The cultural heritage of Uganda has evolved and grown in tandem with the country itself

The beauty of diversity
Uganda’s cultural pastiche is unique and alluring. The focus of the great adventurers is primed to captivate the world anew

When John Hannington Speke sent his celebrated telegram to London to recount his finding the source of the Nile, the eyes of the National Geographic Society turned invariably to Uganda and the shores of Lake Victoria. A century and a half after the height of the age of African exploration, the world’s most famous lake still provides the focal point of tourism in Uganda, a country of 30 million people bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Comprising a cutural patchwork as diverse and colourful as any country in the world - as an indirect result of the colonial boundaries drawn up by Britain - Uganda today is home to multitudinous ethnic groups – some 17 tribes of Bantu and Nilotic origin including the Baganda, Banyakole, Basoga, Bakiga, Iteso, Langi, Acholi, Bagisu, Lugbara and Bunyoro, among others, hold Ugandan nationality. A medley of religions pervades the country, with large percentages of the population counting themselves as Catholic, Protestant and Muslim, in addition to a miscellany of indigenous faiths.

The tower of Babel may have been located in ancient Persia, but a modern day equivalent would not be out of place in Uganda, where cities and villages alike reverberate to the sounds of English, Swahili, Luganda, Bantu, Ganda and Arabic. It is a cultural and linguistic pastiche that captivates and beguiles.

The capital, Kampala, rebuilt following the Uganda-Tanzania war of 1978-79, is now a modern, vibrant city and home to one of East and Central Africa’s most prestigious seats of learning, Makerere University, and one of only eight Bahá’í houses of worship in the world – the Mother Temple of Africa. The city’s population of 1.2 million reflects the demographic variegation of the country at large. Transport is a mix-match of western and African models, where a city-wide bus service to be inaugurated in 2008 will vie for space on Kampala’s streets with the traditional boda-boda motorcycle taxis that weave their frenetic way through the throngs. Kampala will become one of the first cities in Africa to introduce a congestion charge when the bus network is up and running.

It is this progressionist attitude that infuses the nation and its citizens and has made Uganda a leader in African advancement. Tourism initiatives have made Uganda a shop window for the region. In 2006, nearly 700,000 visitors flocked to Uganda, a number that is set to increase sharply following upgrades at Entebbe International Airport and the increased coverage the country will enjoy as hosts of the 19th edition of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this month. Growth projections suggest that Uganda can expect 1.8 million tourists to enter the country via Kampala over the next decade.

Using the upcoming CHOGM as a platform for boosting its tourism offer, Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry has identified adventure tourism, its rich wildlife (Uganda is home to 1,200 species of bird – 10% of the world’s total, as well as the iconic mountain gorillas), and an increase in the number of available beds in areas such as Queen Elizabeth National Park to further bolster the sector, which is already the country’s top revenue earner. With the sphere of international focus due to fall into Uganda’s lap this month, it is essential that its tourism treasures are presented to a wider global audience to advertise Uganda as a safe, modern country with the potential to be one of Africa’s premier tourist and business destinations.

Speke’s telegram simply stated, ‘the Nile is settled.’ So too, 150 years later, is Uganda’s enduring allure. All that remains is for Uganda to use the tools at its disposal to once again draw the attention of the international community to its natural bounty and its fascinating culture.