Leach in his study of the Kachin interpreted disputes over claims to administer ritual or to recite myths as a means whereby politically opposed factions sought to assert their independence or their dominance (Leach, 1954, p. 278). He also showed that in this competition the Kachin made use of ritual and other cultural elements which they had adopted from the Shans and were using for political ends.

The history of European colonization in Africa is to a large degree a story of Christian missionary penetration. Yet, relatively scant attention has been paid to their political activities and influence, especially during the period following the First World War. This paper is an attempt to deal with this problem as it manifested itself in the former Belgium Congo. For reasons that I hope will become obvious to the reader, the Catholic missions will receive greater attention than the Protestant.

The oral traditions of the Fipa of south-west Tanzania tell of the advent in their country in pre-colonial times of a prophet called Kaswa. This man is said to have foretold the destruction of the old social order in Ufipa (the name given to the country of the Fipa) and its replacement by the values and technology of a capitalistic society. After making these prophecies Kaswa miraculously disappeared into the ground.