The Capricorn Africa Society was a multiracial pressure group in British colonies in southern and eastern Africa in the 1950s and 1960s.

History

The organisation was established in 1949 in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

by David Stirling and N. H. Wilson, with branches soon opening in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

, Nyasaland and

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

; a branch was also opened in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1956.Bizeck Jube Phiri (1991) "The Capricorn Africa Society Revisited: The Impact of Liberalism in Zambia's Colonial History, 1949-1963", ''The International Journal of African Historical Studies'', Vol. 24, No. 1, pp65–83 With a mostly European leadership, it called for "equal rights for all civilised", giving Africans gradually increasing civic rights. The organisation briefly participated in electoral politics in Kenya. In the 1956 general elections it nominated two candidates for the fourteen European seats, choosing not to run in constituencies where independents aligned with the more liberal

Michael Blundell Sir Michael Blundell (7 April 1907 – 1 February 1993) was a Kenyan farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1948 until 1963, and as Minister of Agriculture in two spells between 1955 and 1962. Biography ...

and United Country Party stood a chance of beating right wing opponents, the Independent Group and the Federal Independence Party. Although neither candidate was successful, Capricorn won one of the five Indian seats, when

Nahar Singh Mangat Nahar may refer to: Places * Nahar, East Azerbaijan, a village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Nahar, Mazandaran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Nahar Block of Rewari, a region in India, including a village called Nahar * Nahar, Sem ...

was elected in the Central (non-Muslim) constituency. In 1957, members of the society in Northern Rhodesia formed the Constitution Party, which sought to promote Capricornist ideals. A multi-racial party, its membership included several prominent political figures, including Stirling, Harry Franklin,

Stewart Gore-Browne Lieutenant Colonel Sir Stewart Gore-Browne (3 May 1883 – 4 August 1967), called Chipembele by Zambians, was a soldier, pioneer white settler, builder, politician and supporter of independence in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Early life ...

Lawrence Chola Katilunga Lawrence Chola Katilungu (February 1914 - 9 November 1961) was a Northern Rhodesian trade union leader. Katilungu was the first President of the African Mineworkers' Union. Biography Katilungu was born in February 1914 in the Northern Province ...

Gabriel Musumbulwa In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...

and Alexander Scott. However, after failing in the 1958 elections, it was disbanded. Its position as the bastion of Northern Rhodesian liberalism by the

Central Africa Party The Central Africa Party was a multi-racial political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (also called the Central Africa Federation). The party organised separately in the three constituent part of the federation, Northern Rhode ...

. The Northern Rhodesian branch of the Capricorn Africa Society was subsequently dissolved in 1961.

Aims

The society's aims were stated in the Capricorn Declarations in 1952: ''"We hold that all men, despite their varying talents, are equal in dignity before God and have a common duty towards one another... We hold that the differences between men, whether of creed or color, are honorable differences."'' The organisation sought to unleash the industrial potential of East–Central Africa. However, the sparse population and lack of indigenous skills and capital made the area a power vacuum. The society saw a "partnership of Africans and immigrant Europeans working together... for the benefit of both" as a means of filling this vacuum and positively integrating the region into the world economy. The Society issued declarations at the end of 1952 as an "interim statement". Six months later a full manifesto was published.

References

{{reflist Defunct political parties in Kenya Defunct political parties in Zambia 1949 establishments in Southern Rhodesia 1961 disestablishments in Northern Rhodesia Political parties established in 1949 Political parties disestablished in 1961