The hut tax was a type of taxation introduced by British colonialists in Africa on a per hut or household basis. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism It was variously payable in money, labour, grain or stock and benefited the colonial authorities in two ways: it raised money; and it forced Africans to labour in the colonial economy. ^[1] Households which had survived on, and stored their wealth in, cattle ranching now sent members to work for the colonialists in order to raise cash with which to pay the tax. The colonial economy depended upon black African labour to build new towns and railways, and in southern Africa to work in the rapidly developing mines.

Contents 1 Zimbabwe 2 Other countries 3 References 4 External links

Zimbabwe

In Mashonaland, now part of Zimbabwe, hut tax was introduced at the rate of ten shillings per hut in 1894. Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election The shilling is a unit of Currency used in current and former Commonwealth countries and was continued to be used in countries that left the commonwealth ^[1] Although authorized by the Colonial Office in London, the tax was paid to the British South Africa Company, the agent of colonial government in the area. The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British Colonies. The British South Africa Company (BSAC was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd Coinciding with confiscations of cattle, the introduction of forced labour and a series of natural disasters, the tax probably contributed to the Shona part of the rebellion against the colonialists in 1896, known as the First Chimurenga or Second Matabele War. Shona (ˈʃoʊnə is the name collectively given to several groups of people in Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. Chimurenga is a Shona word for 'struggle' The word's modern interpretation has been extended to describe a struggle for human rights political dignity and social justice specifically The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion and in Zimbabwe as the First Chimurenga, took place from 1896–97 ^[1]

Other countries

The tax was also used in Uganda,^[2] Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia),^[3] and South Africa. The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa In Sierra Leone it sparked the Hut Tax War of 1898. Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. The Hut Tax War of 1898 was a war of resistance to British colonialism in Sierra Leone. ^[4]

References

External links

• Nations of Eastern Africa

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