kidepo valley national park

GOODCHANCES OF VIEWING LIONS, LARGE ELEPHANTS, AND OUTSTANDING BIRDS OF PREY!

The semi-arid plains of Uganda’s north east is home to the country’s real treasures.

It is the appeal of remoteness that makes us guarantee a visitor won’t come off his Safari van in attempt to see wildlife. Kidepo offers some of the wildest and magnificent scenery in Africa. Dominated by Morungole (2750 M) 0n its Eastern flank, Kidepo sits on 1442Km’s ideal for walking safaris. Its home to the Karimojong who maintain their strong pastoralist way oflife.

Facts About the Karimojong!

It is estimated that approximately 370,000 Karimojong reside in Uganda. As a Nilotic group, meaning

Ngoma (also called engoma or ng'oma or ingoma)are musical instruments used by certain Bantu-speaking peoples of East Africa; ngoma is, simply, the Swahili word for "drum". Different regions of Africa have their own traditions of percussion, with different names for their instruments. In kiSwahili-speaking Kenya and Tanzania, "ngoma" is used by extension to signify specific dances, social occasions and rhythms. It is known as engoma throughout the interlacustrine [between lake] region, and the Swahili word ngoma resulted because of unease in pronouncing engoma by dropping the syllable e. The Banyankore hold drums in high regard, especially the royal drums headed by Bagyendanwa, without which a prince never laid claim to kingship.

The Baganda people of Uganda have a special relationship with ngoma drums, so much so that it is thought by many people that theirs is the country where this type of drum actually originated. The Baganda are fondly thought of as the children of Ngoma. The ngoma is used for communication and celebration and is also a symbol of authority.

The ngoma are made of wood, which is covered with cow skin on both ends, although you’ll also find tourist versions of these drums covered with zebra skins. Typically, they are played in groups of seven drums, each drum having its own voice and function within the ensemble. Another popular configuration is made with at least four drums. Each of these drums are treated as individuals, thus they each have a specific name. The largest drum is known as bakisimba and makes a loud bass sound. The empuunya is a little smaller and also produces a higher-pitched bass sound. The nankasa is a small drum played with sticks and produces a very high-pitched sound. Last, but not least is the engalabi. The engalabi most closely resembles the original ngoma and is taller and more cylindrical than all the other drums in this set. It also has skin on only one side. All of the other drums are covered with cow skin on the top and bottom using an intricate lacing system, whereas the engalabi has a lizard-skin head attached with small wooden pegs. This drum makes the highest pitched sound in the ensemble.

Its also used in Zimbabwe, mainly for traditional dances and celebrations. All of the drums can be played with sticks or hands, except the Nankasa which is primarily played with sticks. The Children of Uganda, AIDS orphans from the Daughters of Charity Orphanage, have been touring the world biennially since 1996 and are the most representative proponents of the music of Uganda, outside of the African continent. Their music and dance presentations reveal the cultural traditions of their country, as well as the trials and travails of modern life in East Africa today. They play a variety of traditional instruments from Uganda, including ngoma, amadinda (marimba or xylophone), obuuti (sticks for amadinda and ngoma), akogo (marimba- or kalimba-type instrument), adungu (bow harp or lute), edinqiri (tube fiddle), endere (pan pipe).

Batwa History

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, a profusion of exotic plants and animals that includes the endangered mountain gorilla. For thousands of years, the forest was also home to an indigenous people—the Batwa pygmies.

As the original dwellers of this ancient jungle, the Batwa were known as “The Keepers of the Forest.” The history of these small-statured people is long and rich. The Batwa survived by hunting small game using arrows or nets and gathering plants and fruit in the rain forest. They lived in huts constructed of leaves and branches, moving frequently in search of fresh supplies of food. The Batwa lived in harmony with the forest and its creatures, including the mountain gorillas, for millennia. Some anthropologists estimate that pygmy tribes such as the Batwa have existed in the equatorial forests of Africa for 60,000 years or more.

