INTRODUCTION

Buganda is a sub national kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda’s Central Region.  Buganda grew to become one of the largest and most powerful states in East Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the Scramble for Africa, and following unsuccessful attempts to retain its independence against British imperialism, Buganda became the centre of the Uganda Protectorate in 1894; the name Uganda, the Swahili term for Buganda, was adopted by British officials. Under British rule, many Baganda acquired status as colonial administrators, and Buganda became a major producer of cotton and coffee.

ORIGIN

As the Ganda are a Bantu people, it is most likely that they originated as a people in West Africa and arrived in their current location by way of the Bantu Migration. As for the founding of the Kingdom of the Ganda (Buganda), the most widely acknowledged account is that it was founded by Kato Kintu, a prince fleeing after an unsuccessful attempt to grab power in the then collapsing empire of Bunyoro-Kitara Kintu. This Kato Kintu is different from the mythical Kintu, as he is generally accepted as a historical who founded Buganda and became its first ‘Kabaka’, adopting the name Kintu in reference to the legend of Kintu to establish his legitimacy as a ruler. He was successful in forcefully conquering and unifying what had previously been a number of warring tribes to form a strong kingdom.

TRADITIONS AND CUTSOMES

Ganda social organization emphasized descent through males. Four or five generations of descendants of one man, related through male forebears, constituted a patrilineage. A group of related lineages constituted a clan. Clan leaders could summon a council of lineage heads, and council decisions affected all lineages within the clan. Many of these decisions regulated marriage, which had always been between two different lineages, forming important social and political alliances for the men of both lineages. Lineage and clan leaders also helped maintain efficient land use practices, and they inspired pride in the group through ceremonies and remembrances of ancestors.

LANGUAGE

The Luganda language is widely spoken in Uganda, and is the most popular second language in Uganda along with English. It is also taught in some primary and secondary school in Uganda and at Maker ere University, Uganda’s oldest university and it has an exhaustive dictionary. The Luganda language was also used as a means of instruction in schools outside the region of Buganda prior to Uganda’s Independence in 1962.In literature and common discourse, Buganda is often referred to as Central Uganda. It may be argued that this nomenclature does not refer to Buganda’s geographical location, but to its political prominence, and to the fact that Kampala, the nation’s capital, is located in Buganda

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

. Early Ganda villages surrounded the home of a chief or headman, which provided a common meeting ground for members of the village. The chief collected tribute from his subjects, provided tribute to the Kabaka, who was the ruler of the kingdom, distributed resources among his subjects, maintained order, and reinforced social solidarity through his decision-making skills. During the late 19th century, Ganda villages became more dispersed as the role of the chiefs diminished in response to political turmoil, population migration, and occasional popular revolts. under the leadership of Prince Kimera. The sustenance of the kingship is made possible by the clan system. Traditionally, each clan had several roles to play in that respect. This was the case with every function surrounding the kingship right from his enthronement, housing, transportation, feeding, clothing, the palace maintenance, etc. Naturally, some of those responsibilities continue to be played by the clans but in more or less a symbolic manner.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Ganda villages, sometimes as large as forty to fifty homes, were generally located on hillsides, leaving hilltops and swampy lowlands uninhabited, to be used for crops or pastures. The traditional Ganda economy relied on crop cultivation. In contrast with many other East African economic systems, cattle played only a minor role. Many Baganda hired laborers from outside Buganda to herd the Buganda’s cattle, for those who owned livestock. Bananas were the most important staple food, providing the economic base for the region’s dense population growth. This crop does not require shifting cultivation or bush fallowing to maintain soil fertility, and as a result, Ganda villages were quite permanent. Women did most of the agricultural work, while men often engaged in commerce and politics (and in pre-colonial times, warfare). Before the introduction of woven cloth, traditional clothing was manufactured from the bark of trees.

RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS

When it comes to religion, the Baganda believed in superhuman spirits in the form of mizimu, misambwa and Balubaale. The Balubaale were believed to have been men whose exceptional attributes in life were carried over into death. The mizimu were believed to be ghosts of dead people for it was believed that only the body would die and rot but the soul would still exist as omuzimu (singular of mizimu). Such ghosts were believed to operate at the family level to haunt whoever the dead person had grudged with. If the mizimu entered natural objects, they were believed to become misambwa. At another level, the mizimu could become tribal figures and also be known as Balubaale.The supreme being among the Baganda was the creator, Katonda, believed to have had neither children nor parents. The name, meaning creator of all things and Lord of Creation indicates that he was recognized to be superior to all, and was referred to as “the father of the gods.’ He was said to have created the heavens and the earth with all that they contain. Katonda was however, not believed to be very different from the other Balubaale. In fact he was believed to be one of the seventy-three Balubaale in Buganda

TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

The rural Muganda (Baganda individual) woman typically wears a busuuti. This is a floor-length, brightly colored cloth dress with a square neckline and short, puffed sleeves. The garment is fastened with a sash placed just below the waist over the hips, and by two buttons on the left side of the neckline. Traditionally, the busuuti was strapless and made from bark-cloth. The busuuti is worn on all festive and ceremonial occasions. 

TRADITIONAL CUISINE

The staple food of the Baganda is matooke, a plantain (a tropical fruit in the banana family). It is steamed or boiled and commonly served with groundnut (peanut) sauce or meat soups. Sources of protein include eggs, fish, beans, groundnuts, beef, chicken, and goats, as well as termites and grasshoppers in season

SONGS AND DANCES

Baganda have three predominant dances; Bakisimba, Muwogola and Nankasa all inspired by their daily life. All Kiganda dances involve a flawless `circular’ movement of the waist and a tip toeing movement of the feet plus hands spread out from the shoulder joint but bent forward or up words at the elbow joint depending on the type of dance. The dance moves or patterns are dictated by the lyrics or song meaning but mostly by the tempo of the song. Today the Buganda has embraced the western form of dances and songs.

CITATION: www.everyculture.com, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buganda, afritorial.com/tribe-the-Buganda