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t h e i n f l i g h t m a g a z i n e o f a i r u g a n d a p a r t o f t h e
i s s u e n u m b e r 0 1 1 a u g u s t - o c t o b e r 2 0 1 2
The P
earl of Africa Turns Fifty
Inside this Issue:Bayimba International Music Festival
Semliki Land of Plenty
The Cave Elephants of Mt. Elgon
Celebrating 50 Years of Sports
SemlikiLand of Plenty
The Thames Diamond Jubilee
Festival of Music and Arts
Maurice Kirya Sings from the Soul
Celebrating 50 Years of Sport
SemlikiLand of Plenty
The Thames Diamond Jubilee
Festival of Music and Arts
Maurice Kirya Sings from the Soul
Celebrating 50 Years of Sport
Celebrating 50years of Independence
Celebrating 50years of Independence
i s s u e n u m b e r 0 1 1 a u g u s t - o c t o b e r 2 0 1 2
ENTEBBE | NAIROBI | JUBA | DAR ES SALAAM | MOMBASA | KIGALI | BUJUMBURA
WE ARE THE WINGS OF EAST AFRICADirect flights. Different countries. Affordable fares.
Fly with us every time.
www.air-uganda.com
NairobiKigali
Mombasa
Dar es SalaamEn t ebbe
JubaBujumbura
ENTEBBE | NAIROBI | JUBA | DAR ES SALAAM | MOMBASA | KIGALI | BUJUMBURA
WE ARE THE WINGS OF EAST AFRICADirect flights. Different countries. Affordable fares.
Fly with us every time.
www.air-uganda.com
NairobiKigali
Mombasa
Dar es SalaamEn t ebbe
JubaBujumbura
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SAMSUNG Laptop series9 Celestair 28.3cmx21cm.pdf 1 Jun/14/12 5:44 PM
Welcome aboard this Air Uganda flightand thank you for choosing to fly with us.
Every morning I make it a point to thank God for the gift of life and the opportunities life brings. I believe that Air Uganda has enabled you to explore some of these opportunities. Our aim
is to give you a memorable experience and try not to make your travel with Air Uganda a mere chore. We are committed to ensuring that a booking on Air Uganda means a smooth and painless journey, from selecting your flights at our call centre or website, to check in, and on board our flights.
That aside, I am excited to introduce our new sports and entertainment features as well as book reviews in this issue. In our entertainment section, we shine the spotlight on the Ugandan award-winning musician, Maurice Kirya, who is well known for his masterly guitar skills, both nationally and internationally. In sports, we feature and celebrate the one thing that unites Ugandans - the Uganda Cranes.
We are elated to have reached one of our milestones at Air Uganda by moving to what is called a Self Handling Airport Operation. On 22 May 2012, we became the proud handlers of our own Airport operations and customers at Entebbe International Airport. This long awaited self handling project means that all airport related functions at Entebbe, from check in to flight dispatch are handled by our very own staff and not a third party handler. This also means that an Air Uganda staff member gets to handle you at every step of our flight process.
Finally this time round, our main feature story is focusing on Uganda which will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on 9 October 2012. In remembrance of the same date in 1962, when the Union Jack was lowered in favour of the black, yellow, red national flag, I would like to invite you to join me and the rest of Uganda as we celebrate our 50th Golden Jubilee Independence in October 2012.
On behalf of the entire Air Uganda team, I would like to thank you for your business and value you as our customer. We are committed to getting you to your destination on time and look forward to welcoming you back soon.
Asante!
Jenifer B. MusiimeHead of Sales & Marketing
EDITORIAL
1 asante aug oct 2012
Camerapix Magazines Ltd Rukhsana HaqRoger BarnardCecilia W. Gaitho
Sam KimaniCharles Kamau Azra Chaudhry, U.K Rose Judha
Rukhsana HaqJenifer B. Musiime
Publishers:
Editorial Director:Editor:
Editorial Assistant:
Senior Designer: Creative Designer:
Production Manager: Production Assistant:
Editorial Board:
The Pearl of Africa is shinning again.
8 Celebrating 50Every September, Kampala comes alive as a vibrant and eventful city a veritable hub for innovation and creativity.
14 Bayimba: International Festival of Music and ArtsMaurice has taken Ugandan music, fused it with R&B and jazz, and developed a unique style that will soon be recognisable worldwide.
18 Maurice Kirya: Really Sings from the Soul
Discover the rainforests of Semliki Wildlife Reserve, a slice of paradise on earth, wondrously blessed with topography, flora and fauna.
30 Semliki: Land of Plenty
The views expressed in this magazine should
only be ascribed to the authors concerned,
and do not necessarily reflect the views
either of the publishers or of Air Uganda.
The printing of an advertisement in Asante
does not necessarily mean that the publishers
or Air Uganda endorse the company, product
or service advertised.
Explore Dar, the largest and richest city in Tanzania with a picturesque seaport and fascinating blend of African, Arabic and Indian influences.
City of the Sultans,Dar es Salaam40
What was a spontaneous act of celebration four decades ago is now known as the lap of honour or victory lap.
26 Celebrating 50 Yearsof Sport in Uganda
2 asante aug oct 2012
Editorial by Head of Sales & Marketing
Air Uganda News
Bookshelf
Air Uganda Flight Schedule
Asante News
Healthy Travelling
Tips for the Traveller
Air Uganda Offices
Route Map
Abato Corner
Crossword Puzzle & Sudoku
ASANTE meaning Thank you in Kiswahili is published quarterly for Air Uganda by Camerapix Magazines Limited
P.O. Box 45048, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya | Tel: +254 (20) 4448923/4/5 | Fax: +254 (20) 4448818
E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial and Advertising Offices:
Camerapix Magazines (UK) Limited | 32 Friars Walk, Southgate, London, N14 5LP | Tel: +44 (20) 8361 2942
Mobile: +44 79411 21458 | E-mail: [email protected]
Air Uganda, Marketing Office | Tel: +256 (0) 414 258 262/4 or +256 (0) 417 717 401
Fax: +256 414 500 932 | E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Investment House, Plot 4, Wampewo Avenue, Kololo
Correspondence on editorial and advertising matters may be sent to either of the above addresses.
2012
CAMERAPIX MAGAZINES LTD
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.
All photographs by Camerapix unless otherwise indicated.
Here are a true wonder of the natural world and a must see species for any visitor to Uganda.
36 The Cave Elephants of Mount Elgon
At the heart of every Olympic sports event, is the glorious medal ceremonies.
22 A Nations SpiritFrancis Asiimwe.
Your most up to date events calender.
20
6
Meet the Staff
Whats Up Uganda
With an innate desire for variety and change, white meat is a welcome treat.
50 Feathered Creatures for the Table
Regulars
1
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
60
Cover picture: Watoto Childrens Choir, Uganda.
4
24
Marking 60 years of The Queens reign, the Pageant was the highlight of a number of Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
46 The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
What makes the perfect gift, graciously given?
The Art of Giving44
3 asante aug oct 2012
Special Golden Jubilee Fare *Fly Daily to KigaliUSD50 * return
* Taxes and surcharges exclusive.
Flying between Entebbe and Kigali just got better as Air Uganda has introduced a return special Golden Jubilee fare of $50 (exclusive of taxes and surcharges). With a choice of convenient daily flights, this promotional fare is available through travel agents or the website at www.air-uganda.com.
Nairobi Same Day Return From USD282* return *taxes inclusive
For those travelling for business to Nairobi, Air Uganda offers same-day return journeys between the two cities. Our value-for-money fares from as low as $282 return (inclusive of taxes) enabling you to wrap up your business in a day.
Fly Direct to Mombasa 5 times a week for only
USD60 *One way, taxes exclusive.
With the recently introduced direct flights to Mombasa, Air Uganda has launched a promotional one way fare for car dealers heading to the Port of Mombasa. From as low as $60 (one way exclusive of taxes), customers can book their flights from any of the Air Uganda offices or travel agents. Book now while seats last.
Self Handling
On 22 May 2012, we became the proud handlers of our own Airport operations and customers at Entebbe International Airport. This long-awaited self-handling project means that all Airport related functions at Entebbe, from check-in to flight dispatch are now handled by our own staff and not a third party handler.
AIR UGANDA NEWS
Personalised Customer Service
MAHOGANY DOORS MODERN STYLE KITCHEN
ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS SANDWICH PANEL
TEL.: +256 41/4286019 / 4286604 EMAIL : [email protected] M/243, NTINDA INDUSTRIAL AREA, P.O. BOX - 7628, KAMPALA (UGANDA)
HWAN SUNG INDUSTRIES LTD.
