Gourmet basket
Have you returned to your quarters? Yes ? Then it's time to dig up the Ugandan flavours of your last holiday. When you open your basket and its components - a jar of honey, a bottle of waragi, a packet of arabica and a bag of vanilla - your home will be filled with the smell of honey, coffee, vanilla and heady vapours.. Of course, you would have liked to fill your manna with raw goat's milk cheeses produced by Kyaninga Dairy, tropical fruits(matooke, jaque apple, pineapple...), a tilapia, even a jug ofobushera (traditional beer). But for obvious reasons of conservation, you gave up these delectable foodstuffs and this typical beverage... Two words on your shopping. Honey, first of all. Kigezi is the main beekeeping region of the country. While the Batwa collect honey in wild hives, the Kiga farmers make their own hives out of wood, bamboo or woven lianas. Honey is usually harvested twice a year. The local populations have a detailed knowledge of bees, the plants they gather and, consequently, the most appropriate sites for the installation of apiaries. Ugandan honey is reputed to be of excellent quality and is widely exported to England (to Buckingham Palace, for example) where it is sold as certified organic honey. Honey lovers can buy this ambrosia in the delicatessens and specialized shops of Kampala (Malaika Honey, The Pantry...) and Kigezi (BeeHealthy in Kabale, for example). Then there is Arabica. Cultivated in the coffee plantations on the slopes of the Elgon and Rwenzori mountains, it represents only 20% of the national production (compared to 80% for Robusta), but it is preferred by connoisseurs. You can taste it in most of the country's coffee shops. If you want to buy it responsibly and in a spirit of solidarity, there are several options, including the social enterprise Gorilla Conservation Coffee (Entebbe). Let's move on to vanilla. The famous orchid, known for its fruit (pods), was introduced to Uganda in the 1940s. Hand-pollinated, the black or Gourmet vanilla, grown in the south and west of the country, is distinguished by its rich aromatic palette. Its delicate notes will enhance your simmered dishes, such as pot-au-feu, and your pastries. Harvested twice a year, the pods are destined exclusively, or almost exclusively, for export. If you're lucky, you'll find some in Kampala delis... If not, you can always buy them online. Let's finish with the waragi. To be consumed in moderation, Uganda Waragi, 40% proof, is the national brandy. The bottles of this commercial brand, created in 1965 in Port Bell, contain a spirit that includes lemony and musky notes. You can get your hands on this gin at any liquor store in the country.
Africanize your wardrobe
Gomesi, kanzu, bark cloth outfit... If you want to change your outfit, Uganda has what you need! The gomesi, for you ladies, is the traditional dress of the Baganda and Basoga. Worn occasionally (weddings, funerals, receptions...) or daily, it is made of silk, linen or cotton. Although its origin and history are not decided, this colorful garment with a square neckline and puffed sleeves seems to have been the prerogative of the Ganda elites at the beginning of the 20th century. The kanzu, for you gentlemen, is the tunic for major events, notably the kwanjula, among the Baganda. Similar to the boubou, it is white or cream coloured, enhanced with embroidery, and is generally worn under a blazer or jacket. Probably introduced by Arab merchants in the 19th century, it was first worn by the kabaka and the high dignitaries of Buganda before spreading to the whole population. Finally, thebarkcloth is the result of an immemorial know-how developed by the Ngonge clan (Buganda). To obtain this fabric, the craftsmen take the bark of the Ficus natalensis during the rainy season and then hammer it to refine and soften it. Ochre (for the plebeians) or dyed white or black (for the patricians), this fabric, with multiple uses, is used to make traditional unisex Ganda clothing. Although the production of this fabric has been reduced to a trickle by the cotton industry (which sometimes usurps the name barkcloth), its ancestral crafting is still used in the districts of Mpigi, Masaka and Rakai. It has even been enjoying renewed interest in recent years: promotion by the Ganda authorities, inclusion on the Unesco list of intangible cultural heritage (2008), and a return to favour by talented Ugandan designers..
So Ugandan!
To fill the last empty space in your suitcase, bet on a souvenir 100% made in Uganda! First, the basketry. Banners, trivets, baskets and all sorts of other items: the assortment is huge. Let's quote, as an example, theekiibo. A genuine Toro speciality, woven from natural fibres (primarily raffia), topped with a lid and coloured with dye plants, it is a much appreciated present in which millet cakes or pearls can be inserted. The village of Rubona, located on the Kasese-Fort Portal axis, has made a specialty of this basket. Secondly, a musical instrument. Theengoma (a Baganda and Banyankole two-skinned drum) and theendingidi (a one-stringed fiddle with a resonance box made of wood or bovine horn) are two traditional instruments from the south and south-west that can be found in the village of Mpambire. Thirdly, a cotton cloth. This woven fabric is, nowadays, largely imported. However, a handful of workshops continue to use Ugandan cotton, of excellent quality and mainly intended for export, to make everyday objects (bedspreads, potholders, handbags, etc.) sold locally. This is notably the case in Kilombera, not far from Jinja. In short, if of all the materials you prefer cotton wool..
