Mutuba tree is Ssemwezi's farming passion

 

PETER Ssemwezi Kaboggoza knows each ficus tree on his land by name; and they are many!  Ssemwezi considers himself the trees’ caretaker, a role he inherited from his ancestors.  

 

The 89-year-old mzee’s life revolves around preserving the ficus tree (Ficus natalensis), also known as bark cloth tree or mutuba in Luganda. Most of the old man’s day is spent inspecting the trees and pampering them to ensure they are in perfect health. 

 

By just looking around his farm, which has different varieties of mutuba trees, the self-taught forester can tell when a particular variety is in trouble and will dash to its rescue as fast as his advanced age will permit. 

He recently had a special expedition to Kyaggwe (Mukono district) to collect planting material for a rare mutuba variety that he realised was on the verge of extinction. 

 

In return for the tender loving care he lavishes on them, the trees provide Ssemwezi with a steady supply of raw material that he uses in his work. Ssemwezi is a professional bark cloth maker, a traditional dressing material in most parts of central Uganda. 

 

One of Ssemwezi’s ancestors, Wamala Buyingo Kaboggoza, is said to have pioneered bark cloth making, sometime in the 13th century. Impressed by the innovation, Sekabaka Kimera, the reigning monarch then, bestowed on Ssemwezi’s ancestor the title of Kaboggoza, on account of the tapping sound made during the process of stretching the bark cloth material. 

 

The king also decreed that the original Kaboggoza and his descendants become the custodians of the bark cloth making craft and by extension, the mutuba tree — the principal source of bark cloth making material. Semwezi is the 18th Kaboggoza. 

 

His father, the late Alvin Mukasa Kaboggoza served both Kabaka Chwa and Mutesa II. Royal barkcloth is strictly made out of the rare entewebwa mutuba variety, which Ssemwezi recently had to go looking for in Mukono.

 

According to Ssemwezi, the entaweebwa variety yields high quality bark-cloth, which is used during royal functions. 

“It has finer texture, compared to all other varieties” explains Ssemwezi, who is currently multiplying the rare variety on his land, starting with the two cuttings he got from Mukono. 

 

The deep red-brownish bark-cloth (kimote) is considered royal fabric. 

 

Ssemwezi’s home in Nsangwa village, Buyinja parish, Buwama sub-county in Mpigi district is an academy of sorts, where people come from all over to learn about the various species of mutuba trees and the type of bark cloth that can be got from each of them. 

 

Besides the rare ntawebwa, Ssemwezi is also multiplying several other mituba varieties, which include namweruka, mmeembe, enserere and butana. The varieties are differentiated by the shape of their leaves and the durability, fineness and shade of the bark-cloth they yield.  

 

“Over 600 trees have been planted so far.  There are plans to plant more on a 40-acre piece land,” explains Ssemwezi, who is trying to demonstrate the various systems under which the mutuba tree can be cultivated. 

 

Another 300 trees have been incorporated in a banana plantation. About 150 of the trees are already yielding bark-cloth. 

“In a pure stand, the spacing has to be 10ft x 10ft. These make 400 trees in an acre.  When inter cropped with bananas, the space doubles to 20ft x 20ft, giving one 200 trees on an acre,” says Ssemwezi. He points out that the more space you give them, the bigger the trees will grow. The trees need manure as they grow.

 

“After three years, you start debarking. This process turns into a six-monthly routine. Entaweebwa is susceptible to enzilugazze (parasite plant),” he adds.  

 

In 2005 the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) named Uganda’s bark cloth as part of the world’s collective heritage, declaring the “art of bark cloth making a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity.” The organisation is currently working with key people like Ssemwezi to revive the bark-cloth industry and re-establish the different mituba varieties, some of which were being threatened by extinction. 

 

 

Each bark cloth piece is processed from the bark of one tree. If it is a first time harvest, both hand palms are stretched out to measure the circumference of the tree trunk. When the middle fingers and the thumb touch each other, then the stem is mature enough for harvesting.  

 

It is recommended to embark on the debarking process as soon as the leaves turn yellowish, especially during the rainy season. The most preferred harvesting time is during the cool weather. “The process begins with scraping off the surface layer to expose the fresh raw bark cloth,” explains Ssemwezi. 

 

A vertical slit using a knife is made from the top of the stem to bottom. With the help of a banana leaf stalk, the bark is easily peeled off starting from the base, slowly moving upwards. 

 

The debarked stem is smeared with cow dung as a form