Gwere people

The Gwere people, or Bagwere, are a Bantu ethnic group in Uganda. The Bagwere constitute an estimated 4% of Uganda's population.

Contents

Location

They live in the eastern Uganda, mostly in Budaka District, Pallisa District and Kibuku District, where they make up over 80% of the population. They have the Bagisu, the Basoga, the Balamogi and the Iteso, the Banyole and the Jopadhola (Badama) as their neighbors. The city of Mbale, one time reputed to be the cleanest city in Uganda is home to some Bagwere. Bagwere are also found in the following towns in Eastern Uganda: Pallisa, Budaka, Kibuku, Kagumu, Kamonkoli, Kadama, Iki-Iki, Bulangira, Kaderuna, Tirinyi, Butebo and Kakoro.

The Bagwere are said to have emigrated to their present area from Bunyoro and Toro, and travelled along Lake Kyoga, crossing River Mpologoma. For this reason all the tribes that settled along the shores Kyoga like; Baluli, Bakenye, Balamogi have a similar language to Lugwere. Their initial area of settlement has shrunk considerably as the Iteso and the Bagisu have pushed the Bagwere's frontiers inwards.

Language

The language of the Bagwere is Lugwere. It widely spoken in Pallisa District and in Pallisa town. The language is very similar to Lunyole and to Lusamia.

Cultural structure

The Bagwere have many clans including the following:

Intermarriage among members of the same clan is prohibited, as is the custom in most Bantu cultures.[1]

Music

Their traditional music is called Tongoli, a five stringed hand held instrument, modeled along a one string instrument elsewhere in Africa known as the Kora. The Bagwere are also identified with Namadu, a set of seven (7) drums as one of the famous traditional musical instruments.

Education

The Bagwere are very proud of their heritage especially as they are few in number but are very well educated. Over fifty (50) of them hold either PhD or Masters degrees from world class reputable universities. Their most prominent son is the late Balaki Kebba Kirya, one of the founding members of Independent Uganda who died in 1994. Some notable Bagwere personalities over the years include:

Some of the prominent Chidren of Mbulaiteye:

Economic activities

The main economic activity of the Bagwere is subsistence crop agriculture and animal husbandry. To a lesser extent, fishing, fish farming and bee keeping are increasingly practiced in Pallisa District.[2] The major crops include:

Cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, pigs, are some of the animals raised in the district. The district is further blessed with nine (9) minor lakes that comprise part of the Lake Kyoga system. The following are the nine lakes:

There are nine (9) stocked fish farms in the district. Fish farming offers a big potential to increase the supply of fish for the population and hence improve on the nutrition of the population. Fish species include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Intermarriage within Any Clan is Prohibited
  2. ^ Economic Activities in Pallisa District

External links