QUALITY
ON-TIME DELIVERYAFFORDABLE
Latin Flavour NightExperience a mix of
various Latin dances
at the National
Theatre, Kampala. Enjoy the thrills
of New York Salsa, Cuban Salsa,
cha cha cha, merengue, samba,
bachata, jive and rumba.
WEAVER BIRD fiest ARTThis event aims
at celebrating and
promoting community
arts. It features local Ugandan,
regional and international artists.
The festival is hosted three times a
year by the Weaver Bird Community
for the Arts in Masaka, Uganda.
Source of the Nile FestivalThe Festival on the Nile will celebrate cultural identity and unity through diverse cultural
art practices of people along the Nile and traditional arts and cultural practices from other
parts of the world.
COMMUNITY FOR THE ARTS weaver bird
5th Annual Nile Gold Jazz SafariThis will feature Regina Belle, Gerald
Albright and Marion Meadows in a Jazz
&Soul tribute to Michael Jackson / The
Jacksons and Whitney Houston.
6 asante aug oct 2012
The Young Professionals Technology SymposiumAn annual event that seeks to recognise, reward and
promote technology among young professionals
plus create opportunities for commercialising their
technologies by introducing them to mentors and financial institution.
700 participants from the region are expected.
International Trade FairUganda Manufacturers Association will hold the 20th
Uganda International Trade Fair at Lugogo. The intention
is to provide a wide platform for displaying products
or services all over the world. This will help to extend
industrial investment and economic growth in Uganda.
Commonwealth Games Federation General AssemblyDelegates from 71 countries are expected to attend the
CGF. This will boost Ugandas economy through flights
and accommodation at the Munyonyo Commonwealth
Resort. The CGF is the organisation responsible for the direction and
control of the Commonwealth Games.
50th Jubilee Celebrations Uganda got independence in October 1962 and will
celebrate 50 years of Independence. Uganda invites
everyone to come and participate in the celebrations.
The Nile Kayaking FestivalNew kayaking events and rafting races on the warm
waters of the Nile.
Watoto Childrens Choir, Uganda.
7 asante aug oct 2012
celebrating
jubilee celebrations
On 9 October 2012, Uganda celebrates 50 years of independence since the day it gained its freedom from Colonial rule in 1962. The country had been ruled by Great Britain as a Protectorate since 1894 but that era
came to an end when the Duke of Kent formally handed over the instruments of freedom to Milton Obote, Ugandas Prime Minister. With Independence came great expectations for the people of Uganda: the hopes for improved infrastructure; better health facilities, greater respect for local citizens and unity among the diverse groups in Uganda.
Photo: Watoto Childrens Choir, Uganda.
8 asante aug oct 2012
In truth, Uganda did not exist as a single
country when, in the 19th century, the
first western explorers arrived, since
at that time the area was divided into
kingdoms. Shortly afterwards, the first
missionaries came to Uganda and in
their wake came trade. In 1888, the
British government gave the Imperial
British East Africa Company control of
a territory consisting mainly of Buganda
Kingdom.
After the Treaty of Berlin in 1890, when
Europeans carved up Africa without
consulting any Africans, Uganda, Kenya
and Zanzibar were declared British
Protectorates in 1894.
When the Uganda Protectorate was
established the territory was extended
beyond the borders of Buganda to an
area that roughly corresponds to that of
present-day Uganda, except for a portion
that is now in Western Kenya. The British
ruled indirectly, giving the traditional
kingdoms a considerable degree of
autonomy, but favoured the recruitment
of Buganda people for their civil service.
Other tribal groups, unable to make inroads
into the Buganda-dominated colonial
administration or commercial sector,
were forced to seek other avenues for
advancement. The Acholi and Lango soon
became dominant in the military. Thus were
planted the seeds for the intertribal conflicts
that were to tear Uganda apart following
independence. By the 1950s the winds of
change were blowing through Africa and
many colonial rulers made preparations
to grant independence to their colonies.
In Uganda the first elections were held on
1 March 1961. Benedicto Kiwanuka of the
Democratic Party became the first Chief
Minister.
In the period leading up to independence
there was considerable jockeying for
position between rival parties and after
April 1962 Ugandas National Assembly
consisted of 43 UPC (Uganda Peoples
9 asante aug oct 2012
The late Jayant Muljibhai Madhvani, leading entrepreneur, was born in Jinja.
Striking monument in the h
eart of Kampala commemor
ates Ugandas independen
ce.
uganda at 50
as the Secretary General of the UNLF.
This government adopted a ministerial
system of administration and created
a quasi-parliamentary organ known as
the National Consultative Commission
(NCC). The NCC and the Lule cabinet
reflected widely differing political views.
In June 1979, following a dispute over
the extent of presidential powers, the
NCC replaced Lule with Godfrey Binaisa.
In a continuing dispute over the powers
of the interim presidency, Binaisa was
removed in May 1980 and for a few
months Uganda was ruled by a military
commission.
The December 1980 elections returned
the UPC to power under the leadership
of President Milton Obote. He ruled until
27 July 1985, when an army brigade,
composed mostly of ethnic Acholi
troops took Kampala and proclaimed a
military government. Obote fled to exile
in Zambia. The new regime, headed by
former defence force commander Gen.
Tito Okello opened negotiations with
Yoweri Musevenis National Resistance
Congress) members, 24 KY (Kabaka
Yekka) members, and 24 DP (Democratic
Party) members. The new UPC-KY
coalition led Uganda into independence
in October 1962, with Milton Obote as
Prime Minister and the Mutesa, King of
Buganda becoming President a year later.
In succeeding years, supporters of a
centralised state vied with those in
favour of a loose federation and a strong
role for tribally-based local kingdoms.
Matters came to a head in February
1966 when Prime Minister Milton Obote
suspended the constitution and assumed
all government powers, removing the
positions of President and Vice President.
In September 1967, a new constitution
proclaimed Uganda a Republic, gave
the President even greater powers, and
abolished the traditional Kingdoms.
On 25 January 1971, Obotes government
was ousted in a military coup led by armed
forces commander Idi Amin Dada. Amin
declared himself President, dissolved the
parliament, and amended the constitution
to give himself absolute power.
Idi Amins six-year rule ended when the
Tanzanian army, backed by Ugandan
exiles, waged a war of liberation against
Amins troops and the Libyan soldiers sent
to help him. On 11 April 1979, Kampala
was captured and Amin fled with his
remaining forces to Libya.
After Amins removal, the Uganda
National Liberation Front formed an
interim government with Yusuf Lule as
President and Jeremiah Lucas Opira
Army (NRA) and pledged to improve
respect for human rights, end tribal rivalry,
and conduct free and fair elections. In
the meantime, human rights violations
continued as the Okello government
carried out a counterinsurgency in an
attempt to destroy the NRAs support.
The NRA seized Kampala and the country
in late January 1986, forcing Okellos forces
to flee north into Sudan. Musevenis forces
organised a government with Yoweri
Museveni as President.
Just as in the Independence celebrations of
1962, the post 1986 epoch ushered in a great
sense of hope in Ugandas chequered history.
Twenty-six years later, the regime remains in
place and much has been achieved, but there
is still work to be done to meet the aspirations
of the people.
One area which has seen great strides is
womens rights. Since independence, women
have been given a platform to air their views
on a wide range of issues that contribute to
Ugandas development. Today, women make
up 35 per cent of the Ugandan Parliament,
occupy some key positions in government and
the private sector, as ministers, ambassadors
and academicians.
In his swearing in on the steps of the
Parliament Building on 26 January 1986,
Museveni referred to the National Resistance
Movements victory not as a mere change of
guards, but a fundamental change.
A great deal has been introduced that
has changed the Uganda political scene:
peace exists in most parts of the country;
10 asante aug oct 2012
One area which has seen great strides is womens rights. Since independence, women have been given a platform to air their views on a wide range of issues that contribute to Ugandas development.
participatory democracy based on the
system of Resistance Committees and
Councils has been introduced and taken
root; and, perhaps most important of all,
a new national constitution, based on the
views of the people of Uganda, has been
debated, enacted, and promulgated.
In the realm of economics, the National
Resistance Movement (NRM)
administration has embraced the economic
medicine prescribed by the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank, based
on the total liberalisation of the economy
and the full reorientation of that economy
toward free-market forces a strategy
which, the NRM leadership assures
Ugandans, will transform Uganda from a
peasant to an entrepreneurial society. The
economic policies now in place are another
example of fundamental changes that have
been introduced.
