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The colourful and culturally rich Nubians
The Nubian women also make jewellery, such as earrings and necklaces, as well as mats.
What you need to know:
The Nubians have a unique and colourful culture. Flavia Lanyero writes about this culture and how it can provide the country tourism appeal
Their trade mark as it were, at least for the women is a huge, usually bright coloured garment spread across their body from head to toe, matched with (normally) shining head gear accompanied with a hidden pair of sandals. A Nubian lady has to appear like that in public or at least for a special occasion. For the men, it has to be a Kanzu and a coat.
They also take pride in their basket weaving, cooking skills and ancient history of their origin from the Nuba Mountains in the great ancient Sudan where their cradle land is.
In Uganda, this rather small community of less than a million people has its biggest population in Bombo. Others are scattered in Entebbe and Mbarara.
Wherever the Nubians are, they are highly distinguishable because of their unique culture and skill in art, especially in basket weaving which is passed down from generation to generation. The women weave mats, jewellery, baskets, and wall hangings among other decorations. And as one of them says, it is the duty of every Nubian woman to pass the skill to the daughters.
“I weaved my first mat when I was seven years. It was most treasured mat in the house at that time. Whenever a visitor came home, my mother showed them the mat and I was showered with praise,” narrates Hadijah Ahmed now an Insemination Officer and a member of the Bombo Tourism Nubian Craft Group.
Today, Hadijah has a demanding job but she says that she has to make time for weaving as well as tutor 10 nieces of hers.
“I now have a role, to teach my nieces how to weave. The job I have is not an eight to five one, so I can be called any time but I still make sure I weave something. It is part of our culture,” she says.
Because the larger part of the Nubian community is Muslim, the Nubians have great respect for their sexes. Rarely do they mix, especially at functionsor even during meals. Their meals mainly comprise rice, chapatti, bread and meat or chicken and greens prepared with a touch of spices. Though some of them speak English, many communicate in their native Nubian language or a mixture of Kiswahili and Arabic.
Such is the culture that a tourist will clearly enjoy and learn from in a new project by the Community Based Tourism Initiative (Cobati). The Nubians will now be able to share their culture with the rest of the world, entertaining tourists with not only their crafts but also indulging them in their culture.
And as one tour guide of the project Ramathan Katikiira explains, there is a lot to offer from the community.
“The Masjidnooru Mosque is one of the oldest mosques we have here. It was built in 1948 with great ancient history. The women will be able to teach tourists how to cook our meals. The tourists will sleep in our houses and experience our way of life,” Mr Katikiira elaborates on what to expect in this tourism initiative.
“A typical Nubian house is very spacious. The front of the house is colourfully painted with geometric patterns. Most of the paintings and decorations on the homes have religious meanings. The colourful designs are a distinctive and admired feature of Nubian culture,” Mr Katiikira says.
This initiative could perhaps see the Nubians rise back to their former glory as it were in the 1970s during Idi Amin’s rule as President. History has it that a Nubian during Amin’s time could issue any directive and no one would dare question it unless it was a fellow Nubian or Kakwa. Most of the Nubian men at that time joined the armed forces and rose very fast through ranks to become senior officers.
One could say the Nubians power diminished at the same time Idi Amin was removed from power in 1979.
In the 1960s, many of the Nubian villages were flooded as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. About 100,000 Nubians were forced to resettle in “New Nubia,” 20 miles north of Aswan. Others relocated to Uganda and Kenya.
The Executuve Director Cobati, Maria Baryamujura says that the Community Tourism Initiative is the new dimension tourism is taking, intended to have locals directly benefit from tourism unlike through foreign revenue that goes directly to the government.
“When tourists come from abroad, they are driven direct to the game parks and mountains and back to the airport yet Uganda and Africa as a whole is rich in culture which holds potential for our tourism,” Ms Baryamujura said. She says this initiative will soon be started in all districts in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer Themba Khumalo whose company co-sponsored the COBATI initiative said unique culture and traditional way of life of the Nubian people provides an attraction that has been felt worldwide for many years, and can be tapped into for the benefit of the entire nation.
“By investing in human capital, MTN Uganda has set an example for the rest of Corporate Uganda. I believe that if all the corporate bodies got involved in such ventures, the lives of countless Ugandans would take a turn for the better.” Mr Khumalo said.
Components of Nubian culture
Female attire
Kikoyi- inner garment
Veil/head gear
Dress
Tobu- cloth wrapped across
Sandals
Ear, finger and nose rings.
Crafts
Tabaga- trays
Dingwala – food baskets
Sondu- cutlery kit
Jewellery, tablecloths, mats and beads etc
