Masaka taps into unexploited cultural, religious sites to promote tourism

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Masaka City Council is seeking to source from its unexploited cultural practices and religious sites to promote local tourism and support investment.

Two years after they were granted city status, the leadership of Masaka has considered organizing the first-ever city carnival as a platform to market its tourism potential and investment opportunities, a four-day socialization event, which will take place between July 29 and July 31, 2022.

Masaka City Mayor Florence Nayamanja says that Masaka and the neighbouring districts are endowed with plenty of impressive cultural and traditional sites and appealing nature characteristics that can potentially attract tourism and investment and fetch them the much-needed revenues to spur the city’s development.

Some of the sites that are being targeted for tourism include, the ancient Villa Maria Cathedral which was constructed by Archbishop Heinrich Streicher in 1892, and Nabajuzi and Nabugabo Ramsar sites that are home to rare species of birds, animals, and plants, the pioneer primary school in Uganda located at Villa Maria, and the Buganda Kingdom cultural palace at Nkoni, among other features.

She explains that they are compiling profiles on both video and prospectus formats, that contextualize the historical, religious, cultural-social, educational, and environmental aspects of Masaka and the entire sub-region, that will be exhibited to the various categories of people with intentions of arousing their curiosity in the area.

Namayanja adds that they also intend to use the carnival as a development summit for exchanging ideas with the different stakeholders both at national and international levels, on how they can build Masaka into a progressive city.

She adds that besides the entertainment, the carnival will set the pace for the restoration of trade order and neatness which is long lost in the urban area. She explains that the leadership is looking forward to discussing and setting acceptable standards within which people can operate within the city in a well-organized manner.

John Mark Tamale, the Executive Director of Masaka City NGO Forum is optimistic that the initiative will help create a sense of ownership of the city among the public.

According to him, the majority population in the area are perceiving the new city’s status as an affair preserved for the political leadership and technical people, hence relinquishing their civic responsibilities including cleaning the city and contributing ideas for development.

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