Tag Archives: tradition

COMMENT | Gertrude Kamya Othieno | The arrival of European powers in Africa under mercantilism and capitalism marked not only an economic shift but also a profound disruption of the continent’s traditional structures. Governance, resource management, and cultural cohesion, systems that had sustained African societies for centuries, were dismantled, replaced by models …

COMMENT | Gertrude Kamya Othieno | The assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, serves as a profound example of how attempts to erase a leader can be met with unexpected resilience rooted in cultural traditions. While Belgium sought to eliminate Lumumba and his vision …

Zimbabwe’s renowned stone sculpture tradition dates back to Great Zimbabwe, a mediaeval city known for its iconic stone walls, and from which Zimbabwe derives its name. Dominic Benhura has made a livelihood from his translations of this tradition, since the age of ten. ART | BIRD AGENCY | Armed with a small …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor has challenged government to consult cultural leaders before making legislative decisions in matters that affect their people. “A number of important matters have been brought to parliament which grossly affect culture and other things in Uganda, and about which …

Ndwedwe, South Africa | AFP | Thousands of white-robed devotees of the Shembe Church in South Africa greeted the New Year last week by climbing the mountain of Nhlangakazi, sacred to them for more than a century. Every New Year, people mostly from Inanda township, near the coastal city of …

Ulu Muda, Malaysia | AFP | On a moonless night deep in the Malaysian rainforest, two men perched precariously on high branches use a smoking torch to draw thousands of bees from a treetop hive, braving the angry swarm to collect their prized honey. The honey hunters, as they are …

Dabafayed, Ethiopia | AFP | Down a sandy track past a desiccated animal carcass lies a cluster of half-built huts that Ethiopia’s government and aid agencies hope will blunt the worsening toll of repeated droughts. The soon-to-be village of Dabafayed is intended as a new, permanent home for once-nomadic herders made …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 3rd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat organised Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni Festival (JAMAFEST) entered day two Sunday, with the highlight being the official opening of the culural festival by Uganda Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. The main objective of the …

  S.Africa circumcision ritual: a dangerous route to manhood Coffee Bay, South Africa | AFP |  Naked, covered in white clay mud, and with his penis wrapped in leaves, Abongile Maqegu, 20, sits in a hut in South Africa recovering from his circumcision — a traditional ritual that can prove …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Ugandan police on Thursday arrested the prime minister of the traditional Rwenzururu kingdom, whose monarch is facing treason charges for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government, police said. Police spokesman Suwed Manshur said that the king’s number two, Johnson Thembo Kitsumbire “was arrested this afternoon …