“There is nothing evil in Empaako.” Vice Chairperson Hoima district

Hon. Fred Kakoraki speaking

The Vice Chairperson Hoima district, Hon. Fred Kakoraki has indicated that there is nothing evil in Empaako naming system as assumed by some religious denominations in Uganda, “What’s evil in our culture, what’s evil in performing our Empaako naming rituals. Religious denominations perform rituals while giving names to their believers like celebrating with a meal and it has never been evil.”

Empaako naming practice is facing threats of extinction mostly due to decline of its mother languages (Runyoro - Rutooro), modernization, abandoning the performance of traditional rituals like Empaako naming ritual, weakening cultural institutions especially at clan and family levels and attack from modern religious denominations.

Hon. Kakoraki while speaking at the official opening ceremony of the second capacity building workshop organized by Engabu Za Tooro at Crown Hotel in Hoima town on 4^th March, 2019 added, “Even the whites who came yesterday ‘criminalized’ our ancestral names by demoting them to second names and ensuring that African ‘whitish’ names are always the first names. 

Group photo of the participants at Crown Hotel, Hoima

The Executive Director Engabu Za Tooro, Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki appealed to people from Empaako communities to focus on safeguarding Empaako heritage through documentation, performance of Empaako naming rituals and community self – help contributions.

Rwagweri Atwoki particularly appreciated Ntoroko district local government for including culture in their district budget and plans to promote their very own heritage.

The senior program officer, Culture at the Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Hajjat Nalubega emphasized the need for people to promote their culture because it’s a source of income, unites people and identify’s people.

While speaking at the opening ceremony, the program officer Uganda National Commission for UNESCO Mr. Daniel Kaweesa said, “If we don’t document and archive, our heritage will be lost not only in our generation but even the generations to come.”

The 5 days residential second capacity building workshop mainly attended by ritual leaders and guides, community based writers, folk performers and cultural resources people mainly from Bunyoro sub region is aimed at giving practitioners of Empaako naming system the rationale and basic knowledge of documentation of intangible cultural heritage beginning with Empaako.

Currently, Engabu Za Tooro is implementing a UNESCO co-funded project UGA 01210 which is on documentation and revitalization of Empaako naming rituals and practices.