Jean-Claude van Varenberg (born 18 October 1960) is a Flemish-born American dancer and choreographer. Known by his nickname “The Legs from Brussels”, he entered the Paris Opera Ballet at 18, having pursued classical dance training in the same time than Asian martial arts. His distinctive style, inspired by Chinese wushu and Ryukyuan karate, have made him one of the most renowned dancers in the world, and he has pursued independent ballet through his group, Bloodsport.
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Jean-Claude van Varenberg (born 18 October 1960) is a Flemish-born American dancer and choreographer. Known by his nickname “The Legs from Brussels”, he entered the Paris Opera Ballet at 18, having pursued classical dance training in the same time than Asian martial arts. His distinctive style, inspired by Chinese wushu and Ryukyuan karate, have made him one of the most renowned dancers in the world, and he has pursued independent ballet through his group, Bloodsport.
Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Muteesa II (19 November 1924-3 December 2019) was the 35th and longest-reigning Kabaka (King) of Buganda, suceeding his father Daudi Cwa II on 22 November 1939 until his death, after which he was succeeded by his fourth son and current King Muwenda Mutebi II. His reign spanned the Uganda Protectorate, the East African Federation, the Protectorate of Buganda and the proper independence of Buganda, that was obtained on 4 July 1976.
The Kingdom of Buganda had been unified in the 13th Century and had been one of the largest and most powerful states in East Africa, before it was, after many attempts, colonized by the British who incorporated it into the Uganda protectorate in 1894 ; Buganda was a center to the British colony, with his kings maintained and converting to Anglicanism, while many Baganda enjoyed high ranks within the colonial administration and the country enjoyed prosperity as a producer of coffee and cotton. It was in this context that Muteesa II was born on 19 November 1924, the fifth son of Kabaka Daudi Cwa II ; he was elected to succeeded his father at 15, with a regency assuming full powers until his majority and coronation on November, 19 1942. As leader of a British protectorate, Muteesa was educated in Uganda before completing his studies in Cambridge, where he was even commissionned as a Captain in the Grenadier Guards ; due to his royal status, he wasn’t allowed to see combat during the World War in spite of his demands.
Most of Africa campaigned for independence at the time, and Uganda was no exception : the country saw uprisings in 1949 and the British created an East African Federation in order to better prepare Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar to self-reliance within the Commonwealth, as it was done in Canada and Greater Rhodesia ; Muteesa, known as “King Freddie” in London, was opposed to the idea alongside his fellow Ugandan monarchs, fearing to fall under the domination of Kenya, a white settlement colony. The chaos of the Kenya War (1953-1963) proved his point of view right and his efforts into containing independence-minded politicians at bay within his kingdom reassured the British, who dissolved the stillborn Federation in 1962 and decided to rely more on the Ugandan petty kingdoms.
Independence in the short term for British Africa was an evidence, and Muteesa II managed to create a true working relationship with Prime Minister Enoch Powell, convincing him that the differences were too great between all the kingdoms of Uganda and that the issue of self-reliance could only be resolved with a true integration into the Commonwealth. The Kabaka had other issues at home : Milton Obote, a Lango from northern Uganda, had taken power as Uganda’s Prime Minister with his Uganda People’s Congress, advocating for a parliamentary federation of Uganda, where the kingdoms would only be autonomous parts ; the Kabaka, relying on the royalists united within the Kabaka Yekka (King Only) party, had enjoyed near-absolute control over his kingdom, the most powerful of Uganda, and grew to see Obote as a rival who would depose him if given a rein at power. He convinced Powell that Obote was a Pan-Africanist revolutionary and a would-be dictator, and obtained the deposition and exile of the Prime Minister in 1964 ; Obote would be assassinated in London on April 1968, an action where many observers saw the hand of the Kabaka and MI5 himself. Nevertheless, on 15 April 1966, the Uganda Protectorate was dissolved by London and replaced into smaller protectorates corresponding to the kingdoms, such as Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro, Ankole and Tooro, all scheduled for independence within ten years and as parliamentary monarchies, modeled on the Winchester System ; northern Uganda was integrated into the Nile Colony. Buganda became independent on the first day of the year 1976 and as ruler of the strongest kingdom, Muteesa II looked like the true master of the former Uganda.
