“What is the Trouble?”: Dispute and Discontent in North Western Rhodesia

Abstract

This chapter is shaped by the premise that North Western Rhodesia epitomized the concept of a “messy” colonization process. It addresses the question of how people experienced colonialism and the expectations by the various subjects of the state. In this sense, it is important to consider how interested parties and individuals imagined their roles in comparison to their realized roles in the colonial landscape. While earlier chapters analyzed the high hopes and imagined outcomes of the white settlers and the Lozi chief, this chapter focuses on the letdown many of those same people felt as the British South Africa Company tightened its control over North Western Rhodesia. The optimism that characterized North Western Rhodesia’s atmosphere in the early years turned into discontent and frustration. The openness and flexibility of the territory before the turn of the century was replaced by anxiety and contention as the European population and King Lewanika struggled with the colonial administration for privilege and authority.