: Mukasa, God of Lake Victoria

February 15, 2026 · 21 min

Send us Fan Mail Lake Victoria has always been more than geography. For the people who lived along its shores in Buganda and across the Great Lakes region, it was a living domain capable of taking life without warning, yet sustaining…
A Spirit World Pretending to Be a Lake: The Serpent Spirits of Lake Victoria in African Mythology

February 1, 2026 · 8 min

Send us Fan Mail The world’s second-largest freshwater lake is more than a body of water. It is a boundary. For those who lived along its shores in East Africa, Lake Victoria was shaped by unseen presence—spirits, serpents, and forces that…
At the Edge of Buganda: Why James Hannington Turned Back (Part 5)

December 3, 2025 · 14 min

Send us Fan Mail At Kagei the crucial port on the southern shore of Lake Victoria and the main gateway to Buganda by canoe, James Hannington finally steps free after his detention by King Romwa of Buzinza. But just as the last stretch of…
Canoes, Cloth, and Conflict: The Wary King Romwa (Hannington Part 4)

November 20, 2025 · 11 min

Send us Fan Mail After a brutal trek across the interior, James Hannington and two fellow missionaries finally reach the lands of Romwa of Buzinza, exhausted, sick, and desperate for canoes to cross Lake Victoria. But with empty hands and…
The Shadow of Mirambo: King on the Caravan Road (Hannington Part 3)

November 12, 2025 · 14 min

Send us Fan Mail Frail and fevered, James Hannington reaches the caravan’s camp only to find them seized by dread. Beyond the horizon lies Mirambo’s domain, a land few dare to cross. His name moves through Central Africa like a storm: the…