Amabeere Ga Nyinamwiru: The ‘breasts’ of a Beautiful Girl
The African Language and names are quite dramatic. Never shying away from saying it as is seen. So, if you are searching for historical attractions with legendary stories that are reminiscent of Roman mythology, narrow down your search to Mabere Ga Nyina Mwiru. It is a cultural and Eco-tourism gem found at one of the most impressive waterfalls of Fort Portal. You can think of Fort Portal as one of Uganda’s most scenic towns, lying in the shadows of Mountain Rwenzori.
In the thick of this tour, one must follow underground trails that lead into chambers of ancient caves made of solid lava ash. Created as a result of volcanic eruptions that rocked the Virunga region over 500 years ago, these natural caves are well preserved, with zero interference from humans. And as such, they still boast beautiful rock formations. This includes a thriving system of bristling stalactites hanging from the rocks overhead, and stalagmites surging up from the ground.
Scientists maintain that they were formed when calcium carbonate reacted with water from an adjacent waterfall that flows from Uganda’s highest Mountain, Rwenzori. The bi-product of this reaction is a milky substance that drips from the “tits” of rock formations that resemble breasts. “That is how locals came to call it: Amebere Ga Nyina Mwiru, meaning the breasts of Nyinamwiru,” one Ignatius, a guide at the site notes.
Interestingly though, historic stories beg to differ; legend passed on from generations among the Batooro insist that the “breasts” were cut off from the chest of a beautiful Mutooro girl called Nyinamwiru. This followed the orders of her father King Bukuku of Toro, a decision based on a prophecy that she would one day get married and have a son, Ndahura, who would kill the king and take over his throne.
A hike through Mabere Ga Nyina Mwiru will enable you to absorb the area’s extraordinary wildlife and the fascinating history of the Bachwezi dynasty. This heroic tribe of Bantu cattle keepers lived here prior to their mysterious disappearance prior to the 19th century. As you stand by the permanent waterfall, the fascinating steaming sound and cold breeze engulf all and sundry.
Throughout this family-friendly tour, the guide will help you safely navigate through a labyrinth of caves and appreciate all their unique features. You can crown your guided visit here with a hike to the neighboring Kalyango hills and Kyenganywa hill. From their summits, you will see some of the most scenic crater lakes of Africa.
Such a gentle hike; it often jokes that even patients recovering from a hip surgery could take it on. The beauty about this is that it is also easy on the little ones and can be explored as a family.
What to Know
If traveling in peak and rainy months like, bring a pair of waterproof shoes like gumboots. The trail gets quite messy with a lot of water and mud during this time. If you get wet, they will give you a chance to shower and change afterward at the cottage here. The tour costs Shs7.500Ugx for locals and Shs10.000 for non-Ugandans.
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The Expansive Old Kampala Mosque
Though it boasts of a 200-year-lifespan, this will be a brief one, albeit a must-read. See, the Old Kampala Mosque is one of the places you must visit whilst out here in the City. For most adventurers in pursuit of religious tourism, it is just right— offering a sophisticated taste of elegance, architecture, and brilliant artistic
inscriptions from all the six continents of the world
It should have been up and proud by the time the current Museveni-led government came into power, but the construction of the mosque stalled after Amin fled Uganda following the overthrow of his government in 1979. The politics of it all would be that the president then, Milton Obote who more Christine-inclined didn’t think this pertinent whilst Iddi Dada Amin put it on his radar. Historians tell of how fast it was erected whilst Amin was on the throne and how quickly the construction came to a screeching halt under the Obote government and the others that followed.
But its savior, the fallen Muammar Gaddafi was decades away and would come to its rescue. Aside from offering an impressive history and culture, the house of worship which was named after fallen Libyan President Muammar Gadaffi has a distinctive Minaret that stands at over 100 feet atop old Kampala Hill and 1,210M above sea level. From here, adventurers can get some much-needed fresh air from the hot day plus the most breathtaking 360 degrees of Kampala and the seven Hills of Kampala. No other hill in Kampala offers such.
And yes, today, it is one of the largest mosques in the world and seats up to 15,000 worshippers and can hold another 1,100 in the gallery and over 2,000 in its lower terrace. Its lighting is a beauty to partake in the night, adding to a glorious scene that makes for Kampala’s hills by the night.
Travel tip
Women need to be prepared to wear a dress and cover all their hair if visiting the Mosque (provided). While exploring the holy sanctuary is free for Ugandans, it comes at a fee of shs10,000 for non-citizens.
