UGANDA AT 50: The Build-Up To Independence

The cries for Independence which prevailed in most of African colonies following World War II were somewhat muted in Uganda. This was attributed to several factors: the lack of widespread alein settlement, the high degree of African involvement in public affairs prior to independence, the strongly regional character of Uganda's politics, and lastly the strong probability that the status quo rather suited Uganda's Protestant Baganda elite.

The First Anti-Colonial Political Party: Uganda's first anti-colonial political party, the Uganda National Congress (UNC), was founded as late as 1952 and it took some years before it gained marked support, especially in parts of the underdeveloped North.

First Call For Independence: The first serious call for independence came from the most unlikely sources. Kabaka Mutesa II (head of the Buganda kingdom) made the first call for Independence. In 1953, Mutesa defied the British administration by opposing the mooted federation of Uganda with Kenya and Tanzania. The then Governor of Uganda refused to give Mutesa ang gurantees regarding federation, but Mutesa insisted atleast Buganda - alone - be granted Independence. Mutesa was declared to be disloyal to Britain, was deposed from the throne and exiled to Britain. This won immense support for Mutesa, not only in his kingdom Buganda, but as a National Hero. This was evident when he returned to his palace in 1955. On 18 October 1955, a Buganda Agreement was signed, giving the Kabaka and his government greater federal powers. This created mild alarms from non-Baganda.

Democratic Party (DP): Uganda's first indigenous political party of consquence was founded in 1956 by Matayo Mugwanya, after Mutesa rejected him as candidate for the Prime Minister of Buganda Kingdom on th grounds of his Catholicism. Therefore this party was formed on a platform for the legitimate grievances of Catholics, who had always been treated as Second-Class citizens og Uganda. In 1968, the Democratic Party rose to prominence when the party leadership was handed to Benedicto Kiwanuka, a lawyer.

Formation of the Uganda People's Union (UPU): In the wake of the 1958 elections, the Uganda People's Union was founded. This was the first public alliance of non-Buganda leaders, and this represented an important step in the polarisation of Ugandan politics.

Milton Obote's UPC: The Ugandan National Congress split in 1959 and this was along ethnic lines. The non-Baganda faction of UNC combined with UPU to form th Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and this was led by Milton Obote.

Kabaka Yekka (KY)- "Kabaka Forever": In 1961, the Baganda element of UNC combined with members of the Buganda government to form KY, an overtly pro-Protestant and pro-Buganda political party. This was nicknamed "Kill Yourselves" by its opponents.

1961 General Elections: In the 1961 elections, the main contenders were the DP, UPC and KY. The DP won. Benedicto Kiwanuka thus became the first Prime Minister of Uganda when self-government was granted on 1 March 1962.

1962 Elections: In April 1962, another general election was held. This bagun the process and build-up to granting of full Independence to Uganda. In this election, the UPC and KY formed an unlikely coalition, as a result of DP's success in the elections a year before. The UPC won 43 seats, DP won 24 seats and the KY won 23 seats, giving the UPC-KY alliance a clear majority. This allowed Milton Obote of UPC to lead Uganda to independence on 9 October 1962.

God Bless Uganda and its People.

Proud to Be Ugandan

Know Uganda: Bwindi

As a guest of Ruhija Gorilla Lodge, a classy offering in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, I set out with my partner to this jewel of the jungle.

Perched on the eastern side of the park is this serene lodge with a green roofing overlooking the thick forest cover of Bwindi forest. Further beyond the forest is Queen Elizabeth National Park near Lake Edward. At this point you can even catch a glimpse of the hills of D.R Congo.

Nippy air 
Here at Ruhija Lodge, the sun rises at midday. But that still would find you fully clothed. It can be extremely cold to as low as 12 degrees centigrade. What is more, on one ridge it can be shining and just across from it, rain heavily pouring while on another ridge, farmers are busy swinging their hoes into the air and sinking them deep into the fertile soils.

The name Bwindi means darkness. It can be extremely dark even during the day that you may not see far. It is dangerously chilly that you would not risk an asthmatic person for company.

From nowhere, you can be engulfed in a fog of clouds as they caress you with tiny misty drops and for the hairy skinned, you may be covered in a sheath of white flakes.

However, the lodge maintains a constant flow of hot beverages. And every meal is preceded with simmering onion, oregano or chicken soup; be it dinner or lunch. And if you have travelled alone, the lodge offers you at least two hot water bottles.

Breathtaking sunset

Dark and chilly as it may be, once it rains and the clouds are driven away, Bwindi has an excellent view of the sunset. The chalets/cabins at Ruhija Gorilla Lodge are built in such a way that you have a nice view of the sun setting over Buhoma and Lake Edward in Kanungu.

It was the most amazing gift for us. But you have to be careful, otherwise, you may miss it. In typical Kikiga, they call it akarenga bazaana, an orange glow of the sun with its rays lashing out at the dark forest of Bwindi.

