When we talk about the rich culture such as Ugandan, there could be conversations held for days. Throughout history, while evolving into today’s shape, Uganda has been puzzling together its cultural elements into the piece of art that we know. Today, the country is made up of a wide range of ethnic groups. They include several tribes that live and have lived on this territory. Starting from Ganda culture in the south and Acholi and Lango cultures in the north, all the way to the influence of South Asians in the past and present, this diversity has produced a wide variety of lifestyles and interests among Ugandans.
In this article, we will have a closer look at the everyday life, customs, passions, and minds of Uganda and its people in today’s world.
Symbols and Language
Uganda's national flag was established on October 9, 1962. Grace Ibingira, the former Ugandan Minister of Justice, designed the flag. The color black represents the people of the country. In Africa, yellow is associated with vigor and sunshine. The red depicts the blood that binds all Africans together, therefore expressing African unity. Uganda's national symbol is the grey-crowned crane, which is also recognized for its gentleness.
With the wide diversity of the country, comes to a wide variety of languages spoken, with the most common being Luganda, while others include Bantu, Swahili, Nilotic, Lumasaba, and English.
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Etiquette
Handshakes are the most common way to welcome someone. In the daytime and evening, casual attire is appropriate. Waiters and taxi drivers are expected to get a 10% tip. At family gatherings, etiquette is crucial. Before the family begins to dine, a short prayer is usually recited. Children only speak during the meal when they are asked a question. Leaving the room when others are eating is considered disrespectful. At a meal, leaning on one's left hand or stretching one's legs is considered disrespectful.
Social classes
Despite the absence of castes, there is a considerable level of social inequality. In the mid-1990s, 55 percent of the population was considered poor. The richest 10% possessed over a third of the available wealth, while the bottom 10% had only 3%. The distribution of wealth is determined by one's social class. The wealthiest people in Uganda live primarily in Kampala, the capital. Social stratification is mostly determined by educational attainment and occupational standing. The language of communication among the elites is English, and these people dress in modern Western manner. Others like to dress in traditional attire.
Marriage and Family
While the cities have family structures more similar to the western, in rural areas of Uganda, family is based on the acquisition of women, which is done through the exchange of bridewealth. Since the 1950s, a limit of five cows and an equal number of goats has been imposed on bridewealth. Polygynous marriages have perpetuated some features of male domination while simultaneously providing a space for women to work together to counteract male control. A man can give his senior wife "masculine" status, allowing her to treat men as equals while treating his other women as superiors. Polygynous marriages, on the other hand, have left some women without legal inheritance rights after divorce or widowhood. Infant care is undertaken by women in the family.
Education
Boys are more likely than girls to complete primary and secondary education. Nearly three-quarters of the 62 percent of the population that are literate are men.
Makerere University in Kampala was the first college in East Africa, founded in 1922. Its main goal was to prepare people for government jobs. It grew to include liberal arts and medical colleges in the 1980s, serving more than 5,000 students. There were approximately 9,000 pupils in the early 1990s. Most of the residents place high importance on higher education, seeing it as a necessary component of national progress.
Beliefs
One-third of the population is Roman Catholic, one-third is Protestant, and 16 percent is Muslim. 18 percent of Ugandan people believe in local religions, including various millenarian religions.
Many local religions in Bantu-speaking parts involve a belief in a creator God. People make prayers and sacrifices to express respect for the deceased and maintain proper relationships among the living in most indigenous religions, which include beliefs in ancestors and other spirits. Mbandwa mediators operate on behalf of other believers through trance or hypnosis, sacrifice, and prayer.
If the relatives assume that the deceased has been murdered, a spirit medium may summon the deceased's ghost and ask who truly killed him or her at a funeral.
Holidays
The year is full of festivals and ritual celebrations in the countryside, including marriage "introductions," marriages, births, christenings, and other kin gatherings. The agricultural year, like in other places, is marked by several significant events that necessitate social gatherings. Other national holidays are Martyrs' Day (June 3rd), Heroes' Day (June 9th), and Independence Day (June 9th).
Traditional Clothes
A kanzu is a white or cream-colored robe that reaches the ground worn by Ugandan males. The women wear a gomesi dress with a ribbon around their waists and gomesis on their shoulders to accentuate their shoulders (much like shoulder pads). The women from the west of Uganda wear a long fabric called a suuka around their waists.
