Two years after they were granted city status, the leadership of Masaka has considered organizing the first-ever city carnival as a platform to market its tourism potential and investment opportunities; a four-day socialization event, which will take place between July 29 and July 31, 2022.
Masaka City Council is seeking to source from its unexploited
cultural practices and religious sites to promote local tourism and
support investment.
Two years after they were granted city status, the leadership of Masaka has considered organizing
the first-ever city carnival as a platform to market its tourism potential and investment opportunities; a four-day socialization
event, which will take place between July 29 and July 31, 2022.
Masaka City Mayor Florence Nayamanja says that Masaka and the neighbouring districts
are endowed with plenty of impressive cultural and traditional sites and appealing
nature characteristics that can potentially attract tourism and
investment and fetch them the much-needed revenues to spur
the city’s development.
Some of the sites that are being targeted for tourism include, the ancient Villa Maria Cathedral which was constructed by
Archbishop Heinrich Streicher in 1892, and Nabajuzi and Nabugabo Ramsar sites
that are home to rare species of birds, animals, and plants, the pioneer primary
school in Uganda located at Villa Maria, and the Buganda Kingdom cultural palace at
Nkoni, among other features.
She explains that they are compiling profiles on both video
and prospectus formats, that contextualize the historical, religious, cultural-social,
educational, and environmental aspects of Masaka and the entire sub-region,
that will be exhibited to the various categories of people with intentions of arousing
their curiosity in the area.
//Cue in;
nti abantu bayinza…
Cue out….biraga
luddawa.”//
Namayanja adds that they also intend to use the carnival as a
development summit for exchanging ideas with the different stakeholders both at
national and international levels, on how they can build Masaka into a progressive
city.
She adds that besides the entertainment,
the carnival will set the pace for the restoration of trade order and
neatness which is long lost in the urban area. She explains that the
leadership is looking
forward to discussing and setting acceptable standards within which
people can
operate within the city in a well-organized manner.
//Cue in; “entertainment egenda...
Cue out...nga
oli muyonjo.”//
John Mark Tamale, the Executive Director of Masaka City NGO
Forum is optimistic that the initiative will help create a sense of ownership of the
city among the public.
According
to him, the majority population in the area are perceiving the new
city's status as an affair preserved for the political leadership and
technical people,
hence relinquishing their civic responsibilities including cleaning the
city and contributing ideas for development.
