Second capacity building workshop on Empaako safeguarding organized in Hoima

Workshop banner

Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) organized a 2nd residential capacity building workshop in Hoima – Uganda aimed at giving practitioners of Empaako naming system the rationale and basic knowledge of documentation of intangible cultural heritage beginning with Empaako naming system itself.

The workshop which attracted 32 participants from Empaako communities of Banyoro, Batooro, Batagwenda, Banyabindi, Basongora and Batuku who are practitioners of Empaako naming practice that include ritual leaders and guides, community based writers, folk performers and cultural resource people.

An interview guide of collecting data on Empaako naming system was discussed and adopted, 32 cultural practitioners of Empaako naming system were given rationale and basic knowledge of documenting Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and sufficiently prepared to document their own practices of Empaako naming system.

Workshop participants

The script of video production of Empaako naming ceremonies was discussed and adopted, data collection teams in documentation of Empaako naming system constituted and commissioned, a network of ICH documenters established and commissioned and two focus group discussions generated data on the whole interview guide on Empaako naming system.

The 2nd capacity building workshop was facilitated by community based professionals in different ICH fields who have gone through training of trainers for community self-documentation on ICH. The community based facilitators were supervised by three specialists in key areas based on their topics.

Engabu Za Tooro is currently implementing a UNESCO co-funded project UGA 01210 on documentation and revitalization of ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda.

The spelling of empaako and its justification

By Professor Oswald K. Ndoleriire Ateenyi

The Empaako, predominantly used by the Banyoro and Batooro of Western Uganda and by a few other neighboring ethnic groups in the Great Lakes region, are 12 in number and they are the following:

Abbooki, Abwoli, Acaali, Adyeri, Akiiki, Amooti, Apuuli, Araali, Ateenyi, Atwoki, Bbala (or Abbala), and Okaali.

The orthography or spelling of the above empaako is justified as follows:

Empaako Monument In Fort Portal Town

Abbooki - It is written with double b because this is a hard b, called a plosive in phonetics, as opposed to the soft b, called a fricative b in words such as abantu. It is also written with double o because the pronunciation of this o is prolonged as opposed to the o in words like kuboha (to tie).

Abwoli - Many people write it as Abwooli, but that is wrong because the prolonged o after bw is always predictable and there is therefore no need to write it with double o.

  

Acaali - It is written with a double a because o is produced in a prolonged manner. Each time a consonant is followed by w or y the vowel that follows is pronounced in a prolonged manner. There is therefore no need to write it as a double vowel because the native speaker of Runyoro-Rutooro will always produce it as a long vowel.

Acaali - It is written with double a because this a is produced in a prolonged manner.

Adyeri - Some people write it as Adyeeri, with double e. This is a mistake because the vowel e appearing after a y compound, that is b+y, is automatically prolonged in its pronunciation. So there is no need to write a double e.

Akiiki - It is written with double i because this is a long i, i.e. pronounced in a prolonged way.

Amooti  - It is written with a double o because the pronunciation of o is prolonged just as the i in 

Akiiki. This o is produced in a prolonged manner.

Apuuli -This is written with double u because the production of u is prolonged.

Araali - It is also written with double a because this is a long a, produced in a prolonged manner.

The 12 Empaako names

Ateenyi - Just like in the previous four mpaako, Ateenyi  is written with double e because it is a long e.

Atwoki - Although the o in Atwoki is a long o it is however written as a single o because the lengthening of this vowel is due to the presence of bw preceding it. Since this lengthening is predictable, it does not need to be written with two vowels.

Bbalaor  Abbala. It is written with double b because this is the strong b or plosive in phonetics. Compare Abbala (empaako) with Abara (he counts).

Okaali - It is written with double a because the production of a is prolonged.

Conclusion

Empaako naming in Kyenjojo district

Eight out of the twelve mpaako are written with a double vowel because this vowel is pronounced long. For Abwoli, Atwoki and Adyeri, their middle or intervocalic vowel is pronounced long but written as one vowel because the lengthening of that vowel is predictable, caused by the preceding w or y compound. Bbala or Abbala is the only mpaako without the lengthening of the middle vowel but it has its b written double because it is produced as a strong sound.

