{{Short description|Zimbabwean nationalist, clergy and political organizer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Thompson Samkange | birth_date = c. 1887 | birth_place = Zwimba Reserve, Southern Rhodesia | death_date = 1956 | death_place = Southern Rhodesia | citizenship = Zimbabwean | occupation = Clergyman, nationalist, political leader | known_for = Founding the African National Congress (Rhodesia), Bantu National Congress | spouse = Grace Mano | children = Stanlake Samkange }}
'''Thompson Douglas Samkange''' (c. 1887–1956) was a Zimbabwean nationalist, religious leader, and political organizer who played a significant role in the early African resistance to colonial rule in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).<ref name="colonial">[https://www.colonialrelic.com/biographies/the-rev-thompson-douglas-samkange/ Colonial Relic – Biography of Thompson Douglas Samkange]</ref> He was a founding figure in several key African political movements, including the revival of the African National Congress in 1945, and is remembered for his contributions to indigenous leadership and education.<ref name="pindula">[https://www.pindula.co.zw/Thompson_Samkange Pindula – Thompson Samkange]</ref>
== Early life and education == Samkange was born around 1887 in the Zwimba Reserve, present-day Zvimba District, Zimbabwe.<ref name="colonial" /> He belonged to the Ngonya clan, from which the chiefs of the Zwimba tribe were traditionally chosen.<ref name="colonial" />
His mother was a devout Methodist, and he was educated to Standard VII at Waddilove Institute, a prominent mission school.<ref name="pindula" /> He later became an ordained minister in the Methodist Church, preaching across the country in places such as Wankie, Pakami, and Kwenda.<ref name="colonial" />
== Political activism == In 1945, Samkange revived the African National Congress (Rhodesia) in Southern Rhodesia and served as its president.<ref name="colonial" /> He also helped establish the Bantu National Congress, aiming to unify African voices against colonial policies.<ref>[https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1268308M/The_Bantu_National_Congress_of_Southern_Rhodesia_1943_to_1948 Open Library – The Bantu National Congress of Southern Rhodesia, 1943 to 1948]</ref> His leadership extended to organizing the general strike of 1948, which marked a turning point in African labor resistance.<ref name="colonial" />
He was elected president of the African section of the Southern Rhodesian Missionary Conference but opposed its racial segregation, advocating for unity and equality within religious institutions.<ref name="colonial" />
== Personal life and legacy == Thompson Samkange married Grace Mano around 1917, and they had several children. Among them was Stanlake J. W. T. Samkange, a prominent historian, novelist, and philosopher known for articulating the concept of Ubuntu in Zimbabwean political thought and educational system.<ref>[https://www.pindula.co.zw/Stanlake_Samkange Pindula – Stanlake Samkange]</ref>
Samkange died in 1956.<ref name="colonial" /> His legacy is preserved in scholarly works such as Terence Ranger’s ''Are We Not Also Men?: The Samkange Family and African Politics in Zimbabwe, 1920–64'', which explores the family's role in shaping Zimbabwe’s intellectual and political landscape.<ref>Ranger, Terence (1995). ''Are We Not Also Men?: The Samkange Family and African Politics in Zimbabwe, 1920–64''. Oxford: James Currey. {{ISBN|978-0-852-55618-4}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * Ranger, Terence. (1995). ''Are We Not Also Men?: The Samkange Family and African Politics in Zimbabwe, 1920–64''. Oxford: James Currey. {{ISBN|978-0-852-55618-4}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Samkange, Thompson}} Category:1887 births Category:1956 deaths Category:Zimbabwean politicians Category:Methodist ministers Category:Zimbabwean nationalists Category:People from Mashonaland West Province