First forced under a parliamentary monarchy with the British, headed by former Obote associate Paulo Muwanga, Muteesa II still feared that his reign would be cut short by republican agitation and that, as the true father to Buganda’s independence, he deserved to personally lead his small kingdom. As such, Muteesa II lead his own coup d’état on October, 9 1978, seizing power with the help of his personal guard and changing the Constitution of Buganda to grant him the status of an absolute monarch, without any separate head of government. The move was met with concern from Buganda’s allies, but Muteesa quickly made clear that he would remain a full member of the Commonwealth and commit himself to the modernization and prosperity of the Baganda. Even if industrial economy aren’t that developed in Buganda, the country is renowned for the quality of its agriculture and its mining facilities, allowing its capital, Mengo, built under supervision of the Kabaka around his own palace, to be one of the most densely populated cities in Africa, even if some have pointed the anarchic urbanism of the city and the toll taken on the environment of neighbouring Lake Victoria. During the 41 years of personal rule that followed, Muteesa II ruled Buganda with an iron fist, quelling Pan-Africanist, republican and ethnic dissent, even going as far as extending his rule towards his neighbours, making Bunyoro-Kitara a virtual puppet state after waging a small war (1979-1980) and intervening in the Busoga Succession Crisis (2009-2014) ; the King had to deal with an assassination attempt in 1981 and a military coup attempt in 1983, but managed to maintain his absolute monarchy, keeping all under his rule ; the most controversial decision of Muteesa II’s remains the outlawing of homosexual practices in 1993, designed to accomodate the highly religious and conservative citizens of Buganda, along with officially “protecting the Baganda family from the perversions brought on from the outside world”. Persecution of GRSM in Buganda still continues to this day, even if it’s not punishable by death anymore, and remains a hard stain on Muteesa’s legacy ; nevertheless, others continue to herald Buganda as one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, relatively prosperous in spite of its small size, and a true European ally in an era of Azanian irrendetism.
Muteesa II’s cancer was a well-kept secret in his last years, keeping him in London for treatment while his heir Muwenda Mutebi II assured regency. On his 95th birthday, the Kabaka fell into a coma before finally passing away on December 3, 2019. The Lion of Buganda, the Sun of the Great Lakes, the Father of the Baganda had reigned for more than 80 years : his reign had seen the rise and fall of the Confederation of Workers’ Republics, the rise and fall of the colonial empires, the rise and fall of countless nations, the Greater Game, the development of the atomic bomb and the Zwischennetz, the conquest of the Moon and Mars, human clones and intelligent robotics. He was the longest-reigning monarch of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Century at the time, even beating the Dalai Lama and Louis XIV ; during his rule over Buganda, he saw six German Kaisers, three monarchs of England, four Russian czars, eighteen different French heads of state, eighteen Presidents of the United States, the fall of the Empire of Japan, seventeen Presidents of China.
Some see Muteesa II as a historical anomaly, an absolute monarch in the numerical age, a tribal leader in liberated Africa, a tyrant who served his white overlords. Others see him as a father to his people, who obtained them liberty, freedom, protecting them from the many plagues that befell on Africa during the century, keeping them in a tight leash in order to achieve prosperity. The only thing that’s certain in that Muteesa II incarnated Buganda for almost a century, for better and worse.
Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II (born 13 April 1955) is the 36th and current Kabaka (King) of Buganda, having succeeded his father Muteesa II on 3 December 2019. He was crowned on his 65th birthday on 13 April 2020.
Educated in England and a Cambridge graduate, even if he was the fourth son of the king, he quickly became heir apparent, a job that we would hold for more than 64 years, holding executive powers as Regent during his father’s long illness. Formally elected to lead Buganda, Muwenda Mutebi II inherited a country molded by his father’s long reign and had the particularity of being an absolute monarch in the 21th Century. But the new king knew that, at 65, his reign would be a transitional one and that Buganda needed to see some democracy, at least under control, to truly enter the new millenium.