Makerere University

6^th February 2019

Adopted by scholars of Runyoro – Rutooro language and representatives, custodians and bearers of Empaako heritage, assembled in the ongoing workshops on comprehensive documentation of Empaako ceremonies and practices, published as such by Engabu Za Tooro and UNESCO

1

A list of trainers in Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) documentation. They were trained and certified by Engabu Za Tooro under a UNESCO Co - funded project File No. ‘UGA 01210’

The following are the names of the trainers and their area of specialization in ICH Documentation

Participants during the training of trainers in documentation

1 Bamuha Atwoki Allan - (ICH safeguarding measures)

2 Kanyoro Exaviour adyeri - (Modern and traditional methods of documentation)

3 Tusiime Moses (Data collection)

4 Akugizubwe Solomon Apuuli - (Dissemination and Archiving)

5 Kasemiire Akiiki Lilian - (Dissemination and data collection)

6 Musasizi Smith Apuuli - (Data collection)

7 Abbooki Kaahwa Kansengerwa - (Dissemination)

8 Stephen Alinaitwe Akiiki – (Processing and Dissemination)

9 Nyangoma Amooti Sylvia – (Research and data collection)

10 Kirungi Abbooki Brendalynn – (Data collection methods)

11 Winnie Kimara – (Data collection)

12 Kabagambe Deogratius Adyeri – (ICH Domains)

13 Stephen Mugabo Abbooki – (Recording/Audio Visual/Script)

14 Rukahemura Robert – (Research and data collection)

15 Karungi Sylvia Akiiki – (Dissemination)

Participants displaying their certificates

Official from Uganda National Commission for UNESCO encourages people from Empaako communities to document their heritage

Daniel Kaweesi speaking at the workshop

The program Officer of Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM) Mr. Daniel Kaweesi has encouraged people from Empaako communities to go back to their communities and document their Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) like Empaako naming system so that it can be preserved and safeguarded from extinction.

“Now that you have attained the required skills and knowledge to document and identify the different ICH like Empaako, it should begin with you to go back and document them so that they are safeguarded from extinction” Said Kaweesi while speaking at the one week capacity building workshop organized by Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) and supported by UNESCO.

The different forms of documentation are human memory, artifacts, family lineage, weaving, painting, curving, music, publications, photography, composition and performances, artistic composition, lithography and audio/video recording among others.

The one week (16^th – 21^st December, 2018) residential capacity building workshop taking place at Fort Breeze Hotel, Fort Portal has attracted 47 Empaako bearers from the Empaako communities of Banyoro, Batooro, Batagwenda, Batuku, Banyabindi and Basongora.

Stephen Rwagweri training Empaako bearers in documentation

A cultural practitioner from Tooro, Isingoma Kimome Amooti appealed to the participants of the capacity building workshop not to be selfish but share the knowledge and skills on documentation gained from the training with family members, neighbors and friends to enable sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural traditions like Empaako naming system.

The Executive Director Engabu Za Tooro, Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki encouraged people from Empaako communities to take advantage of the state of the art documentation equipment at Engabu Za Tooro to document their very own intangible cultural heritage threatened with extinction like Empaako naming ritual for it to be sustainably safeguarded.

Rwagweri adds, “our language is weakening because our traditional rituals are no longer being performed. It’s so saddening that our people have surrendered the performance of our traditional rituals to religious leaders for instance installing a heir, a ritual supposed to be performed by family and clan institutions which are weakening.”

“People have failed to make tangible community self-help contributions to safeguard their own traditional heritage threatened with extinction like traditional marriage system and Empaako naming system.” Said Rwagweri while training empaako bearers in documentation at the capacity building workshop in Fort Portal.

Omugurusi Isaaya Kalya speaking at the workshop

Omugurusi Isaaya Kalya Atwoki urged people from Empaako communities to do small things in a great way in order for them to safeguard their traditional heritage like making community self – help contributions because a thousand steps begins with a single step.

“Engabu Za Tooro has done an exceptional job in safeguarding Tooro’s weakening culture and a weakening culture is a sign of a weakening community. We should support Engabu Za Tooro to revitalize and strengthen our culture through making self – help community contributions to the Tutemu Engaro self-help cultural fund.”  Said Isaaya Kalya Atwoki while speaking at the capacity building workshop.

Group photo of the workshop participants

Currently, Engabu Za Tooro is implementing a UNESCO co-funded two year project UGA 01210 aimed at revitalizing ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda.

