Cultural institutions key in fostering development - Museveni

President Museveni with some of the girls who exhibited Gisu wear

By Lydia Nabwire

President Yoweri  Museveni has said the existence of cultural institutions need to be defined correctly so that they can be effective.

He said the institutions are supposed to play the role of sensitising the masses and and also advising the youth on how to get along in life.

The President said this on Saturday during the Convention and Bamasaba cultural festival on Saturday at Malukhu grounds, Mbale district.

The festival involves a competition on culture where the 26 clans of the Bamasaba exhibit their culture and way of life. In this particular one, the Mungokho clan emerged the winner. 

The Umukuka  (king) of the Bamasaba, Bob Mushikori, appreciated the President for honouring the invite and thanked him for reinstating and supporting cultural institutions in Uganda.

He said he was going to come up with a workplan to develop Bugisu and present it to the President for support.

He said there is need to come up with activities that can reduce the occurrence of natural calamities life landslides.

He said Inzu ya Masaba as a young cultural institution faces many challenges and accommodation being the key issue.

"You have just sat in my office and I am sure you saw the gaping roof. You are lucky it did not rain, but if it did, your white shirt would have acquired a different colour," he told Museveni, expressing the sorry state of his administrative office.

He hinted on the fact that the Government had helped some cultural institutions build their administrative premises and asked the President to spearhead the building of one for Bamasaba.

He suggested that the palace be built on Wanale hill, a place where president Dr, Milton Obote had planned to build a hotel during his regime. He said the palace can also accommodate the President's state lodge and that of the Kenyan president. 

"I am looking for a good architect to make a plan and we start the construction. You grew up here in Bagisu and it is now time for you to dwell among us," the Umukuuka told Museveni.

The Umukuka also asked the President to appoint more ambassadors from Bugisu region. He said he needed to pay State House a visit and they get ample time to liberate on the issues affecting Bugisu region.

The President was unhappy about the fact the Bugisu region is rated among the worst performing in education. He said education in Bugisu started long ago and it has and has had  famous scholars such as Prof Timothy Wangusa, Zesabuli  Wasike and the late James Francis Wapakhabulo. He said Bugisu has the potential to change its education status.

"When I saw the beauty queens , I did not look at how beautiful they were, but was wondering which level of education they had attained because the future lies in education," he said.

The festival was attended by Bamasaba living in the diaspora, Bamasaba from Kenya, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Eng Irene Muloni and many others.