Uganda is still an overwhelmingly
agricultural country, employing 7 out
of 10 Ugandans, and its main export is
coffee. Overall, the Ugandan economy
has grown strongly and there is every
reason to be optimistic about its future,
although the country currently faces
some harsh economic difficulties, in
keeping with the rest of the world. Among
measures planned to stimulate growth
is a programme of road improvements.
The impending commissioning of Bujagali
Hydropower Dam and the reliable power it
is expected to provide, is another positive
for the economy.
Today, as the population of Uganda
approaches 35 million, the prayer of many
Ugandans is that peace and stability
continue to prevail, as the road trodden by
the countrys people since independence in
1962 has been difficult (as indeed has been
the case with many African countries).
Many feel that there is now light at the end
of the tunnel; Ugandans hope that whatever
lies ahead will enable them to enjoy peace,
tranquillity, and more prosperity. All this
will benefit not only Ugandans, but also
their friends abroad, to whom the country
has opened its doors, for them to visit as
tourists or conduct business as investors. In
this way the Pearl of Africa is shining again
'VIEXMRK3JJMGIW8LEX;SVO
4)6*361%2')*962-7,-2+7908(P.O. BOX 14016, Plot 8 Hannington Rd , Kampala Uganda (Opposite Serena Hotel)
XIP +256-312-261774 +256-792-261774 +256-772-261775JE\ +256-312-261775IQEMP [email protected]
;SVOWXEXMSRW7IEXMRK *MPMRK'SRJIVIRGI'SRWYPXEXMSR
asante_feb-apr.indd 21 2/4/11 4:31:26 PM
uganda cities
FORT PORTAL
Set on the moist, verdant northern foot
slopes of the Rwenzori, Fort Portal is one
of the most attractive towns in Uganda.
It is surrounded by Crater Lakes of
Kabarole district, caves and tea estates.
It is well placed for visits to the primate-
rich Kibale National Park and scenic
Semliki National Park and Semliki Game
Reserve hence a good starting point for a
rich adventurous tour. Additionally, Fort
Portal is the capital of the Toro Kingdom,
hence the presence of the Royal Palace
that overlooks the town.
KAMPALA
The vibrant capital of Kampala, like
legendary, Rome was built on seven
hills. Head for the hills and take in the
older cultural, historic and religious sites
including the imposing Gaddafi Mosque
the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, the
Bahai Temple, the only one of its kind
in Africa and the Namugongo Martyrs
Shrines now a world heritage site of
UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization)
where the Ugandan Martyrs died. Other
popular drop-offs include the Uganda
Museum, the Uganda National Theatre
with its big crafts centre and Nakasero
Market among others.
ENTEBBE
Entebbe is located on the shores of
Lake Victoria, only 34 kilometres south
of Kampala. It is home to Entebbe
International Airport, the only one of its
kind in Uganda. Three kilometres away
is the well known Entebbe Botanical
Gardens, a paradise for bird-watchers
and botanists. Another popular tourist
site is the Entebbe Wildlife Education
Centre, a showplace of Africas vast
wildlife species. In addition, a boat
excursion on Lake Victoria to Ngamba
Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary provides
a great chance to see and interact with
chimpanzees.
JINJA
This is Ugandas second largest town,
located at the banks of Lake Victoria.
It is here that the source of the Nile is
marked by a plaque. The Nile River near
Jinja has several grade five rapids which
offer exhilarating white-water rafting and
is ranked as one of the most thrilling and
safest in the world. Presently, the eastern
bank of the Nile between Jinja and
Bujagali is the mecca for water sports;
quad biking, kayaking, bungy-jumping, jet
boat riding, river surfing and sportfishing.
Nearby is Mabira Forest Reserve, home
to an astonishing variety of bird and
monkey species.
12 asante aug oct 2012
feSTIVAL
Photos Meltem Yassar
Left: A visit to the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts is like going to another, seemingly mythical country, a hip and thrilling Brigadoon that appears every year.
14 asante aug oct 2012
The brainchild of the
Bayimba Cultural
Foundation, the Festival
was first organised
in 2008, and is the
main and most
visible activity of
the Kampala-based
company, whose
vision from the very
outset of its inception was
to form a vibrant arts and cultural sector
that was professional, creative, viable and
contributed to the social and economic
development of Uganda and East Africa,
while increasing awareness of the
important role that arts and culture play in
the societal community.
At its launch in June 2008, only 1,000
people attended the Festival which was
held at the famous Kyadondo Rugby Club
in Kampala, home to the MTN Heathens,
Toyota Buffaloes, Stallions, Thunderbirds
and ENGSOL Tigers rugby teams, but it
was nevertheless the first of its kind in
Uganda and attracted the interest of the
media.
Small wonder the next venue chosen for
the Festival was the Uganda National
Cultural Centre, more often known by
its official acronym the UNCC. A semi-
autonomous body, the Centre was
officially inaugurated on 2 December 1959,
and is now a vibrant institution guided by
Ladies and Gentlemen the
Season has begun! Time to
slip the bonds of the office,
get out those new summery
outfits, picnic baskets, old school blazers,
gorgeous strappy sandals, and head for
Ugandas vibrant capital home to the
Bayimba International Festival of the Arts,
says Peter Holthusen.
Even if youre not a fan of music and
the arts, youll be perfectly aware that
the quintessentially African setting of
the Uganda National Cultural Centre
in the heart of Kampala, with its
spectacular Auditorium, Dance Studio,
Restaurant, Resource Centre and world-
renowned Nommo Gallery, is steeped in
entertainment history and that for one
three-day period every September it
becomes the focus of the world.
unity in diversity, integrity and relevance
to national development, nourishing,
celebrating and promoting arts and
culture.
Today, the Bayimba International Festival
of the Arts has grown into a multi-cultural
event that attracts more than 50,000
people to the city of Kampala, drawing a
diverse mix of locals, expats and tourists
to a three-day celebration of the finest
visual and performing arts, with a budget
of approximately 110 million UGX.
The Bayimba team, under the guidance
of Artistic Director Faisal Kiwewa, has
built tremendous capacity in Festival
programming, technical and logistical
planning, artist handling and promotion.
Bayimba has also joined numerous other
Festival and event networks within the
region, such as the celebrated African
Music Festival Network (AFRIFESTNET),
and established links with a considerable
number of famous festivals throughout
the world, enabling mutual learning and
artistic exchanges.
With a varied and qualitative
programming policy, presenting exciting,
innovative and creative ideas to large
audiences, each Bayimba Festival
brings an unparalleled feast of music,
dance, theatre, film, and visual arts from
renowned and upcoming Ugandan,
East African and international artists to
Kampala.
Above: The Bayimba Festival has become a highlight on Ugandas exciting cultural calendar and a template for all the festivals that have since followed its example.
Below: Now celebrating its fifth year, the 2012 Bayimba Festival will feature an extensive line-up of Ugandan artists, and is already shaping up to be one of the greatest yet.
15 asante aug oct 2012
BAYIMBA FESTIVAL
The Bayimba Festival has become a
highlight on Ugandas exciting cultural
calendar and a template for all the
festivals that have since followed its
example. Every September, Kampala
comes alive as a vibrant and eventful
city a veritable hub for innovation and
creativity. The Bayimba Festival is eagerly
awaited by local artists and local people
alike, while artists from abroad and
visitors from as far afield as the United
Kingdom, the United States of America,
Australia and Latin America pour into
Kampala to take full advantage of the
exciting artistic experience. It is rapidly
developing into an important East African
destination Festival, enhancing both
national and international cultural tourism
in the process.
Now celebrating its fifth year, the 2012
Bayimba Festival will take place from
21-23 September in the Auditorium at
the Uganda National Cultural Centre, and
is shaping up to be one of the greatest
yet and so it should be in the year that
Uganda commemorates its 50 years of
Independence.
Much as it has in the past, there will be
an excellent and extensive line-up of
Ugandan artists, with established names
such as Afrigo Band, one of the longest
surviving popular bands in Uganda, and
Baxmba Waves, the multi-cultural fusion
band, presenting their latest artistic
ventures, together with popular acts like
the comedians from Fun Factory, and new
and upcoming artists that will perform for
the very first time at the Festival, such as
the Beautiful Feet Dance Company and
Mbale-based Titan.
Other Ugandan participants include
world-class acts such as Yoyo, Kabuye
Semboga and, of course, Bakayimbira
Dramactors, who have developed into
a formidable troupe. As usual, local
Kampalan artists will be joined by others
from the region while Festival revellers
can reckon on a considerable number of
surprise acts from other parts of the world
as well. The Festival will also include an
interesting programme of art films and
fascinating documentaries while the
venue will also open its space to fashion
shows and artistic installations.
