Uganda Tourism Board, Ireland Embassy greens Uganda’s independence monument

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | On March 10, the Embassy of Ireland in Uganda and Uganda Tourism Board kicked off St. Patrick’s Day events in Uganda by greening the Independence Monument along Speke Road, Kampala as well as the Amahembe g’ente (Horns of the Cow) at Igongo Cultural centre in Biharwe, Mbarara city.

The two tourist sites will be illuminated green from the launch day until March 20. These two monuments were selected because they represent some of Uganda’s unique and iconic landmarks and monuments. In the previous years, the Embassy of Ireland and UTB have greened the Equator Monument in Kayabwe, the Jinja Nile Bridge in Jinja and the Igongo Eclipse Monument.

The greening event is geared towards bringing awareness of Uganda’s tourist attractions to the global scene according to UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova. This year’s greening ceremony will mark the eighth year Uganda is participating in the Global Greening initiative that kicked off 12 years ago globally and has seen more than 300 famous landmarks and iconic sites all over the world go green like the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Table Mountain in South Africa among others.

Ajarova said, “This joint celebration of the greening initiative is part of our long-term working relationship with the Embassy of Ireland. The initiative has supported Uganda to showcase her unique tourism offerings to the international community while also strengthening our collaborative ties with Ireland; which is one of our key source markets for tourists. The Independence Monument tells a lot about Uganda’s Independence now that we will be celebrating 60 years of Independence, whereas the Mbarara City Horns of a cow monument depicts the unique cultural and historical story of Ankole.”

The Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda Kevin Colgan said, “The Global Greening campaign has been a continued success for St Patrick’s Day across the world. We are happy to shine a light on Uganda’s amazing tourism sector – in this case a green light. Uganda is a country with amazing potential.“