As such, the Constitution was amended and the first free elections in the history of Buganda were held on 14 January 2021 under the terms of the 1976 Constitution, molded upon the Winchester system ; Ken Lukyamuzi, of the Kabaka Yakka conservative party, was elected Prime Minister. In spite of the bold move from Muwenda Mutebi II, the international community had doubts about the democratic nature of the ballot, and fear that the now constitutional monarchy of Buganda won’t address the human rights issues of the country, most notably the persecution of GRSM.
Bunyoro-Kitara is a country in Eastern Africa. it is bordered by the Nile Republic in the north and east, Busoga in the east, Buganda and Tooro-Rwenzururu in the south and Lake Albert in the West.
History
Established by the Bantus after the downfall of the Chwezi Empire in the early 14th Century, Bunyoro-Kitara was among the many kingdoms of the Great Lakes area, having lost much of its powers in the first half of the 19th century. Home to the Banyoro and Bagungu peoples, the small kingdom was placed under British protectorate in 1894, before being integrated into the Uganda protectorate in 1901, before gaining back its own independence first as a British protectorate in 1966, then as a sovereign country in 1976. Shortly after its independence, the kingdom lost a short war (1979-1980) against Buganda, ever living since under the bigger neighbour’s yoke.
Politics
A constitutional monarchy, Bunyoro-Kitara is still effectively an absolute monarchy, its Prime Minister, Andrew Kirungi Byakutaga Ateenyi, having only ceremonial and administrative powers and no parliamentary body to answer to. The Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara has been Solomon Iguru since 25 January 1971, having succeeded his father Winyi IV and has led the country since independence from Great Britain. A sacred monarch and one of the longest-ruling heads of state nowadays, Iguru has defined himself as a father for his subjects and an enlightened despot, paying respect to his powerful overlord in Buganda while promoting development for his country since his capital in Hoima.
Population
A quite densely populated country, Bunyoro-Kitara is dominated by two ethnic groups, the Banyoros and Bagangus, who use Nyoro as their language and were christianized by the British in the late 19th century, while still living under tribal customs in the countryside ; the capital and largest city, Hoima, is still growing but rather small. More than half of the Banyoro population is illiterate in spite of World Council development aids.
Economy
A stable and mostly rural country, Bunyoro-Kitara relies heavily on agriculture and tourism, while making a name for itself thanks to its proximity next to Lake Albert and its natural resources, concentrated in oil, gas, iron ore and precious stones. Even if most revenues from mining benefit for the royal family and neighboring Buganda, most of the kingdom relies on tourism, with world-renowned safaris and big game hunting, and also agriculture, with bananas, millet, cassava, yams, cotton, tobacco, coffee and rice forming most of the cultures and exports. Nevertheless, more than 90 % of the population is considered as living below the poverty line.
Military
The Banyoro Army is quite unnoticeable, managing its own defense while relying heavily on the strength of Buganda.
Culture
A peaceful country making a name for itself thanks to the beauty of its lands, Bunyoro-Kitara is also heavily Christianized, including for its royal family, even if folk traditions are heavily relying on Bantu customs and beliefs, being heavily studied by foreign anthropologists.
History
Established by the Bantus after the downfall of the Chwezi Empire in the early 14th Century, Bunyoro-Kitara was among the many kingdoms of the Great Lakes area, having lost much of its powers in the first half of the 19th century. Home to the Banyoro and Bagungu peoples, the small kingdom was placed under British protectorate in 1894, before being integrated into the Uganda protectorate in 1901, before gaining back its own independence first as a British protectorate in 1966, then as a sovereign country in 1976. Shortly after its independence, the kingdom lost a short war (1979-1980) against Buganda, ever living since under the bigger neighbour’s yoke.
Politics
A constitutional monarchy, Bunyoro-Kitara is still effectively an absolute monarchy, its Prime Minister, Andrew Kirungi Byakutaga Ateenyi, having only ceremonial and administrative powers and no parliamentary body to answer to. The Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara has been Solomon Iguru since 25 January 1971, having succeeded his father Winyi IV and has led the country since independence from Great Britain. A sacred monarch and one of the longest-ruling heads of state nowadays, Iguru has defined himself as a father for his subjects and an enlightened despot, paying respect to his powerful overlord in Buganda while promoting development for his country since his capital in Hoima.