In 1992, the lives of the Batwa pygmies changed forever. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest became a national park and World Heritage Site to protect the 350 endangered mountain gorillas within its boundaries. The Batwa were evicted from the park. Since they had no title to land, they were given no compensation. The Batwa became conservation refugees in an unfamiliar, unforested world.

Many Batwa died during the early years of exile, and the tribe’s very existence was severely threatened. Since 2001, American medical missionaries Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann have dedicated themselves to serving the Batwa in southwest Uganda. The Kellermanns purchased land and established programs to improve conditions for the tribe—home-building, schools, a hospital and clinics, water and sanitation projects, income generation, and the promotion of indigenous rights.

These activities are now being assumed by the Batwa themselves through the Batwa Development Program (BDP). The BDP is managed by the Batwa, with a non-Batwa advisory committee that helps to implement programs. It is supported by the Kellermann Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization.

A count on the Uganda Martyrs

The red-tiled building spears through the greenery that surrounds it like a lighthouse by the sea. It sits there quietly, in peaceful observance of time, living out the meaning of the name of the hill on which it’s built– Namirembe, the place of peaceIt has stood there for 124 years now, and that is if you consider the 29 years of earlier churches that were destroyed to allow for its construction. All that while, it has been the ultimate place of worship for many Christians and the provincial seat of the Anglican Church in Uganda
Namirembe Hill has been the location of the main Anglican place of worship in Buganda since Bishop Alfred Tucker established the offices of the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial in Africa in 1890. Tragedy befell the first four church structures. The first church building, constructed in 1890, with a capacity of 800 people, was abandoned in 1891 because it was located in a swampy area at the base of Namirembe Hill. Also, a bigger building was needed to accommodate the ever-growing congregation. The second church building was constructed between July 1891 and July 1892, with a seating capacity of more than 3,000. In October 1894, strong winds during a thunderstorm blew the roof off the church and it was ruined. The third church building was built between 1894 and 1895. It had a seating capacity of about 4,000 worshippers. That building, constructed with traditional African materials, was abandoned in the early 1900s due to fear that termites would destroy it. The fourth church building was constructed with earthen brick walls and a thatched roof, between 1900 and 1904. At the opening ceremony, on Tuesday 21 June 1904, an estimated 10,000 people were in attendance. The congregation included Ssekabaka Daudi ChwaII then aged seven. On the afternoon of Friday 23 September 1910, the roof was gutted by a fire which started when lightning struck the building. Within less than thirty minutes, the entire roof was destroyed and the church was ruined. The current St. Paul's Cathedral was constructed between 1915 and 1919 using earthen bricks and earthen roof tiles. The cathedral is still standing, while needing repairs from time to time.
Namirembe Cathedral specifically stands for its connection to Buganda Kingdom.The Kabaka is the patron of Namirembe Cathedral. The church is very important to the kingdom because it was built on land given by the Kabaka, way back in the past centuries.It is one of the hills where the Kabaka used to conduct his work and where peace was negotiated. Also, the first royal Christian wedding between Kabaka Daudi Chwa and Priscilla Namaganda took place there on September 19, 1914.
Its importance goes beyond Buganda to include Uganda as a whole. The Historic Buildings Conservation Trust lists it among Uganda’s historic sites. The cathedral receives tourists from abroad not forgetting; a stream of native visitors, especially students, who visit the site. It is one of the oldest churches in the East African region. The cathedral has burial grounds of leading figures in Uganda’s history rest. Among them: Dr Albert and Catherine Cook who started Uganda’s first hospital at Mengo and Bishop Hannington and Alexander Mackay, both missionaries. The burial grounds are meant for people who have made distinguished services to Namirembe diocese and to bishops and their wives. The repair of St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe has provided lessons to Uganda on just how such ancient sites should be treated, a reason as to why no society should ever allow itself to pass-on a collection of ruined, tattered and dilapidated heritage to its next generation.

