Gwere people

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

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, Kabweri, Iki-Iki, Bulangira, Kaderuna, Tirinyi, Butebo, Kakoro and kanginima,[kadama],[mugiti],[naboa].

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:

* Banamwera Clan


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 handheld instrument, modeled along a twenty one-string instrument elsewhere in Africa known as the Kora. The Bagwere are also identified with Namadu, a set of seven drums as one of the famous traditional musical instruments. However, with the modernisation of the music industry, there are young upcoming artists in Bugwere who are manoeuvring to break through to the top like AREA *B* , Juliewex (kidumbulu) and waikere , who have really tried to bring up the bagwere on the music scene.

AREA *B* Born and baptized KALAJA CHARLES in komodo village, kabweri subcounty in kubuku district to a medical doctor normally called "Nkodole", He attended Dodoi primary school, then went to Mellinum Univarsal college(MUC) Tororo, then graduated at Islamic University in Uganda with a bachelors of Information Technology. he started his musical career earlier at dodoi primary school participating in all MDD activities. he then made his first studio recording in 2008 with paulshan studios which saw his first single ,"tuyiya kubawo"play on air waves around the region and on UBC radio.

Common Area *B* songs 1. Tuyiya kubawo 2.Tukola Bajerega 3.Abantu (Gasyodo) 4.'Kamida 5.Maye wabaana 6.Party 7. Tiweraga 8.Namudigu ft. SadaVadio 9.Tiwemalirila 10.Love Dose ft. Nat sexy 11.Wekunkumulye 12.Angella ft. sky dee 13.Kamunyerere 14.onzwere omunzira 15.Tongana

Education

The Bagwere are very proud of their heritage, especially as they are few in number but many are very well educated. Over fifty of them hold either PhD or Master's degrees from world-class reputable universities. Some notable Bagwere personalities over the years include:

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