Tourists are experiencing rural Mukono, Uganda, as opposed to the crowded capital of Kampala, and are enjoying a taste of the “real” Uganda.
One of the biggest East African ethnic groups, the Baganda, have their traditional practices and customs laid out for tourists to learn about in the Ewaffe Cultural Village.
Guests are served piping hot matooke, a traditional mashed banana dish made using banana leaves, while seated on mats within a mud-floored hut. The Baganda have a long-standing custom of sharing meals together.
Just seven months ago, 30-year-old Aisha Nabwanika launched the Ewaffe Cultural Village to fill a need in Uganda’s cultural tourism industry. Situated in the Central District of Mukono, approximately 30 km from the Ugandan capital, the facility provides visitors with a novel approach to Ugandan tourism.
Musicians and dancers perform traditional welcome rituals when guests arrive. Then, in gourds, a traditional vessel, they are given freshly squeezed banana juice.
Traditional culinary techniques, long-lost by many Ugandans, are on display at the cultural village so that guests can learn about and partake in centuries-old customs.