“In order to sustainably safeguard Empaako heritage, we need to stop getting tired of thinking outside the box,” Rev. Fr. Dr. Kabura

Rev.Fr. Dr. Kabura Pascal Adyeri making a presentation

Rev. Fr. Dr. Kabura has appealed to people from the Empaako communities to keep researching more on Empaako heritage so that concrete knowledge on Empaako origin, communities which use Empaako and Empaako meaning can be got “We are researching on Empaako because there is a gap which we want to fulfill. A good researcher doesn’t stop from finding more and the moment we create a ‘berlin wall’ then we shall have limited our capacity to find more important knowledge on Empaako intangible cultural heritage.”Said Rev. Fr. Dr. Kabura Pascal Adyeri.

While speaking at the Empaako capacity building workshop on Empaako heritage yesterday (Wednesday, 19^th December 2018) at Fort Breeze Hotel, Rev. Fr. Dr. Kabura Pascal Adyeri further reiterated that research on Empaako intangible cultural heritage will assist people from Empaako communities to know the exact meaning, usage and origin of Empaako intangible cultural heritage for it to be sustainably safeguarded and revitalized from generation to generation.

Rev. Fr. Kakyomya Isidore Araali of the Runyoro – Rutooro foundation who is also attending the one week residential capacity building workshop organized by Engabu Za Tooro and supported by UNESCO encouraged people from the Empaako communities to safeguard Runyoro – Rutooro language since language is the backbone of our intangible cultural heritage like Empaako naming system in Uganda.

Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki making a presentation

The Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) who also doubles as a UNESCO cultural expert while speaking at the same meeting compared Empaako to religion which survives on mystery, ‘therefore if Empaako loses the mystery then it loses the meaning and that’s what we followed to explain the meaning of Empaako.’ Said Rwagweri Atwoki

The former regent of Tooro King and a popular show host of a culture programs on Voice of Tooro (VOT) like Muzahura, Rev. Richard Baguma Adyeri indicated that Empaako just like language is an important tool for identifying where a person comes from hence the need to preserve it, ‘people of Empaako come from the greater Bunyoro Kitara’ Said Baguma Adyeri.

The one week residential Empaako capacity building workshop to be held from 16^th – 21^st December, 2018 held at Fort Breeze Hotel located in Kabarole district aims at empowering Empaako Empaako bearers to document their own heritage has been attended by over 30 people from the Empaako communities including the head of the Basongora Cultural institution Omukama Kasagama II.

Empaako is naming system whereby in addition to a family and given name, a child is given a special name called Empaako selected from a fixed and closed list of 12 (twelve) Empaako names shared by the entire society and used as a declaration of respect, endearment or affection.

This practice has been shared and transmitted from generation to generation in Empaako communities of Batooro, Banyoro, Banyabindi, Basongora, Batuku, Batagwenda, Banyaruguru, Bagungu, Ba NyaMboga and Baziba located in Western Uganda, Eastern DR Congo and Northern Tanzania respectively.

Basongora cultural institution head making a presentation

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

The 12 Empaako’s are Okaali which is reserved for a king, Acaali, Bbala, Apuuli and Araali which are only reserved for men and finally, Abbooki, Adyeri, Abwoli, Akiiki, Amooti, Ateenyi and Atwoki for both men and women.

Currently, Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform) is implementing a UNESCO co-funded project UGA 01210 aimed at revitalizing ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda among the communities of the Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Batagwenda and Banyabindi of Western Uganda so as to enhance their capacities to transmit knowledge and skills to successive generations and to mobilise practitioners to revive the Empaako naming practice.

Engabu Za Tooro Executive Director Appeals to Empaako communities to mainstream culture in local government planning and budgeting processes for it to be sustainably be safeguarded and revitalized

Stephen Rwagweri making a presentation

The Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro cultural Organisation, Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki has appealed to members of Empaako communities to mainstream culture especially Empaako naming system in local government planning and budgeting processes in order for Empaako to be sustainably be safeguarded and revitalized from one generation to another.

While speaking at the Engabu Za Tooro organized event which is facilitated by Engabu Za Tooro and co-funded by UNESCO, Stephen Rwagweri indicated that for Empaako to be sustainably be safeguarded, there is need for Empaako community members from the Empaako local governments to mainstream culture in local government planning and budgeting processes.

The function which was attended by dozens of people including among others cultural practitioners from Empaako communities also included the district Speaker from the newly created Bunyangabu district Mr. Ikagobya Stephen Araali, representatives from the five Empaako communities of Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Basongora, Batagwenda and Banyabindi.

