|
In Kigezi N’Abantu Bamwo [Kigezi and its People], Mr. Paulo Ngorogoza wrote:
"I would, in writing this, like to remind the settlers that even if they become rich and change their mother tongue, they should remember the proverb ‘Gatagata munonga gateebirwe wa beene mbeho.’
"They must never forget the good customs and characteristics of the Bakiga, nor forget their own language; and they must feel in their bones that they are Bakiga, remembering where they used to live."
Mr. Ngorogoza wrote his book in 1967. His reference to Bakiga alone was because they were predominantly the ones who had migrated from Kigezi to other lands such as Nkore, Toro and Bunyoro in the preceding two decades.
Had he been writing today, Mr. Ngorogoza, one of the most visionary leaders Uganda has produced, would have addressed himself to all Banyakigezi and all Ugandans who have left their homelands.
Mr. Ngorogoza, the chief architect of the massive resettlement of Bakiga in Nkore, Toro and Bunyoro that began in 1946, believed that one did not cease to be a Munyakigezi or to have an obligation to Kigezi simply because one had moved to other lands and better opportunities. Once a Munyakigezi, always a Munyakigezi.
Fulfilling the vision
Not that Banyakigezi needed to be told to give back to their communities. It is within their character to give and to support their kinsmen.
Nevertheless, the uniqueness of Mr. Ngorogoza was that he articulated and documented his vision of maintaining strong linkages between the Banyakigezi in the Diaspora and those in Kigezi.
Had he been alive today, Mr. Ngorogoza, who died in 1983 at the age of about 86, would be smiling with pride and satisfaction that numerous sons and daughters of Kigezi have heeded his message over the last four decades.
Banyakigezi who went to work in Kilembe Mines in Toro, on farms in Buganda and in factories in Kampala, Lugazi, Jinja, and Kakira remitted large sums of money which built better houses, educated children and provided better standards of living to their families back in Kigezi.
Many Banyakigezi who settled in cities such as Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja and Nairobi built beautiful houses and started businesses all over Kigezi.
This provided employment to construction workers in Kigezi; made it attractive for these expatriate Banyakigezi to go home on a regular basis, thus injecting money into the Kigezi economy; and boosted the morale and pride of Banyakigezi as they witnessed development in their midst.
Likewise, many Banyakigezi who settled in lands as far away as Britain, Canada, South Africa and the USA became major financial supporters of their families and communities through periodic remittances.
Many built houses or started businesses in Kigezi, while others shared knowledge and expertise with their counterparts on the ground in Kigezi.
Challenges remain
The visitor to Kigezi today is impressed by the number of houses with corrugated iron or tile roofs, even in villages that did not have such in the 1960s and 1970s; the growth of urban centres like Kabale, Kisoro and Rukungiri; the increased number of primary and secondary schools; new tertiary education centres; and other visible manifestations of our people’s hard work.
Yet Kigezi’s challenges remain enormous, including a high population density; poor basic education; a high functional illiteracy rate; poor performance in national student examinations; a poorly skilled labour force; emergence of new diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria; declining agricultural productivity; worsening nutritional and other indicators of health; environmental degradation; lack of appropriate technology; alcohol and other drug dependency; poor access to market opportunities, partly occasioned by Kigezi’s geographic location very far away from the commercial centre of Uganda; poor road transportation; and lack of major central government-funded projects since the late 1960s.
Furthermore, the dispersion of Banyakigezi to distant lands has caused an erosion of their unique and great culture. Many Banyakigezi, especially those living outside our homeland, have forgotten their cultural practices and values. The younger generations of Banyakigezi stand the risk of assimilation into other cultures.
ICOB conceived
Recognizing these and other challenges, a number of Banyakigezi in North America began to express the desire to organize themselves into a strong and sustainable forum through which they could protect and promote their culture; network and support each other; and contribute to the socio-economic development of Kigezi.
They believed that while their culture of rugged individualism had enabled them to achieve a lot, the results of their individual efforts were unlikely to be sustainable without a collective and coordinated approach.
In 2002, a group of Banyakigezi in Toronto agreed to form the Kigezi-Canada Association Inc. [KCA], and immediately proceeded to organise the first international convention of Banyakigezi, held at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto from July 3 to 7, 2003.
Banyakigezi from different ethnic communities [Bakiga, Bahororo and Banyarwanda], different religions and different political leanings and visions came together in fellowship.
The delegates agreed to form an organisation to be called the International Community of the Banyakigezi [ICOB].
ICOB’s mission would be to promote the culture and socio-economic development of Banyakigezi in Uganda and in the Diaspora.
ICOB would be a non-profit, non-partisan organisation. It would consist of an apex international organization with strong regional chapters.
Full membership would be open to all Banyakigezi who paid a membership fee. There would be associate membership for non-Banyakigezi who supported the mission of ICOB.
The organization would also build partnerships with other entities, such as the Bafuruki Organization in Uganda, on the basis of projects or programs mutually acceptable to the parties.
The dream of forming ICOB became reality during the weekend of July 2-4, 2004, when over 170 people from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Uganda and the USA, gathered in Washington DC for the second annual convention of Banyakigezi.
The main outcomes of the convention were the formal launch of ICOB and the Kigezi Education Fund, and a collective agreement to mobilize the international community of Banyakigezi towards a common goal of service to our homeland.
The purpose of the Kigezi Education Fund would be to support vocational training of young Banyakigezi, especially graduates of primary and secondary schools, in order to enhance their employability in the region and to offer investors in Kigezi a readily available pool of well trained artisans.