Buganda Culture at Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs have always been considered a national monument by Ugandans and the location was recognised internationally as such when it was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2001. Then, tragedy struck on 16 March 2010 when the tombs were gutted by a fire. It was like a stab in the heart to many Ugandans – but especially the Baganda.
The Kasubi Tombs are a traditional burial site for the late Kabakas. The Kabaka is the king of Buganda. The Kasubi Tombs are also referred to as Ssekabaka’s Tombs in Buganda. It was first constructed in 1881 and is located on Kasubi Hill – 5km out of the city centre. This monument is witness to the well kept traditions of the Baganda people and the tombs hold the remains of four Kings: Muteesa I, Muwanga II, Daudi Chwa II and Sir Edward Muteesa II. The guards and caretakers at the tombs are the descendants of the original guards and caretakers since it was first constructed.
While the fire destroyed some major buildings the remains of the kings were saved by the caretakers. Reconstruction of the tombs has taken some time but did start in July 2012. The delay in reconstruction was due to gathering funds and the investigations into the cause of the fire. The reconstruction will be a replica of the former tombs which were made of reed and bark cloth.
Before the tombs were destroyed, visitors entered by a small gate and would be met by guards dressed in yellow. After paying the entrance fee, a visitor would be assigned a guide to take them around and tell them the history of the tombs. The tombs were located at the end of the compound with other huts surrounding it. Some of the other huts were homes to the widows and granddaughters’ of the former kings and they were charged with the responsibility of looking after the tombs. It is an honor in the Buganda culture to be charged with taking care of the kabaka’s tombs.
The widows, and/or granddaughters, of the kings would sit by the pictures of the king. Visitors were required to take off their shoes before entering the hut to protect the bark cloth carpet that lined the tombs. Inside the tombs, the guide would explain the different artifacts that included spears and the stuffed leopard that was Kabaka Mwanga’s pet.
The tombs still remain an important spiritual and political site to the Baganda people. In as much as the original site was constructed using mud, reeds, and wattle, the main significance of the site is the continuity of the Baganda traditional and spiritual beliefs.
While it is unclear when reconstruction will be completed that does not mean that visitors need to remain away entirely. While there isn’t much to see visitors may still glean information from the guides and caretakers. In Kampala, all schools organize a trip to the Kasubi tombs for classes throughout the year. To learn about the rich Buganda culture, visiting the kasubi tombs is always a good idea. Pictures of the original tombs can be found at the Uganda Museum as well as the Uganda Tourism Board.
To know more about the tombs and the Buganda culture contact the Kabaka Foundation, Bulange in Kampala by phoning +256 412 273 600 or emailing kabakafdtn@utlonline.co.ug. To read more about the Kasubi Tombs go to www.kasubitombs.org.
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The Uganda Martyrs’ Trail
The Uganda Martyrs Trail is Uganda’s exclusive faith-based tourism product that takes you through different places where the first Christian missionaries passed and preached from, and where some of the Uganda Martyrs were killed before their bodies were taken to be burnt at Namugongo.
The death of these martyrs has always been memorable in the hearts of many people especially Christians who celebrate the lives of the martyrs on 3rd June of every year a day the republic of Uganda considers as the Uganda Martyrs’ Day and a public holiday. Their remembrance was amplified when the Catholic Church of Rome beatified the martyrs of its faith in 1920 and canonized them in 1964.
Many pilgrims, especially Christians, from all over the world descend to the Pearl of Africa to join together with Ugandans to commemorate the martyrs’ day. This is celebrated in remembrance of 45 young men (recorded) both Anglicans and Catholics who were killed on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II (then the King of the Buganda Kingdom in Central Uganda), for refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ or Christianity. The execution took place between November 1885 to June 1886 with a climax at Namugongo on 3rd June 1886, after the Kabaka (king) thought the Whites were ‘infiltrating’ his subjects with Christianity to cause rebellion against him. As a result he killed most of his servants at Namugongo.
