Conclusion
“I Would Have Given You a Large Haplochromis” is a musical expression of regret centered on a subject’s inability to fulfill his monarch’s specific culinary request. The composition transforms a seemingly mundane failed fish acquisition into a deeper examination of the relationship between ruler and subject. It elevates this unfulfilled request for haplochromis to symbolic importance, suggesting that even small failures to meet royal expectations carry significant emotional and potentially political consequences. Through its focus on this specific disappointment, the song illustrates how subjects internalize their responsibility to satisfy royal desires, regardless of how trivial these wishes might appear.
“I Would Have Given You a Large Haplochromis” embodies a multitude of perspectives. The song communicates the lamentation a king’s subject feels when he is unable to properly express his loyalty and gratitude. On the one hand, the singer represents the thoughts of the king, recalling the court musicians’ purpose as a bridge between the common people and Buganda’s leader. Accordingly, the song depicts the king’s worry over his responsibilities to the people and his desire to fulfill their needs as best he can. On the other hand, the perspective emulates that of the common person, of one who fails to reciprocate their role in a relationship and thus reaps the consequences. In both cases the song is sorrowful over the loss of reciprocity, a tale of forewarning in which we are encouraged to reciprocate and assist others whenever we can, as a sign of good faith and as a way of maintaining good relations with those around us. However, interpreters’ analyses of “I Would Have Given You a Large Haplochromis” bring this theme even further.
Some interpreters read the song as a commentary on the impact of poverty, describing how it hurts on more than a materialistic level, instead invading parts of individuals’ spiritual and emotional lives as well. Others read the work as a model for leadership, a part in the difficult process of overcoming personal faults. And a few interpret the song as a depiction of the cyclical negativity between leaders and citizens, as both fail to look out for the other, causing both to suffer as a result. These interpreters’ comments confirm that the song’s lyrical content not only applies to personal relationships but also to interactions between leaders and their subjects. For this reason, “I Would Have Given You a Large Haplochromis” is relevant to many twenty-first-century political contexts, acting as a reminder for politicians to remember their roots and thank their original supporters, among other necessary human functions. Additionally, it laments the inability of Baganda citizens to reciprocate as a result of their own alleged mistreatment by national politicians. To this point, research collaborators argue that although overly high expectations might lead to disappointment, the people must still hold political leaders to certain standards to generate harmony among the masses. They demonstrate that it is through this mutual relationship between leaders and subjects that valuable progress is achievable.