The Bulange, Buganda’s parliament building is also situated on Namirembe Hill, just across from Mengo hill. The Mengo Palace on Mengo hill is connected to the Bulange on Namirembe Hill by a straight road, about a mile long, called Kabaka Anjagala Road (The King Loves Me). About halfway, the straight road is intersected by Rubaga Road. There is a roundabout for the use of ordinary travelers. However, there is a strait-way through the roundabout with a gate. That is for the exclusive use of the Kabaka when moving between the palace and the parliament building. Tradition forbids the king from going round the roundabout. He must travel straight when moving between the two locations. Other notable features are: residence of the Archbishop of the provincial church of Uganda, residence of the Bishop of Namirembe Anglican Diocese, Sanyu Babies Home - An Orphanage managed by a privateNGO, The parliamentary building that houses the parliament of Buganda(Bulange complex) and  the offices of the Kabaka, a prestigious public mixed day school known as Mengo Senior School, Namirembe Guesthouse - A Christian Guesthouse (formerly the CMS Guesthouse)

namirembe cathedral

Know about IK people of Uganda with gorillasafariinuganda

Language and People

The people known as the Ik entered what is now Uganda from somewhere to the northeast, originating possibly in Ethiopia or even Egypt. The origin of their language, Icetot (lit., Ik-speak), which is a Kuliak language, is still debated by linguists. The original Kuliak-speaking people divided into at least three groups in their migrations south: the So (Tepeth), the Nyang'i (Niangea), and the Ik. The So and Nyang'i have assimilated with neighboring peoples, but Ik survive along with their language in the mountains, virtually alone.

The Ik (rhymes with 'stick') live in the northeast corner of Uganda, in a very remote area of what is now called Kaabong District. The Ik number at least 10,000 who live in the mountains and hills above the Karamoja region. A recent language survey team found the Ik to be very poor, oppressed, and marginalized, but receptive to the gospel.

In 1972, Colin Turnbull published a book about the Ik titled The Mountain People. At one point Turnbull said, "They were beyond saving as a society." But when the survey team visited the Ik they did not encounter a people like Turnbull described. They found a very friendly, yet desperate group of people who freely welcomed them.

There is growing interest within Uganda to reach the Ik people, though most Ugandans have never heard of them. Pray that God would make the needs of the Ik known to the world, and that they would desire to reach out to the Ik with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Way of life

Today, approximately 10,000 Ik live together, spread out along the escarpment between Timu Forest in the south and Kidepo National Park in the north. The nearest town of any size is Kaabong, some 20 miles to the southwest. Many of them still inhabit walled villages such as Moruatap, perched on the rim of the escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. Here they live in a traditional manner, practicing subsistence farming in tiny plots of maize, pumpkins, beans, sorghum, millet, watermelon, cowpeas, and tobacco, milling their grain on grindstones and gathering wood for the cooking fire in their circular thatched houses.

ik people

From the pulpit to the plunder

An elephant injured by a snare that was set up by poachers in in Queen Elizabeth National Park

On a typical Sunday, when the church is full to the brim, Ben Baguma steps up to the pulpit to implore people to abandon their sinful ways. He is the reverend of Rwebisengo Parish in Ntoroko district. When I caught up with him recently, it was not in the environs of Rwebisengo.

He was in detention at Kira Road Police Station in Kampala over charges of poaching elephants. Baguma’s other life came to light when wildlife officials, together with the army, bust a racket behind the armed killing of elephants in Kibale National Park. It was an unpleasant scene.

The reverend was barefooted. Because of his position in society, he always avoided eye contact. He was ashamed of the charges placed against him. Rangers, who were excited about what they called a big catch, kept urging him to face the camera. He did not oblige and they forcefully pushed his head to look up.

It was a ‘feast’ for the pressmen and onlookers. “He has been poaching for long, but his luck ran out when we used spies as buyers of ivory,” said Moses Olinga, a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) law enforcement officer, who coordinated the operation. “We have a network of informers and Baguma’s name kept coming up as the chief financier of ivory trade in most of the intelligence reports,” he added

What does Uganda Wildlife Authority say?

Charles Tumwesigye, the director of conservation at UWA, confirmed that poaching was still a problem. However, he said the animal numbers for most species were either stable or going up. Tumwesigye said some huge herds of animals were no longer visible because the distribution had changed.