Southwest Ugandan women wear long, flowing skirts with matching linens tied across their shoulders. Busuti is also commonly worn. It is a long flowing dress that reaches the floor and was introduced by 19th century missionaries.
Cuisine
English, Arab, and Asian flavors have all affected the Ugandan cuisine that we see today. Most of their meals are made with a carbohydrate foundation and flavored with bean or meat sauces. Maize meal or matoke is used as starch (boiled or mashed green bananas). Pearl millet is used in the north, while ugali (maize flour) is mixed with water to make porridge for children's breakfast. Their diet also includes cassava, yam, and African sweet potato. Soybeans are also consumed, generally for breakfast, and Chapati (an Asian flatbread) is used to lengthen meals with a variety of fillings.
For protein, they eat chicken, fish, beef, goat, and mutton, but in the rural areas, there would have to be a celebration of some sorts before they slaughter an animal for the table, as they do not eat meat every day.
Art
The fine arts are almost exclusively consumed and practiced by Westernized elites. However, a small but active group of local artists—painters, sculptors, poets, and playwrights—exhibit their work in local galleries and theatres. Folk art is extensively collected and generates significant income. Collectors from all over the world treasure Uganda's ethnic arts. Scenes from Ugandan history and legend etched on hardwood shields or screens are a popular kind of carving. Ironwork, ceramics, and batik, a textile painting technique introduced to Uganda by Southeast Asian immigrants, are also prominent.
David Kibuuka and Henry Lutalo Lumu (1939–89), two Ugandan painters, adopted elements of Western painting such as oil-based paints to express African themes and introduce living in Africa to outside public.
Literature
Despite the fact that Uganda has a number of notable writers, oral traditions remain a popular form of entertainment. In 1961, Rajat Neogy, a Ugandan of Indian ancestry, founded the literary magazine Transition. Okot p'Bitek devised a literary method that fused written and oral traditions. He was an Acholi from Gulu who published several novels, including Song of Lawino (1966).
Performing Arts
Any Ugandan ceremony or special occasion is celebrated with dance. In the east, the Basoga perform a dance called Tamenhaibunga which is based on the importance of love and friendship. It literally means ‘Good friends drink together and don’t fight to avoid breaking the gourd which holds the drink!’
The country has a long and illustrious theatrical legacy, spanning from the vibrant National Theatre in Kampala to hundreds of small, regional theater companies. From gender relations to sexually transmitted illnesses, the theatre has played an important role in teaching and informing the public.
Music
Instruments such as the lyre, marimba (xylophone), and thumb piano are used in Ugandan traditional music. Both Ugandan and international music has a large following in the country. Uganda's well-known Afrigo Band, which combines traditional and mainstream musical components, tours internationally on a regular basis and has released several albums. Geoffrey Oryema is an internationally renowned singer and composer whose music combines the Acholi, Swahili, and English languages, as well as Acholi musical traditions with Western musical techniques.
Cultural Institutions
The Uganda Museum in Kampala is the country's largest and most important museum. Before being destroyed by fire in March 2010, the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001), a former palace converted into a royal burial ground in the 19th century, afforded an insight into Ganda history and cultural practices. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Ruwenzori Mountains (all UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1994), and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are all major parts of Uganda's growing ecotourism economy.
Sports
Millions of Ugandans support their favorite football teams, making sports a hugely popular cultural activity. The national team is internationally known as ‘The Cranes’. Kampala has one of the continent's major sports stadiums, which was completed in the late 1990s. Wrestling and boxing are also very popular. John Akii-Bua, who competed in the men's 400-meter hurdles at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, won the country's first Olympic gold medal.
Media
Since 1990, the number of radio stations has increased dramatically. There are more than 100 privately-owned radio stations in Uganda, including Sanyu (founded in 1993), the country's first commercial station. Uganda Television is run by the government, however, there are also private local channels and South African satellite television.
There is a variety of daily newspapers being published. Telecast, The Star, The Monitor, and the state-owned New Vision are among those that publish in English. Under various regimes, the degree of government control and censorship of the press has varied.