Saturday, February-27-10

Today was a step into the culture in several ways. The rain had stopped and the temperatures had warmed. The afternoon was spent at the more significant cultural sites. First was The Kasubi Tombs which is the most spiritual and culturally significant site for the Baganda. These are the people of Buganda which is a kingdom in the south central region of Uganda. The sacred site is about 5 klms outside of Kampala. The king is called the Kabaka, a term still relevant in the society today. There were 37 named Kabaka that reigned from 1200 through to 1969.

The palace of Kabaka Muteesa was built in 1882 and the main building is the magnificent courthouse which was converted into the royal burial ground in 1884. This courthouse is built as a dome and is made entirely of organic material and with elaborate rings that adorn the ceiling. These rings represent the 50 Bagandan clans. This great hall is surrounded by a series of smaller circular huts which are even today occupied by the direct female descendents of the wives of the Kabaka and their role is to perform the sacred rituals and maintain the site. One of these descendents works in the United States but had come back to perform her duty. She invited us to sit with her for a moment in the great hall. It was a true honour for one could sense the regard and sacredness she brought into the space.
I was also fascinated by the various drums that are central to the Baganda people. The drums were shaped and decorated in various forms as symbols of power. Some are played with the human hand and some are played with sticks. There were a few drums in the great hall but most were in a small building which was built specifically to house the royal drums.

The history of the relationships between the Kabaka and the various white arrivals to Buganda make for much intrigue. The first were northern Moslems, followed by British Protestants and then Catholics. King Mukabya Muteesa I (1856 – 1884) welcomed these strangers, eventually learnt all three religions though did not embrace one over the other. He is the one who negotiated Buganda to become a British Protectorate rather than a colony. His was a peaceful time of building relationships which did not consistently continue with subsequent Kabakas.

The next stop on our journey was Namirembe Cathedral of the now Church of Uganda. It was built by the Anglican community in 1919 to replace the original thatched roofed building that was hit by lightening in 1910. Perched on top of the Namirembe Hill, it has magnificent vistas of the city of Kampala. The old mango and palm trees graced this site which also housed the cemetery of the early martyrs and bishops. I was disappointed that the site was locked for I always enjoy looking at old gravesites.

When we arrived into the Cathedral, the choir was practicing. I sat down in the very long nave and listened to the obvious Lenten pieces they were practicing, though I could not understand the words. It was a wonderful contemplative moment. Out of respect for the work the choir was doing, I did not take any pictures of the inside of the Cathedral. I was however, able to note the drum kit in one corner, several screens and projector stands and a multitude of mics hanging from the very tall ceiling. I was far less surprised by the integration of new technologies here compared to my first experiences of that in Bethel Church in Barbados where I was a theological student intern. I am sensitive to such technological integration because of the divergence of opinion and practice back in Canada.

From this Cathedral we proceeded to the earliest Catholic church on Rubaga Hill which is one of the other hills that surround modern day Kampala. What a pleasant surprise to see a wedding in progress. We had a quick discreet tour which felt a little uncomfortable to me given the ceremony. But it didn’t seem to bother the tour guide who almost literally took me by the hand as soon as we entered. Though distracted by the people, their traditional clothing and events unfolding, we did see the tomb of the first Catholic martyrs, the various plaques, and pull for the 2 sets of steeple bells – one set for joyous occasions including the wedding in progress and the other reserved only to proclaim the death of a pope.

Travelling from the ancient sacred sites and through the Christian sites, we now stopped at Kabaka’s Twekobe Palace built in 1884. In 1966, the then current Kabaka was driven out of that palace by Idi Amin, whose controlling army occupied that site until 1993. The palace itself has only recently been given back to the people and is in the preliminary stages of architectural restoration. The 600 hectares of land surrounding this once royal palace continues to be occupied by the many descendents of the royal families and their various facilities such as schools.

Certainly the most disturbing feature on this acreage is the underground torture and execution chambers constructed by Idi Amin. The experience of looking into these chambers was made even more powerful and disturbing given our guide. Robinson is the young man who has agreed to act as an interpreter for the oral history that my son is trying to access while in Uganda. Robinson’s interpretation of the writings on the walls and the sombreness of his description of the execution methods left me deeply troubled. The sacredness of this place was palpable to me and was created simply by the fact that so many died in terror.

Having walked through a brief but moving history of the people of Buganda, it was time for some supper. We were joined by the Robinson as well as a young man from England, Aiden who is also working on his PhD. We gathered at a local Ugandan restaurant and I was blissful in the wonderful and varied conversations. Robinson shared details of his family and village life and gave a context to the village wide celebration of the completion of his university degree two weeks ago. My son had been invited to that celebration and shared some more stories from his perspective on the ride home. We talked about the increasing suspicion of NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and the counterpoint of our Canadian/British societies’ ability to travel where most average Ugandans never even think about such things given their daily struggle to survive and feed their families. Once again, a very poignant reminder of my privileges that comes with relative wealth. I find these conversations equally life-giving as they are deeply challenging.