Population
A quite densely populated country, Bunyoro-Kitara is dominated by two ethnic groups, the Banyoros and Bagangus, who use Nyoro as their language and were christianized by the British in the late 19th century, while still living under tribal customs in the countryside ; the capital and largest city, Hoima, is still growing but rather small. More than half of the Banyoro population is illiterate in spite of World Council development aids.
Economy
A stable and mostly rural country, Bunyoro-Kitara relies heavily on agriculture and tourism, while making a name for itself thanks to its proximity next to Lake Albert and its natural resources, concentrated in oil, gas, iron ore and precious stones. Even if most revenues from mining benefit for the royal family and neighboring Buganda, most of the kingdom relies on tourism, with world-renowned safaris and big game hunting, and also agriculture, with bananas, millet, cassava, yams, cotton, tobacco, coffee and rice forming most of the cultures and exports. Nevertheless, more than 90 % of the population is considered as living below the poverty line.
Military
The Banyoro Army is quite unnoticeable, managing its own defense while relying heavily on the strength of Buganda.
Culture
A peaceful country making a name for itself thanks to the beauty of its lands, Bunyoro-Kitara is also heavily Christianized, including for its royal family, even if folk traditions are heavily relying on Bantu customs and beliefs, being heavily studied by foreign anthropologists.
Rukirabasaija Agutamba Solomon Gafabusa Iguru (born 18 June 1948) is the 27th and current Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, holding the position since January, 25 1971 and ruling the country since its independence from Great Britain on January, 1 1976.
Tracing back its legitimacy to the traditional kingdoms of Bunyoro and Kitara, that once controlled trade in the Great Lakes region, Solomon Iguru had a chance at full independence once the British overlords discarded the idea of an East African Federation. Holding a constitutional monarchy of sorts, where he rules as an enlightened despot committed to ameliorate the life of his subjects, the small kingdom remains quite prosperous, owing to its mining industry next to Lake Victoria, concentrated in oil, gas, iron ore and precious stones ; since the short war against Buganda (1979-1980), Bunyoro-Kitara remains a satellite state of Buganda as of nowadays.
… At the Delhi Conference, it was accepted that the Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Coco Islands along with Preparis Island would be kept under British control as the Andaman Islands Dependency. The official reason was that the new Indian State, along with Dravida Nadu, Burma and Karenistan, didn’t had the naval capacity to keep control of the archipelago ; the true reason was that the United Kingdom would retain control of a strategic location, forming the boundary between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, allowing them to rapidly intervene in the region, particularly in the wake of Japanese expansionism.
Needless to say, India (soon-to-become Bharatavarsha), Dravida Nadu, Karenistan (soon-to-become Kawthoolei) and moreover Burma, particularly under the Aung San regime, would claim control of the archipelago. For the Japanese-led Co-Prosperity Sphere, the British holdout in the Andaman Islands would remain a persistent matter. Aung San, even after he broke with the Japanese, would do continuous claims over the Andaman Islands, forming integrant part of his “Greater Burma” irrendentist plans, even pushing it through the World Council, to no avail.
During the South Asian War (1964-1967), as the Japanese occupied northern Burma, the Japanese High Seas Fleet would meet the British naval expeditionary force in the Andaman Islands, in an attempt to secure passage to the Andaman Sea and Western Indonesia ; the Battle of the Andaman Islands raged from May, 12 to May, 17 1966, and resulted in a British victory ; the battle is noticeable for having seen the sinking of aircraft carrier Susanoo, the biggest of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the time. After the end of the South Asian War, the United Kingdom reinforced its garrison at the Andaman Islands, increasing it to a 2,500, until subsequent budget cuts impacted the Navy at the turn of the century.
