Nubian’s to Celebrate East African Nubian Cultural Festival on Saturday

By Our Reporter

The Nubian community in East Africa is set to celebrate their annual East African Nubian Festival with a variety of exhibitions displaying their different cultural practices, foods, cultural attires, music, instruments and ways of life at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel Entebbe this weekend.

According to Ms Mariam Salmin Hamid, the Public Relations Officer of the East African Nubian Festival, the fest is expected to attract over 1,000 Nubians from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and their motherland South Sudan.

“I call upon all Nubians, friends of Nubians, our in-laws who married Nubians near and far in the various parts of the country, Bombo, we invite all of you to come and be part of us in these celebrations this Saturday on the 10^th of August right here in Ziba hall” she noted.

Ms Salmin made the remarks while addressing journalists together with the organizing committee of the Festival at the Hotel on Wednesday.

Ms Salmin said the tickets for the festival will go for Shs 20,000 ordinary, Shs 100,000 for VIP and Shs 200,000 for VVIP which will be inclusive of a Nubian cuisine to cater for a table of 10 people.

“If you’re by yourself, you can buy it at Shs 200,000 that’s if you’re not 10 people to get it at Shs 2 million, the cuisines will include bamiya, Kushari, Shamsi, Ful Medames and many others on the Shs 200,000 and gates will be open at 10 am in the morning till the next day” she said.

Ms Salmin further said the Nubian community will be celebrating the festival with various cultural activities and famous Doluka dance which is fun, gentle, and slow to Nubian traditional music.

“Some of the stories I got from my parents and grandparents is that they used to have this kind of dance after a long day of work, after that tiresome day it was a relaxation time in the evening and you come together and celebrate. This venue is very favorable since we are at the beach and we are assured of a cool breeze from the lake even when the Air conditioners in the hall are on” she noted.

Salmin added, “Nubians are believed to be everywhere, dispersed throughout East Africa, our forefathers are believed to have come from South Sudan and they were brought towards East Africa as soldiers in the African Kings rifles guards, In Uganda they were mainly brought by Emin Pasha after he took over from the Egyptians when they had collapsed, we ended up mostly in Bombo as a reward from the King after our grandfathers had helped the Buganda Kingdom re own back their kingdom from Kabalega who had earlier extended his kingdom to the central region”.

The chairman organizing committee Mr Abdallah Haroun Shikamoo noted the need for youth to embrace the Nubian culture in order to ensure its continued existence for many more generations to come.

“We Nubian youth are the generation of tomorrow, without us we can’t keep the reputation of our fore fathers so it’s up to us now to spearhead our culture and get involved in anything concerning Nubian heritage which is a rich sophisticated culture” he said.

Abdallah noted part of the exhibitions will showcase how Nubian food is prepared, the different crafts, the calmness of the Nubian lifestyle and desire to live in mixed communities with other tribes in harmony as one loving people.