ICOB has become a reality, and the Kigezi Education Fund has received tremendous support from many Banyakigezi and friends of Kigezi. Through this Fund, ICOB now supports computer and IT education at the Rukungiri Technical Institute at Kyamakanda, Rukungiri District, and the training of electricians at the Nyakatare Technical Institute in Kanungu District, with plans to support similar institutions in Kabale and Kisoro districts.
ICOB has since held very successful annual conventions in London, England [2005], Toronto, Canada [2006], Denver, Colorado [2007], White Plains, New Yorka [2008] and Las Vegas, Nevada [2009], all which have brought together increasing numbers of Banyakigezi.
These conventions have not only offered us opportunities to share ideas and plans for the betterment of our people, they have also provided us with opportunities to renew friendships, make new friends, discover relatives, network and share fun-filled weekends as we explore new cities and communities.
The first convention of the International Community of Banyakigezi to be held in our homeland took place in Kabale December 27-29, 2009. The convention, which was attended by over 450 delegates, almost overwhelmed the White Horse Inn which had been expecting about 300 participants.
The delegates represented a large cross-section of political, religious, generational and professional groups. Catholic and Protestant bishops and Muslim Khadis; virtually all local political leaders including MPs from Kabale, Kanungu, Kisoro and Rukungiri districts; key leaders from the Banyakigezi communities in Toro and Bunyoro; Theodore Sekikuubo, an MP from Sembabule; Dr. Kizza Besigye, President of the Forum for Democratic Change; and President Yoweri K. Museveni of Uganda attended.
The occasion was especially honored by the presence of Omugurusi Festo Karwemera and Omugurusi Nathan Bisamunyu, our elders who are among the few surviving members of “the great generation” of men and women who served Kigezi with distinction more than five decades ago.
Dr. Besigye, who stayed throughout the 2-days of the conference, made very well-received contributions to the deliberations during different sessions.
The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. William Kalema, a respected Ugandan businessman whose distinguished record of service includes membership on the Blair Commission for Africa. Dr. Kalema spoke on the theme of "trust" as the foundation of business and organizational success.
To underscore the non-partisan principle upon which ICOB was founded, Dr. Muniini K. Mulera, Vice President of ICOB, successfully asked Mrs. Hope Mwesigye, the NRM Minister of Agriculture, to publicly embrace Dr. Besigye. Dr. Mulera also invited former parliamentary election opponents as well as religious leaders to embrace and hug. The only people that Dr. Mulera did not get an opportunity to ask to embrace each other were President Museveni and Dr. Besigye.
The Besigye/Mwesigye embrace, captured on camera and published in newspapers in Uganda and on the Internet, summed up the spirit of the Kabale convention - and of ICOB itself. We are one people, united in a common vision and effort to build a vibrant community of Banyakigezi. Ugandan national politics must never be allowed to distract us from our common goal.
Very high quality papers were presented on a variety of development-related topics, followed by excellent discussions by the delegates. These presentations formed the basis of resolutions which will be published separately.
The second day's program was considerably changed due to President Museveni’s unscheduled participation. With President Museveni’s anticipated arrival, discussions on the draft constitution of ICOB-Uganda were brought to an early close with a decision that a legal committee should continue to work on the draft, along with the Interim Executive Committee, and have it adopted during the General Meeting/National Convention in one year's time.
Similarly, a decision was made to extend the term of the Interim Executive Committee for one year. The Committee, led by Bank of Uganda Governor Tumusiime Mutebile, was empowered to restructure itself and co-opt more members to form an Executive Management (called a Management Bureau in the Draft Constitution).
In the course of ensuring that the Uganda chapter remained truly non-partisan, Mr. Athanasius Rutaroh, whose work had been central to the establishment of ICOB in Uganda and the success of the convention, resigned his position as Coordinator and member of the Executive Committee after disclosing that he held a position on the National Executive Committee of the FDC.
Mr. Mutebile was urged to ensure that his Committee appointed a capable and non-partisan person to replace Mr. Rutaroh. The Interim Committee was also asked to establish an office in Uganda, and to coordinate efforts to grow the organization in Uganda.
After welcoming President Museveni to the convention, Dr. Frank Byamugisha briefed him on our organization’s past resolutions, including: (i) requesting the Uganda government to tarmac key roads - Rukungiri-Kihiihi-Ishasha-Kanungu-Nyakishenyi Road; (ii) facilitating private/public partnership for processing Emondi [Irish potatoes], tea, coffee etc.; (iii) increasing funding for primary and secondary education to improve education standards; and (iv) improving quality of health services.
The President, who declared that he too was a Munyakigezi, informed the convention that he had decided to attend after hearing that Banyakigezi from abroad were attending. He felt that it was important for him to bring them up to speed, and did so in a speech that gave a background to the challenges his government had faced in developing Kigezi; the successful projects that had been undertaken; and his plans for the region's future.
A very good time was had by all. Banyakigezi had plenty of opportunities to renew friendships and form new ones; to set aside political differences and focus on their common interests; and to engage in serious dialogue about Kigezi's renewal and development.
It was evident that the Banyakigezi were energized to build their homeland and to strengthen their community in Kigezi and in the Diaspora, and to seek opportunities for friendship and peaceful co-existence with all the other communities in Uganda.
The 2010 convention was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA from August 26 to August 29. The next Annual Convention will held in London, England in the Summer of 2011.
Meanwhile, plans are already underway for anothe Convention of Banyakigezi to be held in Kabale during the 2010 Christmas/New Year's Holiday Season.
| 
