Tucked away in a pristine, laid-back village in Naggalama, Mukono is a cultural center named Ewaffe Cultural Village that envisions highlighting the Buganda cultural values attached to the people of Uganda and the global community.
In a bid to present the century-old traditions and norms of the indigenous Ugandan people, in this contemporary era, Ewaffe Cultural Village set out to create a center that embodies the life dynamics of a traditional Buganda homestead- offering visitors a traditional feel of Uganda.
First Impression
Aboard a 14-seater van, my travel journalist colleagues and I headed to Naggalama, Mukono on a sunny Saturday morning, after all, what better way to usher in the weekend than leaving this busy town for a little while! Take a drive, feel alive and explore what this cultural center has to offer- was my day’s mantra.
A couple of minutes after 11am, we were well past the last corner on the bumpy, murram road, a few meters away from our destination. We didn’t have to trace our bearings to know we were approaching Ewaffe (loosely translating to our home), we were ushered in before we even got to the front yard. The peculiar sounds of the Ngalabi (Long cylindrical drum) filled the air, accompanied by clapping and the typical Kiganda ululation- we were home.
The excitement was building, cameras making their way out of the bags and soon enough, the van pulled into the drive way and the scene was nothing short of mesmerizing. Middle-aged women stunned in their gomasis (a traditional costume for females in Buganda), men visibly in the twilight of their lives looked quite exquisite in the white Kanzus (traditional costume for men), contrasted by black jackets and the younger hosts exuded a vibrant energy. Lined in the front yard of a round, grass-thatched house, our hosts wore the brightest of smiles as they moved towards us, us towards them, to share greetings.
It was one of those moments where an embrace from a stranger feels like you have known them for years, probably in the previous life. Everyone was warm, happy faces guiding us to the dance floor as the drummer boys outdid themselves on the drums. A young girl seemingly below 10 years, led the jovial dance, swaying her little hips that assumed the signature Maganda dance, thanks to the waist gear that made it all seamless. Again, we were home!
To be honest, for a moment it felt like we were underdressed for the day, but who needed a flowy gown when we would be up for a fishing tour, a journey to the well, a fruit feast, local brew making and tasting among other engaging activities the team had lined up for us? The kindness that oozed from each of our hosts didn’t allow us a moment of doubt, they directed us to our seats; wooden benches and stools before handing us each a calabash (endeku) filled with a local brew (omubisi), roasted coffee beans packed in dry banana fiber strips (ebyayi) and an assortment of fruits. This is “you’re welcome” the Buganda style.
Ewaffe Gardens – a traditional pharmacy
Following a good refreshment- quite a relief from the scorching noon heat, Ewaffe Cultural Village CEO, the brilliant Aisha Nabwanika gave us a ‘formal’ welcome and an agenda for the day. Our first engagement was the tour of the gardens around the home where we were educated about the medicinal values of most plants that grow both in the wild and those that have been domesticated over time.
Emma Makula, a nature guide at Ewaffe took us through a range of plants and the respective illnesses they treat. It was a striking epiphany to see various herbs used by our forefathers to remedy symptoms and completely heal diseases, even those that have been deemed incurable by modern day scientists.
The gardens have plants like Aloe Vera (used to remedy inflammation on the skin), Okra (loaded with vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants that help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease), Lemon Grass (contains substances that are thought to relieve pain and swelling, reduce fever, stimulate the uterus and menstrual flow), Pomegranate (which improves male infertility and enhances sperm motility and sperm count), Cactus (which our other guide, Justine Nanyonga, said cures Diabetes 2), Underseed plant which cures kidney stones, Soursoup, Bottlebrush, Rosemary among many others.
Local brew making and tasting
Grabbing a beer during the social hour (excuse the many lone drinkers these days) is a casual way to wind down the day. In the history of African tradition, which is intertwined with affairs of making and drinking local brews, gathering around a drinking point (done by men and boys) was a great way to discuss important matters, mentor the younger boys and create lasting bonds.