In common with world-renowned
Festivals such as Cambridge and
Glastonbury in the United Kingdom and
the celebrated Edinburgh Festival in
Scotland, a wide range of fringe events
will also be organised in conjunction with
the Bayimba International Festival of the
Arts. Training sessions for new artists,
exchanges and collaborations with visiting
artists and various networking meetings,
are all aimed at developing and promoting
Ugandan and East African music and arts
by building audiences and an appreciation
for the arts and culture of the region.
Most importantly, to highlight the Jubilee
celebrations of both Uganda and Bayimba,
the unique Visionary Africa - Art at
Work travelling platform, a joint initiative
of the African Union and European Union,
will be coming to Kampala at the time of
the Festival with an itinerant urban exhi
bition of contemporary African artistic
practices, providing through the eye of
African artists, a snapshot of the many
transformations that have occurred on the
African continent over the last 50 years.
And if that isnt enough to tempt you to
come to Bayimba, the National Theatre
Restaurant at the Uganda National
Cultural Centre is unrivalled, at least in
Kampala. On Friday, the first day of the
Festival, you can try culinary delicacies
such as the famous finger-licking
luwombo, the celebratory meal from
Buganda that often comprises chicken,
beef or goat meat and ground nuts
mixed with dried fish or mushrooms
each individual portion steamed in
banana leaves. I cannot begin to talk
about the mouth-watering malewa,
(their popular smoked bamboo shoots,
a delicacy from Eastern Uganda), and
eshabwe (ghee sauce) from Western
Uganda, with crowned vegetables and all
very often served with matooke or rice.
A visit to the Bayimba International
Festival of the Arts is like going to
another, seemingly mythical country, a
hip and thrilling Brigadoon that appears
every year. Coming to Bayimba involves
a fair amount of travel, and probably a
queue to get in but, when you get past
these minor impediments, you will be
well rewarded for charting a course to
her doors. This is the yardstick by which
other Festivals must be judged.
[The Bayimba International Festival of the
Arts: www.bayimba.org]
Left: The celebrated Bayimba International Festival of the Arts has grown into a multi-cultural arts Festival that attracts over 50,000 people to the city of Kampala.
16 asante aug oct 2012
)RUHQUROPHQWVSOHDVHYLVLWZZZJFLVQDLURELFRPRUHPDLOUHJLVWUDUBFLQ#JHPVHGXFRP
Really Sings from the Soul, by Kalungi Kabuye.
STAR profile
It was just an exhibition by a local telecoms company. Entry was free, as was the music interlude that was to follow. It was to be in a small room
that quickly filled to capacity with hordes of young people, the ones who will show up any time there are free things to be had.
A couple of artists took the stage and did one or two songs, actually mimed them, and were on their way. The crowds didnt seem to mind; after all, they were up and close to the singers. Then a break was announced, after which a band set up on the small stage.
You could almost touch the thick air of anticipation in the audience. This was unexpected: a live band at a free concert. Who could it be? A few minutes later they found out as Maurice Kirya bounded onto stage, dressed in a T-shirt with the words Kirya for President on the front. He then proceeded to turn the planned 20 minutes free performance into a full-blown concert. He sang most of his songs, cracked jokes with the very appreciative crowd, gave away copies of his CD, and really, really sang. At the end everyone in the audience could have sworn that Maurice Kirya was the best musician in the land, and none would have disagreed. They are all my fans, he said at that time, and I will give them all I have, wherever they are, whatever they paid, and whatever the occasion is.
It did not seem to matter to him that he was just coming off a Central African tour to almost a dozen countries; he gave it his all, just as he had been doing a day earlier in Addis Ababa.
Kirya is a new breed among musicians in Uganda, and probably the whole region.
Although he did grow up in what could be called a ghetto, the Ndeeba
suburb of Kampala, he does not wear it on his sleeve. He
does not wear dreadlocks, although he recently
shaved his shaggy hair (that is
another
story) and has never been known to abuse any substance.
His clean-cut image is what is making waves, together of course with his music. In an industry where street creed is currency, he distances himself from the street and the dancehall beats that are preferred. Not to say that he has not paid his dues along the way.
Growing up in a family of five siblings, Maurice at times had to look for his own school fees by doing odd jobs, errands, farm-work, working on building sites and working with local restaurants. He paid all of sh2,000 (less than a dollar) for his first guitar, which had been rescued from a garbage skip.
I got the wood fixed at a local carpenters, he said, and then I had to find wires to use as strings which I did, using clutch pedal wire from a garage!
His first guitar lesson was from a village drunk who showed him how to tune it and taught him his first chords. Meanwhile his elder brothers were dabbling in dancehall and hip hop, and two of them, Alex (now known as Sabasaba) and Elvis (Vampos) are star musicians in their own right. Maurice was inevitably in awe of them, but was to break away, busking as he put it.
Basically, its what musicians often do in New York, Detroit, the streets of Parisoffering free performances to passers-by, breaking out into acapellas or running through a saxophone solo on a street corner.
He formed a group called The Outkamaz, and they would raid birthday parties, gate crash graduation parties and insist on performing, free. At this time he was also singing regularly in church, at his mothers insistence, in addition to attending piano lessons.
His formative years came to a head when he started the Maurice Kirya Experience, a once-a-week gig at a disco in Kampala. It was one of only two live band acts in town, the other being the Jam Session at the National Theatre.
All that seems a long time ago, and it really changed with his album Misubbaawa, one of the best to come out of Uganda in years. It was released in 2010 in what was to become a watershed year for the rising singer. That year he became the first Anglophone singer
to win Radio France Internationals Discovery Award for Best New African Artist.
That award came with a cash prize and an amount that goes into his various tours and promotions. He has never really looked back since then.
Kirya was also nominated in three categories of the 2011 eWorld Music Awards held annually in Hollywood, in the United States. He won the Best World music artist and best Indie Group/Progressive.
And when he held his first concert at the Serena Victoria Hall every single seat was taken, and the tickets were the highest-priced that Ugandans had ever paid for a concert by a local singer. After that he embarked on an African tour that took him to more than a dozen African countries, making him a bona fide continental star. And in the process it might just help save Ugandan music.
Most Ugandan artists prefer dancehall, and many of them just copy stuff from the Caribbean, said a Kampala music critic. But Maurice has taken Ugandan music, fused it with R&B and jazz, and developed a unique style that will soon be recognisable worldwide. Our other musicians should take a page from his book.
The Book of Kirya is what his second album, soon to be released, will be called. It will continue his unique blend of music which he calls Mwooyo, a Luganda word for soul.Soul is what Maurice brings to the table every time he performs, as those young folks at the free expo found out. And at the Big Brother Star game eviction show, Africas largest TV reality show, he had the audience singing along with him the chorus of the song Misubbaawa. No artist has ever done that, then or since.
Maurice Kirya is easily becoming the biggest music star in the country today, which is a good thing, said music critic and musician Dennis Asiimwe. As a musician has his strength in an area that a lot of other musicians seem to take for granted or simply lack: songwriting or composition. This is his strength, more than his voice, even way more than his ability as a performer. It is his strength as a songwriter/composer that helps him stand out, and because song writing and composition are so innate, Maurice himself probably doesnt know just how ingrained
this trait is in him.
www.mauricekirya.com www.twitter.com/mauricekirya
19 asante aug oct 2012
MEET THE STAFFFrancis Asiimwe
Having lost both my parents in the 1986 war in Fort Portal in western Uganda, I was taken to an orphanage at a very tender age of three years by an organization called Ambassadors of Hope. My
hope was renewed. I had a chance to live again as any child with parents. I was introduced to music and I joined the African Childrens Choir.
A most exciting part of my life followed, having the opportunity to travel around the world to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America, singing with international personalities like Sandi Patty, Ron Kenoly, Michael W Smith and many others. I went through school majoring in the American Standard of Education and the Ambassadors of Hope/African Childrens Choir catered for my needs for school, right from primary level through to University. Through travelling and meeting different people I was inspired to work in an industry that catered for peoples needs. I decided to pursue my dream by studying Hospitality Management and Tourism with the hope that after I graduated I would be able to join either a cruise liner or an airline. I graduated from Makerere University in 2006, and I did my internship at Kabira Country Club and Emin Pasha, in Uganda. Finally my dream came true when I applied for, and was accepted for, a job with Air Uganda as a flight attendant in 2008. I wake up every day and I am living my dream. I still do charity work with the Ambassadors of Hope and also hope that, one day, I will be able to help children orphaned at such an early age to find a home like I did, and also achieve their dreams. I am thankful because that light could have gone out many years ago had I not found caring people to take me in. I meet new people every day when I get to fly and I am dedicated to making their experiences worthwhile for the time that they are with us on board the aircraft, because they are the reason I am living my dream.
