Cultural institutions and their role in building Uganda

In 1967, then president of Uganda, Apollo Milton Obote abolished cultural institutions in the country, setting in motion decades of instability and bloodshed. What the then leader failed to see was that Uganda was a culturally diverse country, with people that highly averred their heritage. Obote’s decision to abolish cultural institutions stemmed from his political differences with the king of Buganda, the largest cultural group in the country.

King or culturally referred to as ‘Kabaka’ Edward Fredrick Mutesa became the first President of Uganda when the country attained independence from British colonization in 1962. Obote became his Prime Minister, and the rest is history.

Against this background and informed by the need to correct blunders of previous governments, the NRA/NRM government took a popular decision to restore kingdoms and cultural institutions. It marked the fulfillment of a pledge by then guerilla leader Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the early 1980s during the struggle to liberate Uganda. Veteran journalist and political historian Tamale Mirundi has described this decision in his writing thus; “The president personally moved to restore cultural leaders and their institutions against the skepticism and even opposition of most of his fellow top leaders of the NRA/NRM government. Many of the NRA/NRM leaders were of the view that cultural institutions would bring problems to the system by creating parallel power centres in the country, but President Museveni ignored their objections and reservations and personally went ahead to restore the cultural leaders and institutions. Besides showing that the President was a man of his word in respect to traditional leaders, unlike President Idi Amin who had given the Baganda hope of restoring their kingdom but then failed to fulfill the promise, this reflected how much the president valued these institutions.”

 “Cultural institutions and their leaders are an inextricable part of the identity of Ugandans, from which the people draw a lot of pride and happiness,” says social commentator and analyst Timothy Kalyegira, speaking of how the restoration of cultural leaders worked in favour of the government. “Across the world, people can’t be separated from their tribal, ethnic, racial and such natural identities, and any person who attempts to do so only wastes their time while denying the people the benefits of those identities.”

On his part, Mirundi reckons that President Museveni would have paved the way for foreign cultures to take over the Ugandan cultural space in the absence of leaders and institutions to preserve, promote and protect indigenous norms and traditions. He reckons that things as traditional religions, traditional functions and traditional regalia would have long disappeared if traditional leaders and institutions had gone missing for more decades from when President Museveni restored them.

Indeed President Museveni has frequently exhibited his deep understanding of the role cultural institutions play in this regard by referencing the need for cultural leaders to continue preserving the Ugandan languages and cultures to ensure that people don’t lose their identity in the wake of globalization. For example, in his speech at the 23rd Coronation anniversary of the King of Tooro kingdom, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru, President Museveni remarked:

“The young generation must be taught to speak and pride in their local languages because that is their treasure and origin. We have our numerous customs regarding marriage, etiquette and rich social philosophy, encapsulated in the proverbs of our vernacular.”

The spokesperson of Busoga kingdom Prime Minister’s office, Andrew Ntange, says President Museveni’s restoration of cultural institutions has been vindicated by the fact that cultural institutions contribute a lot to national development across the country.

“Institutions like Busoga and Buganda kingdoms not only unite their people in terms of identity and belonging, but they actually mobilize their people in development efforts, working with Government and other stakeholders to uplift their people’s lives,” Ntange says. “These institutions provide their subjects with such services as scholarships, agricultural support and extension services, health services, name it. Many of these institutions have such facilities as schools, hospitals, demonstration farms, radio and TV stations, real estate companies, name it. They provide people with jobs, skills and training, among so many other things.”

“The institutions provide an additional layer of leadership, and President Museveni and the NRM regime have empowered them to be active agents of transformation and they have not disappointed,” Ntante says.

From providing cultural leaders with a monthly allowance of Ush 5 million, to periodically providing them with such gifts as vehicles and houses, to providing them with state security, the NRM government has since their reinstatement extended to cultural leaders a wide assortment of provisions to help them smoothly run their activities.

Former State Minister of Culture Peace Mutuuzo reckons that it is self-evident how much the NRM regime under the leadership of President Museveni has over the years continuously supported traditional institutions and their leaders, moreover consistently increasing the amount and scope of this support.

“Above all, the cultural institutions have progressively received back their properties which had been confiscated by the Obote government,” Ms Mutuuzo says. “No doubt that’s the greatest support the government could give to the cultural institutions especially the big ones like the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro whose returned assets are worth so much.”

Mirundi says President Museveni’s support for traditional leaders and their institutions has been seen as well in how the president has always taken personal initiative to cater to the wellbeing of cultural leaders in such situations as when they have been sick or needed personal utilities, among others.

According to Mr. Ntante, it is undebatable that the restoration of cultural institutions and leaders came with a few tests and trials for the NRM government and President Museveni. But overall those have been fairly well-handled and the NRM’s move to restore the institutions and their leaders is a big success, both for the president and the NRM, as well as for the traditional leaders, their institutions and the country at large.