In the
heart of Uganda's central region, you will discover many preserved cultural
sites and destinations suitable for adventures and researchers. These range
from tombs, kingdom heritage sites and buildings, Kampala and Entebbe city centers,
falls and massive water bodies such Lake Victoria.
In Kampala city, you have an interesting mix
of old and new, African and Western, sophisticated and basic especially when it
comes to shopping. In parts of the city there are markets and a few minutes
away you can find a towering office block and a shopping complex offering
designer labels and high tech computing equipment. The range of goods available
is the widest on offer in Uganda so if you need anything specialist or luxury it’s
always best to purchase it whilst in Kampala rather than hope to find it
elsewhere.
Plenty of modern and 'western' style shops exist in purpose built complexes
such as Garden City that are designed with richer Ugandans and foreign visitors
in mind. They all have the feel and atmosphere of typical western shopping
malls, with a mix of supermarkets, luxury goods and fast food outlets.
For Ugandan products, and essentials such as
vegetables and fruit, it’s not worth visiting the more expensive western style
shops, as the prices will be higher and the goods will have been sourced
locally anyway.
About 15 km east of Kampala city lay
the Namugongo martyrs’ shrine
where more than 20 catholic and Anglican martyrs were burnt alive on the orders
of Kabaka Mwanga in June 1886.
Consequently, Christians from eastern and central Africa and indeed the world
over flock to Namugongo to pay their respects and renew their faith by paying
pilgrimage to the martyrs on June 3rd,
every year.
A church was constructed in the shape
of a traditional Baganda hut
(akasiisiira) in memory of the martyrs. It stands on 22 copper pillars
representing the 22 catholic martyrs. In front of the main entrance to the
church, below the altar is the spot where Charles Lwanga, the leader of the Catholics was burnt on June 3rd
1886.The church was consecrated by Pope
Paul VI on August 2nd, 1969.
Kasubi hill is a traditional site
in an urban setting 5kms to the south-west of Kampala city. It was originally
called Nabulagala but when King Mutesa I
established his palace on the hill in 1882, he changed its name to Kasubi, a
village in Kyagwe where he grew up.
The magnificent reed and ring work
representing the 52 clans of the Baganda and the equally long and straight
poles wrapped with barkcloth, the tranquility inside the house all contribute
to the mysticism, respect and awe which are the intangible values about the
great house.
Indeed it is not only the cemetery of the
Buganda royalty but also an active religious shrine of the Buganda Kingdom. Its
traditional architectural design, its religious function and living relevance
formed the criteria for its nomination as a unique cultural site of outstanding
universal value.
Four of the last Kings (Bassekabaka) of the
Kingdom of Buganda namely; Mutesa I (1865-1884), Daniel
Mwanga II (1884-1897), Daudi Cwa II (1897-1939) and Frederick Mutesa II
(1939-1966), were buried in this gigantic dome-shaped grass
thatched house known as Muzibu Azaala Mpanga.
Kasubi Royal Tombs of the Kings of Buganda
was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 2001. It is a
famous tourist site which records more than 50,000 visitors a year.Located in
Kampala along Kira Road (to Kamwokya) off Bombo Road, the Uganda Museum is
a display of Uganda's cultural heritage where one can see ethnological and
natural-historical exhibitions. It is a vivid reminder of the country's colorful
past. One of its most interesting features is the collection of traditional
musical instruments, which one is free to play.
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