Religious leaders: Nyege Nyege organizers use festival to promote immorality

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A section of religious leaders and Busoga Kingdom officials share different opinions as the Nyege-Nyege festival takes shape in Jinja City.

Nyege-Nyege is an annual four-day festival, held along the river banks in Jinja city.   The festival has, however, met resistance from religious leaders, who often accuse the organizers of using this festival as an avenue of promoting immorality.

They allege that immorality is promoted through indecent dressing, excessive drunkness, and idolatry, among others.  This they say not only deteriorates the moral standards of society but also an infringement on religious values.

Pastor Sam Tumwebaze,  the overseer of Good Samaritan Churches says that they are privy to both photos and videos depicting perverseness in the previous Nyege-Nyege festivals and they don’t expect any change from this year’s edition.

Tumwebaze notes that religious leaders are the primary custodians of morals and it is improper for them to look on as such values are abused in broad daylight.

But Andrew Ntange, the Busoga Kingdom Spokesperson says that Nyege-Nyege attracts revellers from different parts of the world, most of whom purchase items from the surrounding markets and roadside vendors alike.

Busoga Kngdom’s Tourism Minister, Hellen Namutamba says that the festival attracts International tourists, which markets the sub-region to the rest of the world.

The Ist Deputy Premier, Rebecca Kadaga argued that, blocking Nyege-Nyege amounts to sabotaging the economic rights of the Busoga sub-region.

James Muwumba, a pastor at the great salvation church says that, rather than endless arguments about Nyege-Nyege’s moral questions, all dissenting parties ought to dialogue on the way forward.

Muwumba notes that, since all of them are leaders at different levels, they ought to find means of dialoguing on dissenting issues rather than publicly demean each other.

The festival, which is expected to attract over 15,000 people, will be held at the Jinja Golf Club in Jinja City.

This year’s Nyege Nyege Festival will feature a series of cultural pavilions and stages showcasing music, fashion, food, and culture from various parts of East Africa and the continent. The festival also echoes Uganda’s global reputation as one of the most hospitable countries, hosting refugees from DR Congo, South Sudan, Eritrea, Burundi, and Ethiopia.

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