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By Joshua Sudi
Being born and raised in Uganda, I grew up in a typical Ugandan setting in the Eastern Uganda in Jinja province. I enjoyed the privilege of watching and also participating in our sweet traditional culture from the endeavored traditional dances to the much-adored traditional dishes.
I always admired my mother, a typical Acholi, who wore her culture with pride and great ego. I loved the way she valued and accommodated her own culture despite being married to a Buganda, my dad. Living in the suburbs of Kakira town in Jinja Province, my mom was still committed to her culture and preserved them. I loved the way we planted and harvested millet, storing them in large barns. That meant lots of porridge for us.
Despite being a Buganda, I loved the Acholi culture as well, from their dances to food. The Acholi women were typically responsible for all the farm work and agriculture-related activities. It was their duty to plan the farm calendar, deciding when to farm and what to farm. Farming Tobacco was their main economic activity. Men were mostly drawn into livestock. This meant being responsible for the animals’ welfare in general. They resembled the Kenyan Maasai tribe, keeping large herds for prestige.
The Buganda tribes in general are music lovers and use their songs and dances to transfer message and cultural knowledge through generations. I’ll only highlight the most common types.
- Larakaraka Dance.
This is also known as courtship dance. This was used during the precolonial period where young men were given the given the opportunity to showcase their dance skills in an attempt to get a marriage partner. This dance is still performed in traditional weddings to carry a torch for the old custom; where men wear rooster feathers on their heads and carry calabashes which they shake rhythmically. The women mostly use their lower body shaking hips and waist, often frantically to show off their femineity.
- Otole Dance
This is also known as the war dance and played a role of preparing and inculcating the young Acholi men of what to expect from fights. The men usually wear cock feathers on their head, carrying shields and spears to perform mock fights and victory dances. This dance represented a huge role men played, for the protection of their territories, women and children
- Agwara Dance
This dance was named after the main instrument of the traditional dance called Agwara which is a local horn used by the Lubagra people ho are mostly found in the Northern side of Uganda. This celebratory dance is done in imitation of the hunters’ movement as they sneak up on the animals. This dance was performed to prepare young men to join the hunting parties and celebrate successful trips.
Can’t lie when I say I’ve always fallen in love with my cultural dances and I’ve always loved and respected every loyal and patriotic Ugandan who still uphold their values and still follow their cultural norms. Long live the Buganda kingdom!
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