He attributed this to ecological changes, which he said were negatively affecting pastures. As a result, he said, most animals were moving towards Lake George and areas near Kasese in Queen Elizabeth National Park. “We have conducted an animal census and the conclusion is that the animal population is increasing. But the tourism routes will have to be changed in Queen Elizabeth to enable visitors to see the animals easily,” he said.

Reasons for unabated poaching

UWA has been raising awareness by calling for creation of alternative livelihoods for people living near the parks. But the approach has failed to tame poaching. In addition, community conservation strategies are thought to contribute to changing attitudes and mobilizing support, according to sources. But UWA is underfunded and community conservation is not working to reduce poaching, according to sources. “Also, people around the parks are poor and, therefore, depend on bush meat for food and income.”

“In the absence of effective poverty reduction programmes in such areas as national parks, poaching is unstoppable. What are the acceptable alternatives to the poacher?” the source asks.Queen Elizabeth National Park. Its tusks had been extracted from the carcass, meaning UWA officials are still running in the shadows of the poachers at the park.

At Kibale, elephants are being killed using automatic rifles (AK47) or trapped in pits, where sharp sticks are planted and covered with leaves. When the elephants fall into the trap, the poachers cut off the tusks and leave the carcass behind. In northern Uganda tours, poaching is still a problem in Murchison Falls National Park, but Olinga says the rate has reduced, compared to what it was two years ago.

Uganda among the gang of eight A dark cloud still hangs over Uganda, which was accused at the most recent Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), of providing a safe haven for poachers from neighbouring countries. The poachers also use Uganda as a trafficking route. Sources also fear that the poachers could turn their guns to Uganda’s elephants. CITES cited Kenya and Tanzania among what they called the ‘gang of eight’, in reference to countries which are doing little to curb the illegal trade in ivory.

Others are Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and destination countries, Thailand and China. The countries were ordered by CITES to provide a programme of action to minimise the trade in ivory in the next 12 months or face sanctions. “There was a high level meeting on elephant poaching when the Thailand prime minister visited Uganda recently,” says Mutagamba. Other measures, according to Mutagamba include setting up an intelligence unit, recruiting 430 rangers and placing gadgets that can detect ivory at Entebbe Airport.

Sources say Kenya has put in place punitive laws, from which Uganda can copy. Poachers from West Africa and countries in Asia were operating rackets in Uganda because of the weak wildlife laws, according to sources. Illegal ivory traced back to Uganda About 1.3 tonnes of elephant ivory were recovered in Mombasa, Kenya, hidden under fish for export.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Malaysia-bound ivory was from Uganda. KWS revealed that the ivory was stashed in bundles and sacks and hidden in the fish maws within the container and was ferried from Malaba (at the Kenya-Uganda border) to Mombasa. Its value was estimated at $342,000. Asan Kasingye, the Interpol director told Saturday Vision that they were working with UWA and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to establish the origin of the ivory. Last year, tusks belonging to 200 elephants were impounded at Entebbe Airport, according to Kasingye.

This happened just after a massacre of elephants in Garamba National Park, in the DR Congo, by heavily armed poachers, assisted by a helicopter. animals hard to see in Queen Elizabeth In areas around Queen Elizabeth National Park, poaching is worse than is reported, according to sources.

“When you take a game drive through the park, you will keep wondering where the animals have gone.” A tourist who was giving feedback to one of the tour operators after a game drive in Queen Elizabeth complained that the animals were becoming too elusive. Tour operators say Murchison turns into butcher ground in Murchison Falls, the problems have been compounded by the current exploration of oil.

Also key is the fact that bush meat is part of the culture tours of the people in northern Uganda. While park authorities in Murchison wildlife safari say poaching has scaled down compared to the rate two years ago, tour operators say every time they are on a game drive, they encounter abandoned carcasses or poachers on a hunting spree.

“When you report to UWA, they intimidate you,” a source told Saturday Vision on condition of anonymity. “It is unfair for tourists to spend their money and get almost nothing out of it. After encounters with poachers spearing animals, what will tourists tell others who are planning to come?” Author New Vision