While this is a thing of the past, at least as deemed by the modern communities, preserving this tradition is something Ewaffe is reinforcing by keeping the all-natural aspects and ingredients of brew making alive. Participating in the making of the juice (which can later be fermented to make brew) from bananas using spear grass to squeeze it out, was one of the highlights for my colleagues and I.
Sieving the juice through spear grass stashed in a banana leaf wound into a funnel shape, the excitement was mounting. From the jug, a couple of calabashes were filled, bamboo straws arraigned and it was time to taste the fruits of our labour. If there is a chance for instant gratification, it was this activity; peel the bananas into a saucepan, incorporate lemon grass and launder your way in to a delicious sip of all-natural juice.
Dining the ‘Luwombo’ style
Among the activities that will get your hands sweating with anticipation is the traditional dining experience at Ewaffe Cultural Village.
Forget about your richly stuffed sandwich that may take you about 20 minutes tops to put together, the luwombo lunch at Ewaffe takes almost 6 hours or the entire morning to prepare and each bite is worth the wait.
Like anything that would be a good meal, your nostrils wrinkle, widen as the aroma of the luwombo sweeps through the home, very inviting and rich you technically envision the yummy serving before you see its contents. Straight from the peculiar scent of a steamed banana leaf to another aroma striving to escape the chokehold of the banana fiber strip tied on top of the leaf wrap, even for those with poor appetite, the long wait to lunch time at Ewaffe is one good appetite builder.
“Abagenyi baffe, saawa ya chamisana,” our kind host Aisha Nabwanika drew our attention to the dining space that was flooding with luwombo; deep golden brown tot wraps with a fiber strip securing the chicken sauce inside, steamed to perfection and tempting in every way possible.
Removing the shoes, we stepped onto the mats covering the mud floor, each taking a pick at their spot of preference before coiling oneself down to the traditional kiganda way of sitting in a dining room. Large platters made their way from the ladies in gomasis who skillfully scooped a serving of matooke, beaming hot from the banana leaves wrapping the mound on a serving basket.
“Who wants to serve,” Caroline, one of the ladies in gomasis looked around for a participant to no avail. We must have thought we couldn’t measure up to her scooping skill and we saved the embarrassment or possible accidents for another day. She was happy to proceed with the serving and we, her waiting clients, eagerly received the platters already loaded with all natural foods; cassava, sweet potato, yam and a scoop of groundnut paste cooked the luwombo way.
Everyone was visibly excited as one of the visitors blessed the food, after which the ladies in gomasis gave an official invitation to dig in. The contents of the luwombo wrap were as mouthwatering and finger-licking good as they looked. The fork tender chicken effortlessly came off bone in sizable pieces and I had no business waiting a second longer to take a bite.
The room was quiet for a moment, everyone savoring their luwombo, taking a picture of the traditional serving for keeps and bragging on social media, as more dishes, full of steamed vegetables, came through. There is no other way to amuse your taste buds than giving them a good bite after another and thanks to Ewaffe, our taste buds had a feast; savory, starchy, sweet but above all, served with love.
We must have been at the dining for over an hour, washing down the heavy meal with equally refreshing juice and a glass of pot water- no better way to wrap up the traditional lunch with nature’s goodness and the taste of pot water gave us nothing short of that. For first timers like myself, I can’t imagine any other luwombo that beats this, wholesome Ewaffe kind.
Energized by our meal, the afternoon passed almost in a daze, learning about bark-cloth making, a few more fruit breaks and a senga-kojja session that had the women in gomasis and men in Kanzus teaching us about the norms of Baganda as a people; exploring the sex and marriage talk- a crucial part of the traditional feel Ewaffe Cultural Village offers to the many that enter its welcoming gates.
Our time at Ewaffe was over and at 5:20pm, our hosts, the most amazing hosts, bid us farewell, with packed food and fruits, with herbal medicine and so much love.
I had never felt a part of, in such a setting, than I did at Ewaffe, and my intrigue about culinary traditions has never been this fed. Ewaffe is the place to be if you are looking into learning about tradition and having experiences like no other. I must say, we parted as friends and in Ugandan cultures, that’s more than money can buy. Till the next adventure, I will hold this experience so close, so dear because that is what it really was.
