KABAKA PALACE MENGO

Kabaka’s Mengo Olubiri (Palace) is the official residence of the King of Buganda. In Buganda, it was customary for a new king to choose a hill where he would build a new palace. This palace would become the new capital of the Kingdom and the King was free to rename the place as he so wishes.

Mengo palace covers a very wide area and it`s covered with an extensive fence around it. It was constructed by Ssekabaka Mwanga11 in 1885. When he took over the throne in 1884 at the age of 18, he first put his palace at Masaja. While at Masaja, Mwanga thought of shifting his palace to another palace. He had always admired Nkaawo hill on which members of the Nvubu clan kept their grinding stones (Emmengo). These grinding stones were used to grind herbal medicine. Mwanga decided to construct his palace at Nkaawo hill and the grinding stones were shifted. It`s from these grinding stones (Emmengo) that the name Mengo was adopted.

The palace became Mengo Palace and the hill became Mengo hill. When the palace was complete, it caught fire which destroyed all the important documents for the Kingdom. This scared the King so much that he ran away from the Lubiri and took hostage with the Roman Catholic Missionaries at Nalukolongo. He later left the Missionaries and went to live with Mukasa who was Katikiiro to his father Ssekabaka Muteesa II; While at Mukasa`s place, lightning struck and destroyed everything at Mukasa`s home towards February 1886. The Kabaka ran away from Mukasa`s home and went to Munyonyo where he put up another palace at Mulungu hill near Lake Victoria.

In this palace there is the Kabaka`s official house called Twekobe.

In 1966 the then Prime Minister of Uganda Milton Obote ordered a dramatic attack to oust Kabaka Mutesa II by the forces of Idi Amin, soldiers stormed the palace and, after several days of fighting, Mutesa was forced to flee and live in exile in the UK.

The building was duly converted to army barracks, while an adjacent site became a notorious underground prison and torture-execution chamber built by Idi Amin in the 1970s. This site, a dark concrete tunnel with numerous dark, damp cells, which were separated by an electrified passage of water to prevent escape, also original charcoal messages written by former prisoners on the walls: one reads ‘Obote, you have killed me, but what about my children!’ On the grounds are also the scrap metal remains of Mutesa’s Rolls Royce destroyed by Idi Amin.

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NDERE CULTURAL CENTRE

Ndere Troupe Centre is located in Ntinda about 2 km from Ntinda trading centre. Ndere Troupe is a cultural development organization that was founded in 1986 by Rwangyezi Stephen for universal unity through music, dance and drama.

Facilities

In order to help it achieve its objective, the centre has acquired a guest house, an amphitheater, an auditorium and a bar and restaurant that are open throughout the week.

Membership

The Ndere Troupe Centre is the nerve centre for than 1600 Uganda Development Theatre Association Groups. The theatre groups across the country educate and entertain people through their music, dance and drama.

Training

The centre organise trainings and workshops for members at Ndere Centre and other places across the country.  The centre hosts bi-annually a grand festival which provides members a platform for national and international exchange.

Artists and the community

Ndere Centre as a “The Home of Art” welcomes all artists and people of different walks of life to use, participate and bring the variety of art and culture to the centre. The Centre every year organizes great Christmas Programs.

Sponsorship

The great work of the center has been sponsored by the Austrian Development Agency

Services by Ndere Troupe

Ndere Troupe performs at graduations, weddings, anniversaries, dinners, launches, conferences, expos, festivals, opening ceremonies, state functions.

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THE BAHAI TEMPLE – UGANDA

The only temple of the Baha’i faith in Africa, Uganda Baha’i Temple is positioned on the crest of Kikaya in Kawempe division, north of Kampala and is usually encountered on Uganda safari tours.

Standing out from a distance and viewed from different hills of Kampala, the Baha’i Temple is one of the rich tourist attractions that the city of Kampala has got to offer to a range of Uganda safari undertakers. Established in January 1958 and dedicated in 1961, the Baha’i temple was designed by Charles Mason Remey.

The Baha’i faith like most other religious denominations in Uganda were banned in Uganda during the Amin’s era following the killing of Enoch Olinga the founder of the Baha’i faith in Uganda but received its renaissance in the country after the over throw of Idi Amin.

The Baha’i Temple is 130feet (39m) in height and 100m (13m) in width while its roof is 124 feet (37m) in height and 44 feet (13m) in width which makes it a gigantic structure that should not be missed while on safaris in Uganda. Its foundation is 10 feet (3m) entrenched in the underground making it strong to withstand the worldly earthquakes.

Besides the magnificent temple structure, the Baha’i Temple has got lush gardens that are spread across the hill with cool winds passing through the lush trees and flowers which makes it a perfect picnic site to encounter and worth visiting while planning your safari to Uganda.

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KASUBI ROYAL TOMBS

Kasubi Tombs

The Kasubi Tombs is the traditional burial place for the kings of Buganda, a tribal group in Uganda. Located on Kasubi hill in Kampala which is the capital of Uganda. Kasubi was formerly known as Nabulagala.Residing on over 30 hectares of space, the kasubi tombs hosts a number of traditional and agricultural activities mainly. In 2001, the Kasubi tombs were listed as a UN heritage site. The core of the hilltop of Kasubi was the palace of the Kabakas of Buganda formerly that was built in 1882 and it was by then build as the palace of Kabaka Mutesa I which was later changed to royal burial grounds for the Kings of Buganda in 1884.A house called Muzibu Azaala Mpanga within here holds the tombs for four royals. This is the master piece and the main building of this site which was constructed in a round circular dome shape. It has been in existence since the 13th Century. It is mainly made out of wood, thatch, wattle, daub and reed. The site holds so much of values of beliefs, continuity, spirituality and identity all of which are not tangible. The powerful Buganda kingdom is therefore acknowledged for having put up one of the exceptional and surviving architectural examples since the 13th Century. Not only is the site a cultural place for the Baganda in Uganda, it is a famous site that brings over 50,000 tourists per year hence highly contributing to the country’s foreign earnings.

What are the traditional and cultural values attached to Kasubi Tombs?

The Kasubi tombs is mainly divided into 3 main areas; that is to say, the main are having the tombs in the western part of the site, the area with buildings and grave yards which is behind the tombs, and in the east, a vast area that is mainly  used for agriculture.

The Kasubi tombs is the site where traditional and cultural practices have been preserved and therefore take on the most active role for religious practices especially for the royal family in the kingdom with rituals being performed here on a regular basis. These are often related to the Buganda culture. It is believed that communication and links here are main with spiritual world.

Kasubi cultural valuables

The Kasubi tombs site is the most known spiritual centre for the Baganda and most religious place in the kingdom. To the site lots of historical, traditional, and spiritual values are attached. The continuity of the living tradition and African culture is well depicted and represented in the structure and traditional practices of the site.

Since 2010, the boundaries of the site have been well maintained and preserved to keep them from any persons who may want to encroach on the land of the tombs. This has also greatly helped to preserve and respect the kingdom’s cultures, norms and values. All kingdom religious, ceremonial and spiritual functions are held here.

How do I get to Kasubi Tombs?

Getting there

Located in the capital of Uganda Kampala, Kasubi is about 5 kilometers away from here.It will take you about 15 minutes from Kampala. This is along Kampala-Hoima road. You move past Makerere University then to Nakulabye as you come from Kampala city center. From the roundabout in Nakulabye, you take your right to Hoima road. This will take you driving for about 1 kilometer where you will move to your left moving up to the Kasubi hill. You will then turn left taking the masiro road from the top of the hill,and there you will be to the entrance of the Kasubi tombs which has a land mark of a thatched hut.