Nnabagereka urges parents to let children showcase skills gained from Ekisaakaate

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The Nnabagereka of Buganda (Queen Consort), Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, has urged parents and guardians to allow children to showcase at home the skills gained from Ekisaakaate freely.

The annual traditional Buganda cultural camp targeting six to 18-year-olds is aimed at instilling moral values, discipline, leadership, and cultural heritage in young people.

At the heart of the programme are life skills, physical fitness, and cultural education.

On Wednesday (January 7), the Nnaabagereka spent hours interacting with the young participants at Hormisdallen Primary School — the host of the 2026 edition — in Wakiso district.

She said the programme can only be effective if children return home and are allowed to practice what they have learnt by helping house-helps, if any, with house chores plus other activities.

"Let children showcase, for instance, the home baking skills they have learnt from the Ekisaakaate.”

Ekisaakaate means 'enclosure', in reference to ancient royal training grounds, which now serves children — both boys and girls — from diverse backgrounds.

This year's edition has drawn as many as 250 participants from different Buganda sub-counties, who have immersed themselves in a transformative experience of cultural education blended with modern life skills for a period of nine days.

Nagginda said children can even use their newly-acquired knowledge and craft to earn some income for self-development.

Hormisdallen is hosting Ekisaakaate for the second time, having first done so in 2024, and the Queen Consort was keen to express her gratitude to the school management.

We are proud of the school. We are here, and we are using the school facilities," she said, also thanking the facilitators (ssengas and kojjas) and counsellors. 

"We are happy that the banana plantation we planted in 2024 was well cared for and started to yield."

From farm activities to making art and craft stuff, including school bags, it has been an absorbing, positive experience for the young participants. The camp will end on Saturday (January 10).

After 19 years of nurturing young people, the Nnaabagereka Development Foundation, which organised the camp, believes it is the ideal time to establish a fully-fledged centre of excellence.

“We honour Nnabagereka for the initiative of Ekisaakaate, which instils in our children the values of respect and collaboration," said Coltilda Nakate Kikomeko, the minister of social services in the office of Nnabagereka.

"Her teachings remind us that by working together and honouring our elders, we lay the foundation for a prosperous future for our nation. Let’s empower our youth to be the pillars of development and guardians of our culture."

Nagginda's presence at the camp was itself an inspiration, with the participants expressing pride in being a part of a programme backed by the Nnabagereka herself.

One of them is Akhim Lumansi, a student of St Peter’s SS Naalya.

His most memorable experience from attending Ekisaakaate has been learning to mix music and play musical instruments.

“We commended the organisers for bringing us [the young people] together. The training has provided us with skills, which can enable us to become self-sustaining in the future," said Lumansi.