Uganda shines at India’s National tribal dance festival

UNCC’s Spokesperson Robert Musiitwa (Second left) led Team Uganda to the Indian festival

Taking place on the eve of the UN climate summit in Glasgow, the three-day festival saw Team Uganda that was represented by Busenyi based Kiconco Culture Troupe put up a desired cultural front as it tremendously showcased Uganda’s cultural diversity through dance and music, Celebration dances, as well as marriage and initiation acts.

Traditional dances performed included Runyege, Ntogoro, Bakisimba, muwogola, Larakaraka, Otwenge, Mwaga and Kitagururo among others, while instruments such as Adungu, drums (Engalabi Namunjoloba empunyi nankasa), flute, endege and ensaansi etc were used.

The seven-member team also took time to practice to be able to create a fusion of the Hindu dialect with local dialects in Uganda making the team a favourite of the audience such that whenever they stepped on stage the audience would go crazy.

Speaking to journalists at the welcoming event, Julian Naume Akorio, the Commissioner for culture and family affairs at the ministry of Gender who also stood in for the ministry permanent Secretary advised that UNCC should in a while organise different cuisines of all different cultures in Uganda with belief that this will attract crowds from within Uganda and world over.

“UNCC should also at least organize similar tribal food festivals and invite other countries in order to bond and strengthen relationships,” she said.

Usher Wilson Owere, the UNCC board chairman congratulated Uganda’s representatives at the festival for pushing UNCC’s mandate to Preserve, Promote and Popularize Uganda’s Cultural heritage locally and globally.

“As UNNC, we are proud that whenever we receive an opportunity to showcase Uganda’s’ culture, we always excel,” said Owere.

“We will continue to send different teams not only to India but to the rest of the world to promote and popularize our culture as Uganda,” he added.

Robert Musiitwa, the UNCC spokesperson who also led the team noted that irrespective of culture bringing people together, it was further an opportunity to discover that Culture can be used as a tool to get reconciliation, end wars as well as ending climate changing issues thus urging all government sector to join hands in promotion of culture.

“I am also calling upon people in the tourism sector and other entities, that if they can only give Culture priority, it’s the only thing that can create uniqueness in our country because other things can be found anywhere else,” he said.

“For example the Karamajong people cannot be found anywhere else in the world. They are only found in Uganda and if we can put that the fire front then we will be good to go as a country,” he added.

He further emphasized that it’s through promotion of culture that the country can also boost it’s revenue and tax base.

Speaking at the same event, Juliet Nuwamannya, also a UNCC board member and director of Kiconco Cultural Dance troupe expressed contentment and satisfaction of the treatment received in India and the host country’s love for culture.

Among other countries that participated in the festival included Mali, Swaziland, Nigeria, Sirilanka, Uzbekistan and Palestine.

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