The end of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, the rise of China as the new Asian hegemon and the end of the Aung San regime did nothing to stop Burmese claims to the Andaman Islands, its reclaimation being one of the goals of the different administrations of the Burmese Confederation ; the position on the continuing British presence constitute “an anachronic perpetuation of colonial practices” at worst, according to Burma and China, or “an issue referring to the right of peoples to self-determination” at best, according to the World Council and even the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. The diminshed military presence of Britain in the archipelago, along with the precedent of the Argentine takeover of the Falklands back in 1976, tended to accrediate Burmese nationalist claims. On 15 November 2018, a party of fifteen armed Burmese nationalists in rigibd inflatable boats landed in Northern Andaman Islands in order to try a military takeover of the archipelago ; they were all arrested by the Royal Marines two days later but the incident caused an international uproar.
On 1 February 2021, as most of the garrison of the Andaman Islands had been redeployed to the Home Islands to help enforce order due to the Wuchang Pneumonia lockdown, the Burmese military launched an amphibious invasion of the British Overseas Territory, with a 2000-men force, with full approval of the government ; all British military personnel surrendered and Port Blair, capital to the Territory, was seized by the Burmese in 14 hours. Burmese President Zin Mar Aung proclaimed the annexation of the Andaman Islands the following days, changing the name of Port Blair to Port Aung San.
The situation of the Andaman Islands could become a hot issue in the following days, as back in London, most of the cabinet and opposition has criticized Prime Minister Rushanara Ali for failing to property respond to the invasion, instead choosing to have the takeover adressed by the World Council. Germany, Russia and Italy already announced that they would remain neutral on the matter, while the United States, China and Japan hailed the takeover as “a successful ending to colonial legacy”...
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Busoga is a country in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by the Nile Republic in the north, Buganda in the west, Kenya in the east and the Lake Victoria in the south.
History
A Bantu kingdom prospering on the shores of Lake Victoria since at least the XIXth Century, Busoga, home to the Soga people, was integrated into the Uganda protectorate in 1901, before gaining back its own independence first as a British protectorate in 1966, then as a sovereign country in 1976, staying a peaceful, uneventful elective absolute monarchy to this day, under the authority of his Kyabazinga.
Politics
The Kyabazinga, the monarch of Busoga, has been William Gabula Nadiope IV since his election by the Royal Chiefs in 2008 and his confirmation on 2014. The election of William Gabula, grandson of King William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Nadiope III (1949-1955) was contested by Prince Edward Columbus Wambuzi on the grounds of his youth (the absolute monarch was then barely 20) and the known association of his father with his mighty neighbour, the Kingdom of Buganda. A small succession crisis lasted from 2008 to 2014, keeping it to sporadic clashers between royal supporters and mostly fought in courts, until Buganda threatened to invade Busoga to restore piece and have William Gabula’s claim affirmed ; his dissenters dropped all charges and since, even if Busoga is considered a virtual puppet of Buganda, William Gabula has had absolute rule over his kingdom.
Population
A densely populated country, Busoga is dominated by a Bantu group, the Soga, who use Lusoga as their language ; suffering a lot from famines and disease, such as sleeping sickness, during the late days of European colonization, Busoga has since overcame its odds and the capital, Jinja, experiences a steady demographic growth.
Economy
A stable and rural country, Busoga benefits from its location on the shores of Lake Victoria : the completion of the Uganda Railway, the Owen Falls Dam and cotton production during the British era allowed Soga agriculture and electrical production to strive, becoming one of Eastern Africa’s most prosperous countries and drawing Chinese engineers in order to operate its resources.
Army
The Soga Army is quite unnoticeable, the country having experienced peace since independence and having its protection remain on Buganda and the Commonwealth.
Culture
A peaceful country, Busoga benefits from tourism, the visitors appreciating its folk traditions and the beauty of its lands, in particular he Source of the Nile at Lake Victoria.
History
A Bantu kingdom prospering on the shores of Lake Victoria since at least the XIXth Century, Busoga, home to the Soga people, was integrated into the Uganda protectorate in 1901, before gaining back its own independence first as a British protectorate in 1966, then as a sovereign country in 1976, staying a peaceful, uneventful elective absolute monarchy to this day, under the authority of his Kyabazinga.