AIR UGANDA
20 asante aug oct 2012
'VIEXMRK3JJMGIW8LEX;SVO
4)6*361%2')*962-7,-2+7908(P.O. BOX 14016, Plot 8 Hannington Rd , Kampala Uganda (Opposite Serena Hotel)
XIP +256-312-261774 +256-792-261774 +256-772-261775JE\ +256-312-261775IQEMP [email protected]
;SVOWXEXMSRW7IEXMRK *MPMRK'SRJIVIRGI'SRWYPXEXMSR
asante_feb-apr.indd 21 2/4/11 4:31:26 PM
feature
The coveted gold is bestowed,
bunches of flowers handed
over. And then the supreme
moment that tugs at the hearts
of every citizen of the winning country:
the national anthem crackles over the
loudspeakers. If only theyd put the words
of each anthem up on the screen, we
could all join in, and then we really would
have a great time.
The oldest national anthem in the world
is Wilhelmus van Nassouwe. The Dutch
national anthem was written for Prince
William of Nassau in 1568 and set to the
music of a French soldiering song. Not a
word of its 20 verses has been changed
since, although the Dutch make do with
singing just the first and eighth verses.
One of the newest national anthems, on
the other hand, is that of the United Arab
Emirates, for which a competition for
best lyrics was held in 1996; the winner
scooped a US$120,000 prize.
Which is the worlds most famous
national anthem? Hard to say, but
La Marseillaise must be among the
contenders, a stirring and blood-thirsty
song first heard during the French
Revolution. Not all Frenchmen are happy
with their songs violent lyrics. It was
suggested that the line March! March!
That their impure blood may drench our
furrows be changed
to the more genteel
March! March!
That an azure sky
may shine upon the
horizon, but the
French National
Assembly turned
it down.
Many national anthems are surprisingly
bloodthirsty, since they were usually
created at a time of great political change,
revolution or war. The Marseillaise was
written in one night in 1792 when the
French army was encamped outside
Strasbourg, defending the city against
invading Prussians, with a swaggering
tune intended to stir French soldiers
to battle. Another much-recognised
anthem, God Save the Queen, was written
when the British were worrying about an
invasion from Napoleonic France. Scatter
her enemies, make them fall, trumpet the
verses. Some voices, including that of
Andrew Lloyd-Webber, have called for
changes to these words too, particularly
the desire in the fifth verse the rebellious
Scots to crush.
The Chinese national anthem is also far
from benign. Arise! Arise! Arise! it goes,
before exhorting the Chinese to March
on! Brave the enemys gunfire! Perhaps
the most casual in its attitude to warfare
is the anthem of the Congo, which
comments, And if we have to die, what does
it really matter?
Other anthems celebrate great victories.
The American Star-Spangled Banner is the
most famous example, but who couldnt
fail to be moved by the Cambodian
song, which runs: Hurrah for the 17th
of April, That wonderful victory had
more significance than the Angkor
Period! And Im sure it did.
But let us all hope beyond
hope that some athlete
from Burkina-Faso wins
A Nations SpiritThe Olympics may have come and gone but the National Anthems endure. Frankly, there have been occasions where I just wished theyd only show some shortened highlight, because the sports only distract me from the main event: the medal ceremonies, says Brian Johnston.
a gold medal, so we can all sing Against
the humiliating bondage of a thousand
years / Against the cynical malice / Of
neo-colonialism and its petty local servants /
Many gave in, but some resisted.
Neutral Switzerland avoids any
bloodthirsty lyrics, and with great
diplomacy offers one verse in each
of their four national languages. The
Czechoslovakians, when the country was
split in two, politely opted to split their
anthem down the middle as well. And
theres nothing violent about The Call
of South Africa, which is a gentle song
that includes the suggestion that South
Africans should Bless agriculture and stock
raising and well as Banish all famine and
diseases and then Fill the land with good
health.
Countries take their anthems very
seriously. Until recently there was a law in
the USA prohibiting alteration to the tune,
harmonies or words of The Star-Spangled
Banner. In the 1960s Jimi Hendrix caused
uproar with his electric guitar version at
Woodstock. Classical composer Benjamin
Brittens version of God Save the Queen
also caused quite a stir long before the
days when the Sex Pistols dealt it a final
blow.
But the Brits arent the only people with
an interest in their
tune, which
was written
by noted
composer
Henry Purcell in a reworking of a
popular French court air. Many of
the newly created European states
(such as Germany and Norway) used
it for their own anthems throughout
the 19th century, and its still used by
Liechtenstein.
God Save the Queen tends towards
the slow, hymn-like Victorian mood
that is now echoed in the anthems of
many Anglo-Saxon countries.(New
Zealands is a good example). Monarchs
are saluted in the national anthems
of a variety of countries from Japan
and Monaco to Bhutan and Morocco.
Denmarks national anthem is based
on a national hero and former king.
Curiously enough, there are no official
words to the Spanish national anthem,
the Royal March, although different
words have been penned by two
lyricists.
South American anthems, on the other
hand, are neither martial nor hymnal but
sound like arias from an Italian opera,
and tend to be just as long. The music
for at least three of them was actually
composed by Italians and they tend to
be ambitious and complicated affairs.
Brazil takes the crown, with over 100
bars to its anthem (O beloved, idolized
homeland, hail, hail!). But beware of
Greeks, since that country probably has
the worlds longest national anthem,
with 158 stanzas of four lines each. It
was written in 1823 about the heroic
deeds of Greek freedom fighters: Twas
the Greeks of old whose dying / Brought
to birth our spirit free / Now, with ancient
valour rising / Let us hail you, oh Liberty!
If you havent got the stamina, stick
with the anthems of Middle Eastern
countries; many of these are short and
sweet, little more than a fanfare flourish,
and some without any text. Qatars takes
just 32 seconds, which some might see
as a great improvement on Uruguays
full five minutes.
A final category of national anthems
is the slightly folkloric style, largely
taken up in Asian countries, who
arrived relatively late with their national
anthems. The songs of Myanmar, Sri
Lanka and Japan are based on folk music
and some Asian anthems actually call
for indigenous instruments to be played.
Perhaps the most gentle of all anthems
belongs to Bangladesh, which runs: In
spring, O mother mine / The fragrance of
your mango groves / Makes me wild with
joy. The words were penned by Nobel
Prize-winning poet, Rabindranath Tagore,
who also wrote the lyric to the Indian
national anthem.
If a representative of some unexpected
country does win an Olympic medal,
prepare for confusion. In the Tokyo
Olympics of 1964, Abebe Bikila of
Ethiopia became the first person to
win two consecutive marathons. At the
medal ceremony the band realised to
their alarm that it had no idea what the
national anthem of Ethiopia was. They
settled instead on playing the far more
familiar Japanese national anthem, much
to the confusion of the spectators.
Fortunately these days all the national
anthems are stored electronically, ready
to play at a moments notice. Let us all
wait with bated breath if only those
preliminary sporting events would be
over quicker!
The wind of change which blew through
African colonies in the 1950s and
60s spawned a host of new national
anthems for those nations which became
independent.
Uganda was no exception. Fifty entries
were submitted and considered by a
committee headed by Prof. Senteza
Kajubi. Words for the winning entry
were produced by Prof. George William
Kakoma in collaboration with Mr P.
Wyngard, an English master at the then
Makerere College, and set to music
by Mr E. A. Moon, director of music
with the Uganda Police Force. The new
anthem was played on Radio Uganda for
the first time on 9th August 1962. There
was subsequently a small alteration to
the wording, before it settled on the now
familiar version:
For Ugandas neighbours, the national
anthem of Kenya became official in
1963, on the date of the countrys
independence. The words were written
by a commission appointed by the
government.
The task given to them was to select
a tune that took into account the
traditional music of Kenya, which would
both have dignity and also lend itself
to harmonisation and orchestration for
performance by orchestras and military
bands. The music would also have to fit
both the English and Swahili lyrics.
Tunes from many parts of the country
were considered. The final choice was a
tune sung by mothers for their children
from Pokomo country.
The lyrics, which begin: O God of all creation,
Bless this our land and nation were meant to
establish a common identity for Kenyans
from all tribes and to express convictions
held deeply by all of them.
The words of the Tanzanian national
anthem, Mungu Ibariki Africa (God Bless
Africa), were written by a committee and
set to the music of a hymn composed in
1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a South African
Methodist school teacher. Parts of the
same anthem were used to form South
Africas new anthem in 1997.
Oh Uganda! may God uphold thee,
We lay our future in thy hand.
United, free, for liberty
Together well always stand.
