On the 18th of March, young people in heritage clubs in Kabale district participated in a competition in traditional music, dance, songs and speeches.
Under the theme ‘my culture promotes equality between boys and girls’ the competition was organised by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda to foster learning about the role culture plays in promoting gender equality, foster cross learning amongst young people and bring to their attention the role they play in promoting and safeguarding their cultural heritage.
Five schools with over 200 young people participated in the competition. These included Kabale Secondary School, St. Mary’s College Rushoroza, God’s Favour Primary School, Trinity College and Kabale Brainstorm College. Top 3 clubs from the competition were awarded cash prizes to start cultural enterprises of their choice in their clubs.
While officiating the event, Ms. Agnes Asiimwe, the Assistant Inspector of Schools for Kabale district encouraged young people to love and be proud of their cultural heritage. She also noted that young people play an important role in promoting culture because they are the future generation and should therefore continue to be inspired to participate in efforts that promotes it.
The notion that culture plays a key role has been overly downplayed by different stakeholders. In fact, culture is blamed for the continuous abuse of women and girl’s rights, by showcasing men as superior. This competition raised awareness about the presence of cultural resources that can promote gender equality, especially the rights of women and men.
“I raise my voice not so as to shout but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us is held back. My culture, I cry unto you. The pursuit of life, liberty and happiness can become a reality for everyone if we eliminate issues standing in the way of improved gender relations.” Rebecca Ashabohurira, Primary Seven from God’s Favour Primary School noted in her speech.
In the same week, the Foundation also held a refresher training for patrons from Kabale and Mbarar districts. Attended by 28 participants (teachers and representatives of the Kabale district local government), the training was intended to trigger reflection on cultural heritage issues and enhance the capacity of patrons to maintain vibrant clubs in schools.
While opening the training, Mr. Munyambabazi Grace, the Principal Education Officer for Kabale District noted that Kabale presents rich cultural diversity and resources, yet with limited efforts for its promotion. He pledged to support the patrons of the heritage clubs to implement the programme in the district.