Politics
The Kyabazinga, the monarch of Busoga, has been William Gabula Nadiope IV since his election by the Royal Chiefs in 2008 and his confirmation on 2014. The election of William Gabula, grandson of King William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Nadiope III (1949-1955) was contested by Prince Edward Columbus Wambuzi on the grounds of his youth (the absolute monarch was then barely 20) and the known association of his father with his mighty neighbour, the Kingdom of Buganda. A small succession crisis lasted from 2008 to 2014, keeping it to sporadic clashers between royal supporters and mostly fought in courts, until Buganda threatened to invade Busoga to restore piece and have William Gabula’s claim affirmed ; his dissenters dropped all charges and since, even if Busoga is considered a virtual puppet of Buganda, William Gabula has had absolute rule over his kingdom.
Population
A densely populated country, Busoga is dominated by a Bantu group, the Soga, who use Lusoga as their language ; suffering a lot from famines and disease, such as sleeping sickness, during the late days of European colonization, Busoga has since overcame its odds and the capital, Jinja, experiences a steady demographic growth.
Economy
A stable and rural country, Busoga benefits from its location on the shores of Lake Victoria : the completion of the Uganda Railway, the Owen Falls Dam and cotton production during the British era allowed Soga agriculture and electrical production to strive, becoming one of Eastern Africa’s most prosperous countries and drawing Chinese engineers in order to operate its resources.
Army
The Soga Army is quite unnoticeable, the country having experienced peace since independence and having its protection remain on Buganda and the Commonwealth.
Culture
A peaceful country, Busoga benefits from tourism, the visitors appreciating its folk traditions and the beauty of its lands, in particular he Source of the Nile at Lake Victoria.
William Gabula Nadiope IV (born 1 November 1988 in Kamuli, Buganda) is the current Kyabazinga (King) of Busoga, having succeeded on 3 October 2008 Henry Wako Muloki ; William Gabula’s rule was confirmed with his coronation on 14 September 2014.
An elective and absolute monarchy existing since at least the XIXth Century and independent from the United Kingdom since 1976, Busoga had had the first crisis in its most uneventful history in 2008, with the death of King Henry Wako Muloki, who had ruled the small kingdom since 1955 : William Gabula, grandson of King William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Nadiope III (1949-1955) and son to Prince Wilson Gabula Nadiope II, a known associate of King Muteesa II of Buganda, was on travel in New York City, looking for a bride, when he was elected King by the Royal Chiefs. Prince Edward Columbus Wambuzi immediately contested the election, claiming that the 20-years-old Prince was unfit and that his election would result in an immediate subjugation of Busoga by Buganda.
The Busoga succession crisis lasted for six years and didn’t saw much violence, apart from sporadic clashes between supporters, and was instead fought in courts ; partisans of Wambuzi even tried to refer to the World Council, who refused to meddle in the internal affairs of a small African country. The same was not true of neighbouring and mighty Buganda, who pressed for the claim of Nadiope, going as far as to threaten to invade Busoga in order to cease all frictions. The threats resulted in Wambuzi withdrawing his claim and William Gabula’s being crowned. Ever since, Busoga has become a virtual puppet of Buganda.
...The Bishop of Urgell was also, from 1095 to 1958, the Co-Prince of Andorra, in an unique monarchical system in the world, taking its roots in an agreement with the Count of Foix. In more recent times, the French co-Princedom was left to the Kings of Navarre, then to the Kings of France and the rulers of the neighbouring country, whether they were Emperors, Kings or Presidents. Andorra was the only nation in the world where Catalan was the official language until the independence of Catalonia in 1948 : the history of the small Principality was changed with the Syndicalist Revolution, becoming a mere city within the Confederation of Workers’ Republic in 1924, at which point the Bishopric of Urgell was declared sede vacante. Andorra was incorporated to the Catalan Republic and on 25 September 1958, Bishop Ramon Iglesias i Navarri signed a treaty with Catalan President Narcis de Carreras, putting an official end to his temporal power and ceasing the existence of the almost seven-centuries-old Principality of Andorra, that became a province of the Catalan Republic.