Oh Uganda! the land of freedom.
Our love and labour we give,
And with neighbours all
At our countrys call
In peace and friendship well live.
Oh Uganda! the land that feeds us
By sun and fertile soil grown.
For our own dear land,
Well always stand,
The Pearl of Africas Crown.
Uganda National Anthem
23 asante aug oct 2012
Speak Swahili DammitBy James Penhaligon.
This is an extraordinary, hilarious and heartbreaking book an inspiring biographical account of a young white boys chaotic life in a remote, wild, corner of East Africa.Born in Africa, Jamess childhood
is spent on an isolated gold mine
near Lake Victoria, Tanganyika,
with just his sister and mother;
his father tragically dying through
injuries sustained from World War
II. His upbringing is mainly left to
a tribal ayah called Amina and an
elderly Swahili man, and he learns
to speak Swahili before English.
In this unusual setting he soon
discovers some stark facts about
life through tragedy and danger,
but it is the local watu, imbued
with kindness and irrepressible
humour, that save him from
despair, and with whom he learns
to fish with home-made lines, eat
insects and famously abuse the
European hierarchy in real Swahili!
Known as Jimu to his friends, he
marks out his own country with
a Sukuma boy named Lutoli, falls
deeply in love with the beautiful,
but older, German girl Gretchen
and throws himself out of the back
of a bus to try to avoid being sent
away to school.
Once at school, in Arusha,
James tends to mix with other
non-conformers and presents
a dilemma to teachers he is a
white boy with a black spirit.
His gang gets up to nefarious
enterprises, bringing them into a
state of permanent conflict with
the system.
James is fascinated with the
history of Tanganyika back to
the time when it was a German
Colony until 1918. The unparalleled
courage of the German leader Paul
von Lettow Vorbeck against the
British is a beacon to the young
boy of what can be accomplished
against adversity.
Above all James discovers
the world, and life, a little by
education, a lot by accident,
but overwhelmingly by fate and
happenstance, in circumstances
few people in the developed world
have experienced.
PrayerBy Zion Mukisa.
Prayer is an absolute necessity in our lives, says the author. The level
placid beauty of a group of sleeping Malawian children. Theyre not sleeping, Sachs tells a shocked Chambers. Theyre in malarial comas. A few days later, they were all dead.So begins Chambers mission
to eradicate a disease that has
haunted mankind since before
medicine began, still infects half
a billion people a year, and kills
a million of them. The campaign
draws in presidents, celebrities,
scientists and enormous
funding and becomes a stunning
success, saving millions of lives
and propelling Africa towards
prosperity. And by replacing
traditional ideas of assistance
with business acumen and hustle,
Chambers upturns the whole
notion of aid, forging a new path
not just for the developing world
but for global business, religion
and even celebrity.
As he follows three years of
the campaign, award-winning
journalist Alex Perry takes the
reader across Africa, from a
terrifying visit to a Ugandan town
that is the most malarial on earth
to a star-studded World Cup
concert, encountering scientists,
fugitive guerrillas, presidents,
religious leaders and icons of the
global aid industry. In Lifeblood,
he weaves together science
and history with on-the-ground
reporting and a riveting expos
of aid as he documents this
race against time. The result is a
thrilling and all-too-rare tale of
humanitarian triumph that has
profound implications for how to
build a better world.
Alex Perry is the Africa bureau
chief for Time magazine.Publication
date: September 2011
bookshelf
of understanding of this necessity however, varies from person to person. Even those who do not pray or go to church would often be heard muttering especially in difficult situations, the words such as lets hope and pray. Some people only pray when
times are hard, others make an
effort to pray but their prayer
time is something they would
rather see the end of as quickly as
possible.
Zion, in her book, Prayer, has
expounded on many things that
could make our praying enjoyable
experiences. Prayer will inspire
those who are keen to take their
prayer lives to another level.
LifebloodHow to Change the World, One Dead Mosquito at a Time By Alex Perry.
One day in 2006, the rich, well-connected but very private philanthropist Ray Chambers flicked through the holiday snaps of his friend, the development economist Jeffrey Sachs, and remarked on the
24 asante aug oct 2012
sports
of Sport in UgandaL
ater this year, as the spectacle of
the London Olympics draws to a
close and Uganda clears its deck
in preparation for a gargantuan
50th Independence celebration that will
undoubtedly touch all walks of life, the
world of athletics will be commemorating
an equally significant anniversary of its own.
Forty years ago, at the Olympics in Munich,
an athlete, hardly known until then, ran
the race of his life to cross the finish line
10 metres ahead of the field. He then
picked up his national flag from a spectator,
unrolled it, held it high, and encircled the
stadium absorbing the adulation of an
audience that had been bewildered by his
world record performance. The flag was a
Ugandan one, and the athlete was 23 year-
old John Akii-Bua.
I just carried on running and running, he
said later. A legend was born, and so was a
tradition. What was a spontaneous act of
celebration four decades ago is now known
as the lap of honour or victory lap and
has become an ingrained Olympic tradition
performed by virtually all triumphant track
athletes. The man who started it in 1972
is Ugandas legendary 400 metre hurdler
who, on that evening, obliterated a field
of distinguished athletes that included
Britains David Hemery, the previous record
holder and a red hot favourite for the gold
medal.
Running in the inside Lane, the lanky
Akii-Bua looked to be trailing irretrievably
By Joseph Kabuleta.
at the halfway stage and only emerged as
a contender on the final bend. But by the
time he crossed finish line he was well
clear of his closest challenger. What made
his triumph all the more remarkable is
that there was nothing from the hurdlers
previous performances that suggested
that such a feat was within the realm
of possibility.
Akii-Bua had finished a distant fourth at the
1970 Commonwealth games in Edinburgh,
Scotland and hadnt accumulated any
competitive experience in the consequent
years. But his ascent to greatness was in
many respects birthed at London when
a 27 year-old PE teacher in a Bristol
secondary school and part-time athletics
coach answered an advert in Athletics
Weekly. Malcolm Arnold then went for
an interview in Londons Trafalgar Square
and returned home to tell his wife and two
young children that they were headed for
Uganda.
His name was difficult for us, so we simply
called him Mzungu, a Kiswahili word for
white man, Akii-Bua said in his pencil-
written memoirs left with the coach.
Arnold encountered a rudimentary
competition structure, patchy grass tracks
and talent. He introduced a little modernity
to the training regime that included
scientific periodisation of an athletes year
into different phases of preparation, the
first to build endurance and stamina, then,
in the weeks before the season, honing
speed, sharpness and technique.
What was a spontaneous act of celebration four decades ago is now known as the lap of honour or victory lap.
26 asante aug oct 2012
as he looked nostalgically back to his days
in Uganda and the triumph in Bavaria. He
came from very poor circumstances, living
in a hovel while working as a policeman.
We worry today about the technology of
drugs; he struggled for one square meal
a day. From there, his achievement was
incredible.
He had everything: enormous talent, a
huge commitment and capacity for work,
a very astute mind, and from nowhere
reached dizzy heights. Yet the sadness is,
he only really had two years. Reviewing my
own career has made me realise quite how
remarkable he was, concluded Arnold.
The story of a policeman who rose from
obscurity and blew the Munich field away
to set a new world record has been told and
retold, but it still has not been equalled. As
Uganda marks 50 years since the British
Union Jack was lowered and the black-
yellow-red flag of the Colony was hoisted
amidst ululations, Akii-Buas 1972 feat still
stands unchallenged at the pinnacle of the
countrys sporting success. Whether that
points to a nations underachievement or
Above: Commonwealth Games - Australia-Melbourne, Inzikuru celebrates gold 22.03.06.
Middle: Cranes striker Brian Umony leaves the Namboole pitch in tears after Uganda could only draw 0-0 with Kenya and failed yet again to qualify for the African Nations Cup.
Right: Ugandas John Akii Bua races ahead of Britains David Hemery to win gold in Munich 1972.
Perhaps Arnolds biggest success was in
convincing Akii-Bua to abandon the 110m
hurdles for which he wasnt suited and
concentrate on the 400 metre hurdles.
Even if he didnt compete much in the
two years between Edinburgh 1970 and
Munich, Akii-Bua engaged himself in the
most gruelling training regimes imaginable.
He did hill-running in a weighted vest,
repeated 600m runs with just a minutes
interval, morning and afternoon. The athlete
acknowledged in his notes that such a
programme was not natural. But it was
effective.
The Ugandan national anthem played
(at the medal ceremony) as I stood to
attention with the whole stadium in respect
to this small nation, which was on its way
to disaster in the years to follow, wrote
Akii-Bua.