Rwagweri who indicated that, “culture is beyond the forces of demand and supply shouldn’t be commercialized but be entrusted to public entities which are not profit oriented like how it is done in France, China, Belgium and UK”

The one week residential Empaako capacity building workshop to be held from 16th – 21st December, 2018 at Fort Breeze Hotel located in Kabarole district aims at empowering Empaako Empaako bearers to document their own heritage.

During the meeting, the participants were entertained by cultural artists like Master Kalenzi who is popularly known for his songs such as the Obunyamahunde, Busongora bwa Koogere, Garuka, Kodiiro, Nkitungire, Tutaahe, Tutemu Engaro, Ekitahandikire, Endangamuntu, Omuzaire and Engeso among others.

Nkwenge George William performing

Other cultural musicians included DJ Levi popularly known for his songs like Tutemu Engaro, Ebyaitu nibikorwa mukama and omugisha gwomuntu, Kahwa Kansengerwa, Kijegere and Nkwenge George William popularly known for his Engoma Nyabahuma, Kuzinirra ente and folklore was attended by members of Empaako community members including the cultural head of the Basongora community Omukama Kasagama II.

After the one week workshop, 30 practitioners of Empaako naming system will be equipped with the basic knowledge of their intangible cultural heritage, 30 Empaako practitioners will also be sufficiently prepared to document their own practices of Empaako naming system, an interview guide for collecting data on Empaako naming system will be developed and adopted and a scrip for video production of Empaako naming ceremonies will be developed and adopted.

Workshop participants

Data collection teams in documentation of Empaako naming system will be constituted and commissioned, a network of ICH documenters will be established and commissioned, a practical guide to community self-documentation of intangible cultural heritage will be launched and two focus group discussions will have generated data on the whole interview guide on Empaako naming system during the one week residential workshop.

Engabu Za Tooro is currently implementing a two year UNESCO co-funded project UGA 01210 aimed at revitalizing ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda.

Empaako safeguarding boss calls for community self-contributions in Empaako safeguarding

Msgr. Peter Kumaraki Araali speaking

The head of the Empaako safeguarding and revitalization Msgr. Peter Kumaraki Araali has appealed to people from the Empaako communities to embrace community self-contributions through making tangible self-help contributions in order to sustainably safeguard their intangible cultural heritage threatened with extinction like the Empaako naming system.

Msgr. Peter Kumaraki Araali who is also the board chairperson of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) a cultural based NGO with its headquarters based in Fort Portal – Western Uganda also encouraged people from the Empaako communities to safeguard their Runyoro – Rutooro language.

“We need to safeguard our Runyoro – Rutooro language through learning, speaking and documenting it because it’s our identity.  If our culture especially our Runyoro – Rutooro language is safeguarded especially by young people then we can be sure, it will be sustainably safeguarded for generations” Said Araali Kumaraki yesterday (17^th December, 2018) while speaking at the official opening of the one week residential workshop on capacity building at Fort Breeze Hotel, Fort Portal.

Stephen Rwagweri speaking

The one week residential capacity building workshop at Fort Breeze Hotel, Fort Portal – Uganda conducted by Engabu Za Tooro and supported by UNESCO aims at building the capacity of Empaako bearers to document their own heritage.

The workshop which has attracted over 30 participants from Empaako communities of Banyoro, Batooro, Batagwenda, Batuku, Basongora and Banyabindiand officials from the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO and Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development will take place from 16^th – 21^st December, 2018.

While speaking at the same event, the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro Stephen RwagweriAtwoki also encouraged people from Empaako communities to embrace community self-contributions in safeguarding their own intangible cultural heritage like Empaako naming system.

Hajat Hajara Nalubega speaking

The senior culture officer of the Uganda ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development Hajat. Hajara Nalubega who is attending the same meeting indicated that government of Uganda is determined to formulate appropriate policies aimed at promoting and safeguarding Uganda’s cultural traditions like the Empaako naming system.

During the recent UNESCO global meeting held from 26^th November to 1^st December 2018 in Mauritius, UNESCO experts recommended tangible community self-contributions from Empaako communities to sustainably safeguard Empaako safeguarding and revitalization.

Engabu Za Tooro is currently implementing a two year UNESCO co-funded project UGA 01210 aimed at revitalizing ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda.

Banner of the workshop

In the Empaako safeguarding and revitalization project, UNESCO is contributing 80 percent and Empaako community is supposed to contribute 20 percent. Engabu Za Tooro will soon officially launch a 20 percent “Tutemu Engaro” community self-help contributions to ensure proper sustainability of Empaako safeguarding and revitalization in Uganda.