Since its launch in 2014, the Uganda Martyrs Trail was expanded to cover such places like:
- Mapeera site in Ssese
‘Mapeera Site’ at Bugoma, Buggala Island in Ssese is the spot where Fr. Simeon Lourdel, who was later named “Mapeera” and Brother Amans first touched Ugandan soil when they landed at the site to spend the night of 15th February 1879 on their way to Lubaga to meet with Kabaka Muteesa I, seeking permission to set up a camp in Buganda to preach, teach and spread Christianity. - Kigungu Church, Entebbe
This is the second spot where Fr. Simeon Lourdel & Brother Amans landed on 17th February 1879 after spending a night at Bugoma, Buggala Island in Ssese, en route to Munyonyo to meet with Kabaka Muteesa I. - Mapeera site in Kisubi
On their way to meet with King Muteesa I at Munyonyo palace, the missionaries also stayed at Kisubi, on the shores of Lake Victoria along Entebbe road, a place the Catholic Church later revamped and established a seminary, schools and a well maintained beach and gardens. - Uganda Martyrs’ shrine, Munyonyo
In the same area where Kabaka Muteesa I had his palace lies the Munyonyo Matryrs’ Shrine. This is the place where the missionaries met with the Kabaka who had earlier on written a letter to Queen Victoria of UK in 1876 inviting Christians to come, teach and preach in the Buganda Kingdom. It’s also the place where the journey of the Martyrs, both Catholics and Anglicans, began before their martyrdom at Namugongo, happening after Kabaka Mwanga had assumed power when his father (Kabaka Muteesa I) died in 1884.
It was at Munyonyo where King Mwanga took the crucial decision to begin putting Christians to death. The blood of Uganda’s martyrs was shed on the soil around Munyonyo. The first three Christians to render their lives for Christ’s sake after the king’s decision did so on 26 May 1886. They included, St. Denis Ssebugwawo and St. Andrew Kaggwa. It is also in this place where in 1886 Saint Charles Lwanga, leader of the Christian community in Uganda baptized St. Kizito, St. Mbaga, St. Gyavira and St. Muggaga.
The place has now been refurbished with a Cathedral and a monument which were inaugurated by Pope Francis on 27th November 2015, when he visited the Pearl of Africa.
- Uganda Martyrs’ shrine, Namugongo (both Anglican & Catholics’ side)
The climax of the plight that befell the Uganda Martyrs between 1885 and 1886 happened at Namugongo, and the place was earmarked by the construction of a church. The construction of the Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine (Catholics section) began in 1967 and it was completed and formally opened by the special Papal envoy, His Eminence Sergio Cardinal Pignedoli on 3rd June 1975.
The Uganda Martyrs minor basilica/Shrine is a Catholic church dedicated to the Martyrs of Uganda who shed their blood because of the Christian faith. The Shrine is well known for its beautiful and unique interior and exterior, but it is especially notable for its shape and architectural plan: the 22 copper pillars-over 100 feet long that support the shrine built in form of an African hut and its wooden doors that depict the history of the Martyrs. The Shrine has a capacity 1000 seats arranged in a circular form.
It is here that 14 of the 22 Catholic Uganda Martyrs were burnt alive, on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II in 1886, having refused to denounce their Christian faith. Following the holocaust of these Martyrs which reached a climax on 3rd June, 1886 Namugongo has steadily taken on the image of attraction as a place of pilgrimage, as God simultaneously has honoured them before Believers.
On 6th June 1920 Pope Benedict XV beatified the Uganda Martyrs. Pope Paul VI canonized them on Mission Sunday, 8th October, 1964 in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome. The same Pope honoured the Martyrs with a pilgrimage on 31st July to 2nd August 1969 – the first visit ever by a pope to the African Continent.
Remembering the work executed by St. Charles Lwanga when still a page in King Mwanga’s palace, when he spearheaded the excavation of the legendary Kabaka’s lake in Ndeeba, a Martyrs’ lake was excavated at Namugongo. Many pilgrims have often drawn water from this lake and later given testimonies about this water healing them of various diseases.
The Pavilion (Island) in the lake is another unique feature at Namugongo with a clear view that can be seen from all angles of the over 15 acres Shrine compound. It is inside this pavilion where the main celebrant sits on big occasions like Martyrs’ day, June 3. This grass thatched pavilion, also in circular form like the Shrine is supported by 4 pillars and can accommodate more than 300 priests and a number of bishops that turn for the High Mass on Martyrs Day.
In remembrance of the 23 (recorded) Anglican martyrs, the Anglican Church of Uganda also constructed a museum that collects all the information of the story, right from the coming of the first missionaries, to the torture of the martyrs and the spread of Christianity all over Uganda. Visiting these places shall provide you with all inspirational and spiritual knowledge.
Both sites have so far been visited by three Popes; including; Pope Paul VI in 1969, Pope John Paul II in 1993 and Pope Francis in 2015.
When to do it
One can visit at any time of the year but the most favorable time is between May and July every year, during which you can also join in the annual celebrations of 3rd June every year.