After his success in Uganda, Arnold moved
back to Britain in the early 1970s and
worked with such luminaries as sprinter
Linford Christie and the Welsh 110 metre
hurdles legend Colin Jackson. He went on
to head the Great Britain track and field
team to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,
Georgia. Yet in an interview with the
Guardian newspaper in 2008, the soon-
retiring coach admitted that the first cut
was in many respects the deepest.
Of all the athletes I have worked with, I
put John (Akii-Bua) number one, he said,
27 asante aug oct 2012
old Kipsiro was seen as a prospective new
king. But he missed the event for unclear
reasons. He could still make amends
at London 2012, but anybody who has
followed the careers of previous Ugandan
athletes will not be quick to put a wager
on him.
The Uganda Cranes, the national soccer
team, played all the way to the final of
the African Nations Cup in 1978, where
they lost to hosts Ghana, and a period
of dominance thereafter was expected.
Instead, Uganda went into an unmitigated
decline and has not qualified for the biennial
tournament since. Consequent qualifying
campaigns have been about hopes raised
before being cruelly dashed.
Yet in spite of all the heartbreak suffered
in more than three decades of exclusion
from the big stage, football is unrivaled
as the abiding passion of the country and
Cranes are the single most unifying force
in Uganda. Every campaign is treated with
the same excitement and expectation that
this could be the year when all the pent-
up pain gives way to euphoria. Draws for
the next Nations Cup have dealt Uganda
a cruel blow, it would seem, as the Cranes
will take on reigning champions Zambia
for a place in South Africa 2013. But
Ugandans are bubbling with expectation
nonetheless and the symmetry of their
arguments is difficult to ignore. The final
leg of the qualifying campaign will be
played in Kampala in October, the very
month Uganda celebrates 50 years as an
independent nation.
The first 50 years of sport have been
about random success and unfulfilled
potential. Will the invisible scriptwriter of
the next era be a little kinder to Ugandan
sport and inscribe some happier endings?
Could it all start in the festive month
of October with a victory over African
champions Zambia and that long-
awaited trip to the African showpiece?
What a script that would be; one to rival
Cinderella and the fitting shoe for fairytale
romance. Ugandans wait.
Joseph Kabuleta is a freelance journalist who writes
on sport and culture: [email protected]
But just when Ugandans were looking
forward to the prospect of a rivalry between
one of their own and the dominant Michael
Johnson, Kamoga, without any warning,
clocked out before his time and has not
been seen competitively since.
Next on the catwalk of Ugandan one-hit
wonders was Dorcus Inzikuru. The country
girl from the northwest of the country
surprised the world and herself when
she won the 3,000 metre steeplechase
gold medal at the World Championships
in Helsinki 2007. She was only 24 at
the time and an era of dominance was
similarly predicted. Instead, like others
before her, she vanished in the mists and
hasnt competed, much less won, at an
international event of that magnitude since.
Then along came Moses Kipsiro. After
threatening to burst on to the world scene
for a number of years, he won the 5000
metre and 10,000 metre gold medals at the
Commonwealth Games in New Delhi two
years ago, becoming the first athlete in the
70-year history of the Games to win both
distance events. With Ethiopian legend
Kenenisa Bekele battling injury, the 5,000
m stage was vacant at the 2011 World
Championships in Daegu and the 26 year-
accentuates the greatness of its forerunner
is open to debate. Its probably a bit of both.
The athlete spoke of how he lost three of
his brothers in that period. Amidst such
disquiet, his training for the 1976 Olympics in
Montreal was far from sufficient, which was
just as well because he never got the chance
to defend his medal. He had arrived with the
Ugandan team in Canada, ready to compete,
when the 25 African countries withdrew
from the Games because New Zealand,
which had a team at the Olympics, were also
playing rugby against South Africa. Akii-Bua
was on a plane back home when the 400
metre race was being run in Montreal. When
he landed, a journalist broke the news to him.
Your record is gone.
Davis Kamoga, another gifted athlete, came
out of nowhere and shook the world briefly
before returning straight back to oblivion.
The 400 metre runner spent much of
his formative years attempting to forge a
football career that he never had the talent
to sustain, then out of frustration tried his
hand in athletics. Within less than two
years he had won a bronze medal at the
Olympics in Atlanta 1996. The following
year he snatched silver at the World
Athletics Championships in Athens.
Above: Dai Greene presents athletics coach Malcolm Arnold with the J.L.Manning Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Sport the SJA 2011 Sports Awards on December 7, 2011 in London. Arnolds first success was with John Akii Bua in Uganda.
sports
28 asante aug oct 2012
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S unlight filters down through the dense tree canopy above, sparkling off dew-dampened leaves and moss-
covered boulders. The humid air
wraps itself around monumental
tree trunks and ferns, while in
the distance a waterfall tumbles
into a crystal-clear pool. Insects
hum, birds call across the almost
infinite horizon.
Welcome to the rainforests of
the Semliki Wildlife Reserve,
a slice of paradise on earth
I have enjoyed the privilege of visiting Uganda on a number of expeditions in the past and
Semliki has always held a very special place in my heart. If your idea of peace and tranquility is a green and golden landscape studded with
trees and scattered with herds of pretty Uganda kob,then this is the place to come, writes Peter
Holthusen.
Semliki Land of Plenty
featurePh
otos
cou
rtes
y of
Cam
erap
ix/D
avid
Plu
th
and only five hours drive from
Kampala. Previously known
as the Toro Game Reserve,
Semliki is the oldest protected
area in Uganda and home to
a staggering array of flora and
fauna. It is unique, beautiful
and blessed with a tortured
topography of natural barriers
that have formed a veritable
haven for wildlife.
The Semliki Wildlife Reserve,
located within the boundaries of
the new Semliki National Park, is
situated 375 kilometres west of
Kampala in the lush and verdant
basin of the Western Rift Valley.
It is one of the most diverse
habitats in Africa with wonderful
examples of riparian forest,
gallery rainforest, Borassus palm
forest, and short and high grass
savannah. The habitat diversity
within the 558 square-kilometre
area of the Reserve supports
an array of fauna including
lion, leopard, elephant (both
savannah and forest species),
Uganda kob, buffalo, impala,
and chimpanzees as well as a
staggering number of birds, with
30 asante aug oct 2012
the DRC, via the Semliki National
Park and Sempaya Hot Springs
or to do what we did, turn right
across the savannah and aim for
the Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
The Semliki National Park is
located in Bwamba County, a
remote part of the Bundibugyo
District on western Ugandas
border with the DRC. It was
elevated to the status of a
National Park in October 1993,
and is one of Ugandas newest
National Parks, with no less than
194 square kilometres of East
Africas only lowland tropical
rainforest being found in the park.
It is managed by the Uganda
Wildlife Authority and is one of
the richest areas of floral and
faunal diversity in Africa, bird
species being especially diverse.
From 1932 to 1993, the area
covered by the Semliki National
Park was managed as a forest
reserve, initially by the colonial
government and then by
the Ugandan Governments
Department of Forestry. It was
made a National Park in order to
protect the forests as an integral
part of the protected areas of the
Western Rift Valley.
The Park is part of a network of
protected areas in the Ugandan
sector of the Albertine Rift
Valley. Other protected areas
in this network include the
Rwenzori Mountains, the Bwindi
Impenetrable Forest National Park,
the Mgahinga Gorilla National
Park, the Kibale National Park, and
the lush savannah of the Queen
Elizabeth National Park, with
its elusive giant forest hog and
legendary tree-climbing lions. This
largely forested Park represents
the eastern-most limit of the great
Ituri forest of the Congo Basin
and contains numerous species
of flora and fauna associated with
Above: Uganda Kob.
Above left: From 1932 to 1993, the area covered by the Semliki National Park was managed as a forest reserve, initially by the colonial government and then by the Ugandan Governments Department of Forestry. Today it is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal diversity in Africa.
Opposite page: The spectacular Semliki Wildlife Reserve, 375 kilometres west of Kampala, is one of the most diverse habitats in Africa with wonderful examples of riparian forest, gallery rainforest, Borassus palm forest, and short and high grass savannah.
31 asante aug oct 2012
over 400 species having been
recorded in the area.
To reach the Reserve, you leave
Fort Portal (the closest town to
Semliki) by the road towards the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) and a bumpy three hours
drive. Once a winding gravel or
murram road, this is now rapidly
being transformed into a broad
four-lane tarmac highway and
no doubt shortly to be the main
route out of the DRC for all their
precious minerals and metals.
Once at Karagutu, at the bottom
of the escarpment, the traveller
makes a decision to go either to
Bundibugyo, on the border with
Central rather than Eastern Africa.
