Everybody in the African past was a worker. Work was highly valued because it was the means through which they got food, shelter, and other basic needs.

Again it was through work that Africans received victory during war.

Also, through work one became widely known and liked by others.

Through hard work, African men were able to get second wives and many more depending a man's ability and wealth.

Again, a hard working African could easily be appointed or elected to become a chief.

Our knowledge about work in the African past is obtained from African songs, stories, proverbs, sayings and archaeological findings. For instance archaeologists have excavated such things as spears, pots, hooks, arrows and bows, pangas, hoes, bark clothes, cow horns, animal hones etc. All these point out to us that Africans were involved in various types of work.

Examples of occupations in the African past:

How work understood and organized in the African past

Work in the African past was understood to be part and parcel of life. To live , was to work. They understood work as the purpose for which they were created. Hence the saying that ''Everybody was a worker".

In the African past work was done communally: Activities such as cattle grazing, cultivation, fishing, hunting, building and so on were done in-groups. This helped to promote" solidarity and community spirit amongst Africans. Work was therefore a social activity. Note that African communalism in work was the idea behind Harambee and Ujaama projects in Kenya and Tanzania respectively after independence.

Teamwork helped to bring about increased production and quicker acquisition of skills from those who were more experienced.

The positive attitude, which our ancestors had towards work, is judged from the many songs, stories and proverbs that they composed about work. From African proverbs we come to learn that hard work was praised while laziness was condemned. A Runyankole proverb says: "Omuhingi mubi ati bandogire" - meaning "a lazy farmer says he is bewitched." The Meru say "Atikawe atikagwa njurini" meaning "the one with nothing is never called to a council meeting. Both proverbs encouraged people to work hard.

Work in the African past was closely integrated into African culture. Accordingly therefore, work was divided according to one's sex; age, ability and rank.

Africans had separate work for women and men. The work of women was domestic and it centred on the kitchen. Women were responsible for cooking, collecting fire wood etc.

Men did more vigorous work like fighting during war, building, hunting, making bark clothes, carpentry etc. Through such work, men and boys developed their talents and skills.

Work was also divided according to age. Most African societies had a system of age sets whereby members of different age groups did different types of work. For example, the work of elders was to settle land disputes and quarrels between wives and husbands. Elders also introduced the young to their gods. They also gave advice on clan matters etc.

The middle aged and young men had a work of providing security for society.

They went to war, guarded markets, trade routes etc.

Children did light work such as cleaning the compound, accompanying their mothers to the gardens (girls) and fathers to the grazing bushes (boys).

Work was also divided according to ability.

Not all Africans had the same ability. They couldn't therefore do the same kinds of work. The lame had less ability and therefore did less work while the healthy did heavier work. Under this kind of arrangement, no one complained. Since the fruits of work were communally shared, even the disabled enjoyed from the sweat of those who were healthy.

Note that the very old, very young, very crippled and sick people were not required to work.

Work was divided according to rank.

Africans had different ranks in society and these ranks determined the work to be done. For example, among the Banyoro, the Babiito (Bahima) were the rulers (royal family) and were cattle keepers while the Bairu were the commoners (subjects) and were cultivators. Cattle keeping in such a society meant higher status. In the rest of the African societies, people of different ranks such as Kings, Chiefs, commanders, clan leaders, diviners .etc. had different kinds of work to do for the well being of society.

Africans in the past looked at work as a religious activity.

Any piece of work was proceeded by religious rituals. Before going for work, Africans could first pray, offer sacrifices to the gods asking them for a safe day's work. e.g In Buganda god Ddungu. was responsible for hunting and all hunters prayed to-him before the hunting activity.

At the beginning of harvest time, Africans could again offer sacrifices to the gods thanking them for such a good harvest .

War was work of the most serious type. It meant life or death. Before such a work, prayers would be offered to the gods asking for victory.

Work was carefully handled in the African past.

Children were well prepared by . their parents for full participation in society duties. Right from 'childhood, they were taught the types of work, which suited their sex. Boys were taught useful arts such as tanning hides, preparing bark clothes, etc. Girls were taught to peel, cook,' dig etc.

Since elders helped to determine the occupation of their children, this helped to eliminate meaningless work. The work taught to the young was relevant to that environment in which he/she lived. e.g. those near lakes were taught fishing. This made work enjoyable and meaningful.

In African past, leisure was respected and integrated in work. After work, elders encouraged the young to take a rest.

People in the African past did not aim at individual richness. They worked for the good of their tribes, villages, their clans and families. The benefits out of work were communally shared which enabled even the disabled to have a full share. .

Work in the past was aimed at creating joy and satisfaction. To realise this aim, people would come together after work and then enjoy the fruits of their labour together eating, drinking, and singing. This acted as an incentive to them. Such an arrangement would stimulate their desire for more work.

People in the African past were very innovative and creative in their work e.g Potters and blacksmiths. etc

Africans had working songs, which would be sung to the rhythm of work e.g. they could sing while. digging, which made work faster and enjoyable.

Why there no unemployment in the African past

Children were well brought up in the African past. As they grew up, their love for work increased. Since. the desire to work was natural and grew as the children grew, there were no cases of unemployment.

In the African past work was abundant and it was approached communally. Since it was abundant, there was no looking for work. Works was there. Since it was communal, it was hard to dodge an activity in which the whole community participated enthusiastically.

In the past work was not graded into white collar or brown collar jobs. All work was judged to be important to society, Hence no cases of unemployment..

In the past, there was no system of rural to urban migration since cities didn't' exist. Most unemployed people today are those who have run to cities searching for jobs. The African traditional community was rural based.

Even African in the past understood his or her responsibility as demanded by culture. Culturally work was suitably divided according to sex, age, ability and ranking. This made every individual to feel a sense of duty of doing what others of his age, sex, rank and ability were doing. Work was carefully and skilfully integrated into African culture.

Everybody was a worker. Hard working children were rewarded, so were hard working adults and chiefs. This gave every individual compulsion to work.

The lazy were abused through proverbs and were isolated during community celebrations. Hence dodging work would make some one to become a social misfit in society.

Through work, Africans were able to get the basic requirements of their lives, to get bride wealth, etc. Hence compulsions to work, no work no basic needs.

To work was to have ability to entertain one's visitors and vice versa. Hence one who dodged work became a social misfit.

Since work e.g. grazing, building, collecting firewood were communal, it was hard and be shaming for one to sit idle and watch others working. Everyone had to work.

Work was production oriented - which made it very interesting. As one worked e.g. milking or blacksmithing, he had the chance of getting the immediate results unlike today where one can struggle for 3 months without a salary. This made Africans love work all the time.

Africans believed that ancestors were watching over them to punish those who intended to dodge work hence no idleness.

The population of the African past was still small and there was no pressure of competing for work; hence there was no unemployment.

Loitering during working time was intolerable. Work, however simple, was compulsory (depending on ability). Hence no unemployment.

There was plenty of land.

There was no hectic science 'and technology, which today has produced, machines which do the work previously done by 100 people.

There was no formal education, no bribery, no- nepotism etc.