This splendid glow allows you to take in the four-breasted hills of Muhabura, Mgahinga, Simbinyo and Virunga mountains, which lie lazily and invitingly beyond the Bwindi Forest. And this can all be taken in while seated at the balcony of the lodge’s restaurant or at the front area of your room. All the rooms overlook the forest cover of Bwindi.
Here, the sun’s setting glow will not last for more than 10 minutes. I call out to my friends whom I had travelled with to capture the glow but by the time they kick the blankets off their tired bodies, after a hectic gorilla trekking expedition, the glow of the sun is gone.

The glow is replaced with a crater-like scenery. Note that there are no crater lakes in view at this point of Ruhija. The clouds just form white lake-like features in between the valleys and for a moment you may mistake them for real lakes. And these come just moments before darkness, again, engulfs the hills and valleys of Bwindi.

Accommodation
Management knows how cold Bwindi can get. The toilet seats have a wooden covering. With that degree of coldness, you may not do yourself any justice to answer nature’s call on a very cold toilet seat.

The beddings are snow white but there is a shed of brown all around you because of the wooden walls. And the towels; yes, the towels are not thin as they are wont in most hotels in Uganda. You can also be sure; Ruhija Gorilla Lodge offers you warm water all the time.

The heating system is directly connected to the cooking area. As long as there is cooking going on, you will have hot water in your showers. And cooking goes on all the time. The rooms are highly recommended by the Tourism Minister, the amiable Prof Ephraim Kamuntu. He has spent a night here and this lodge also hosted the Inter Parliamentary Union delegates from Switzerland.

The park is popular for gorilla tracking and this is something you can indulge in. Other than that, you can do some bird watching. There are over 240 bird species in and around Bwindi, including the blue turaco that has been sighted in Ruhija.

Ruhija can be deathly quiet save for the whirling wind that blows from across the forest. Despite this, the haven that is the lodge is testament that while Bwindi is impenetrable, it is habitable.

Bwindi at a glance

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, covering 32,092 hectares, is one of the largest areas in East Africa which still has lowland forest extending to well within the montane forest belt.

Located on the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley and the property is a biodiversity hotspot with possibly the greatest number of tree species for its altitude in East Africa. It is also host to a rich fauna including a number of unique butterflies and one of the richest collection of mammals in Africa.

COMMUNICATION IN UGANDA-LUGANDA

Hello Traveler,

Although 33 local languages are spoken in Uganda, the official language is English, spoken widely by most urban Ugandans, and certainly by anybody with more than a moderate education level. It isn’t uncommon to come across Ugandans from different parts using English to communicate, and most English-speaking visitors to the country will have no problem getting around.

Of the indigenous languages, the most widely spoken is Luganda, which to some extent serves as a lingua franca for the uneducated you come across in the country, mainly in Kampala. So, too, does Swahili (more commonly known as Kiswahili), a Bantu language that is no more indigenous to Uganda than is English.

Luganda is the first language of Baganda, which I am personally a Muganda, singular for someome from Buganda and it is the most widely spoken of the languages indigenous in Uganda. Some of the words and phrases that can be useful to you in Luganda are as follows:

Greetings

Luganda phrase	English meaning
Oli otya?	How are you?
Gyendi	I am OK
Siba bulungi	Have a nice day
Sula bulungi	Good night
Weraba	Farewell
Tunalabagana	See you later
Webale (nyo)	Thank you (very much)
Nsonyiwa	Am sorry
Ssebo	Sir
Nyabo	Madam
Mwami	Mr.
Mukyala	Mrs.
Jangu wano	Come here.

Useful phrases

Luganda phrase		English meaning
Ova mukitundu ki?		Where are you from?
Nva mu England		I am from England
Ovude wa?		Where have you come from?
Nvude Kamapala		I have come from Kampala.
Ogenda wa?		Where are you going?
Ngenda Jinja		I am going to Jinja.
Eno baasi egenda wa?		Where is this bus heading to?
Eno baasi egenda Kabale.	This bus is heading to Kabale.
Amanya gwo gw’ani?	What is your name?
Nze Ronald	My name is Ronald.
Kiriwa?	Where is it?
Kiri wala?	Is it far?
Kiri kumpi?	Is it near?
Olugundo lwe Kampala luliwa?	Where is the road to Kampala?
Sente meka?	How much does it cost?
Njagala room	I want a room.
Olinayo ko…?	Do you have any….?
Kino kiyitibwa kitya?	What is this called?
Oyogera oluzungu?	Do you speak English?
Eno taxi eraga wa?	Where is this taxi heading to?

Pronunciation is very similar to Swahili. A detailed phrasebook and dictionary can be viewed online at www.buganda.com.

If you want to learn Luganda, you can hire a private tutor or take classes usually organised by language teaching institutes in Kampala.