Semliki is the only Park in Uganda
composed primarily of tropical
lowland forest. The land is quite
flat, creating a startling contrast to
the rugged Rwenzori Mountains
nearby.
The Park borders the Semuliki and
Lamia rivers which are watering
places for many animals. There
are also two hot springs located in
a hot mineral encrusted swamp.
This amazing field of boiling
water at the Sempaya Hot Springs
ejects a conspicuous cloud of
steam seen as far away as two
kilometres. According to the
records at the Uganda Wildlife
Authority, Sempayas water
temperature at over 1,000C
is well above the maximum
temperature of most hot
springs worldwide. The average
temperature for most hot springs
is about 500C.
Tourists have been seen to
boil eggs, cassava and green
bananas in the two geothermal
heating springs. The first hot
spring is a pool 12 metres in
diameter and the second is
a field of geysers. Both ooze
steamy sulphur-scented waters
reputed to have healing powers.
One of the springs Mumbuga
regularly forms a 50 centimetres
high fountain. These spectacular
natural wonders attract a large
number of shorebirds and they are
a valuable source of salt and other
minerals for many animals.
To the north of Semliki is Lake
Albert whilst to the east dense
woodland climbs the steep valley
wall. On the western horizon are
the Congolese Blue Mountains
and in the south a spur of rugged
hills climbs up to the ice-capped
peaks of the legendary Rwenzori
Mountains of the Moon. The
majority of the Reserve is open
acacia woodland and grassland
whilst patches of gallery forest
border the rivers.
The area that Semliki covers is
a distinct ecosystem within the
larger Albertine Rift system. The
Park is located at the junction of
several climatic and ecological
zones and, as a result, has a high
diversity of plant and animal
species and many microhabitats.
Most of the plant and animal
species in the Reserve are also
found in the Congo Basin forests,
many of which reach the eastern
limit of their range in the Semliki
National Park.
Of the 400 bird species found in
Semliki, 216 of these (66 per cent
of the countrys total bird species)
are true forest birds, including
the rare forest ground thrush,
Congo serpent eagle, long-tailed
hawk, forest francolin, the lyre-
tailed honeyguide and Sassis
olive-green bulbul. Nine species
of hornbill have been recorded
in the Park, while the shore of
Lake Albert and the swamps that
surround it are home to a variety
of common and rare waterbirds
including the enigmatic shoebill
stork and vast colonies of red-
throated bee-eaters.
The game populations in the
Semliki Wildlife Reserve were
at one time enormous but the
poaching and hunting that
occurred during the civil war and
throughout the 1980s saw the
numbers plummet. However, since
the early 90s the Reserve has
been protected by the Ugandan
Government and, although the
numbers do not yet equal those
of the reserves heyday, they are
increasing rapidly.
In addition to the resident
population of lion, leopard and
semliki
Above: The Semliki (also known as Semuliki) is a major river in Central Africa. It flows northwards from Lake Edward in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, across the Ugandan border and through the west of the country in Bundibugyo District, near the Semliki National Park.
Below: The amazing field of boiling water at the Sempaya Hot Springs are one of Semlikis most spectacular natural wonders. One of the springs Mumbuga regularly forms a 50 centimetres high fountain.
32 asante aug oct 2012
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY . EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH. STRICTLY NOT FOR SALE TO PERSONS UNDER 18 YEARS.
Above: Semliki is the oldest protected area in Uganda and home to a staggering array of flora and fauna, with over 400 bird species having been recorded in the area including the striking red-throated bee-eater..Below: The forests of Semliki are also the home of the Bantu-speaking Batwa, or Twa people, an indigenous community of short-statured people also known as Pygmies who still largely live as hunter-gatherers.
Phot
o co
urte
sy o
f Pet
er H
olth
usen
Phot
o co
urte
sy o
f Pet
er H
olth
usen
semliki
elephant, Semliki has over 60 mammal
species, including forest buffalo,
pygmy hippos, mona monkeys, water
chevrotains, bush babies, civets, and the
endangered pygmy flying squirrel. Nine
species of duiker are found in the Reserve,
including the rare bay duiker. The forest
has eight primate species and almost 300
butterfly species.
Uganda kob are now commonly seen
along with reedbuck, waterbuck,
bushbuck and buffalo. The breeding
population of elephants and lion appear
to be re-colonising the Reserve from over
the Congolese border, including the large-
maned lions for which the reserve was
once famous. The gallery forest is home
to a variety of primates in addition to the
chimpanzees, including black-and-white
colobus and red-tailed monkeys.
The forests in Semliki are of great socio-
economic importance to the human
communities that live near the Reserve.
The local people practice subsistence
agriculture and use the parks forests to
supplement their livelihoods. Some of
the products they obtain from the forests
include fruits and vegetables, bushmeat,
herbal medicines, and construction
materials. The forest also plays an
important cultural and spiritual role in
local peoples lives.
The forests are also the home of
approximately 100 Bantu-speaking Batwa,
or Twa people, an indigenous community
of short-statured people also referred
to as Pygmies who still largely live as
hunter-gatherers. The Bantu term Twa is
generally translated as Pygmy. However,
in the Western conception Pygmies are
short forest-dwelling people, whereas
southern Twa populations do not live in
the forest and may not be shorter than
the farming/village population, generally
not reaching the anthropological
definition of Pygmy as males averaging
less than 150 centimetres in height.
The Batwa and Bambuti Pygmies are
the countrys most ancient inhabitants,
confined mainly to the hilly southwest,
and they are anthropological relics of
the hunter-gatherer cultures that once
occupied much of East Africa. They left
behind a rich legacy of rock paintings,
such as those at the Nyero Rock Shelter
near Kumi.
Past practices of the managing
authorities that excluded the local
people created resentment among
them. This reduced the effectiveness of
conservation policies and contributed to
the occurrence of illegal activities such as
poaching and logging. However, since the
1990s, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has
actively involved the local communities
in Park planning and Semliki is rapidly
becoming one of Africas leading wildlife
conservation areas.
With its relatively easy access from
Kampala and Fort Portal, Semliki is
Ugandas prime ecotourism destination
and offers employment opportunities
for local villagers, giving them a financial
alternative to clearing the forests for
subsistence farming.
For conservationists, Semlikis discovery
is timely. It brings hope that these ancient
trees and the rare endemic species that
live among them may be preserved for
future generations. For scientists, the
new creatures that almost certainly await
discovery in the shelter of the massive
trees, caves and streams that dot this
spectacular landscape are an irresistible
lure. I, for one, cant wait to go back
34 asante aug oct 2012
It is my first morning in the
Mountain Elgon National
Park and I wake long before
dawn. The sky is still dark
and the birds have just begun to
twitter. Sitting on the lower slopes
of the oldest and largest solitary
volcano in East Africa, I can see
the surrounding landscape of the
plains and the distant Great Rift
Valley spread out beneath me.
Three decades previously, when I
started my career as an explorer, I
used to come to this spot to watch
the more secretive animals; to
listen for the roar that signalled
the arrival of the king of all
creatures, or look out for the shy
herd of breeding elephants who
enter Mount Elgons labyrinth of
caves to lick the salt they gouge
from the walls with their tusks.
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield
volcano on the border of Uganda
and Kenya, north of the port city
of Kisumu and west of Kitale.
The spectacular National Park
within which it lies covers an area
of 1,279 square kilometres and
is 140 kilometres north east of
Lake Victoria. Mount Elgon is an
important water catchment for the
Nzoia River and the Lwakhakha
which flow into Africas largest
lake and for the Turkwel River
which flows into Lake Turkana.
The mountain is named after
the Elgeyo (also known as the
Keiyo) people, who once lived
in the huge caves on the south
side of the mountain. The Mount
Elgon massif consists of five
major peaks: The mountains
highest point, Wagagai at 4,321
metres, is located entirely within
THE CAVE ELEPHANTS OF MOUNT ELGON
Peter Holthusen recently relived his excitement of watching the
mysterious elephants
disappearing into the dark labyrinth of caves on Mount Elgon to
excavate the mineral-
rich rock for salt.
The elephants enter these caves as whole families, very often with youngsters in tow, and walk as far as 160 metres into the pitch darkness to find a salt stream in the rock.
Photo Ian Redmond via Peter Holthusen
Photo Ian Redmond via Peter Holthusen
wild zone
36 asante aug oct 2012
Uganda; Sudek (4,302 metres) in
Kenya; Koitobos (4,222 metres),
a flat-topped basalt column in
Kenya, and the peaks of Mubiyi
(4,211 metres) rise majestically
in Uganda and Masaba at 4,161
metres in Kenya.
Although Mt. Elgon was