Category: History & Culture
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5 Historical and Cultural Curiosities of Lake Mutanda
Lying in between Uganda’s Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks, Lake Mutanda is a handy spot to relax after your gorilla tracking. There is much more on offer here, however, than its awesome views of the Virungas and many water sports … 1. Island of the Dead, Kyangushu The island was traditionally used as a burial…
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No Land, No Problem: Lake Bunyonyi’s House Boat
Tourism round Lake Bunyonyi? Still pretty fresh, buddy! Before Dr Sharp opened his guesthouse in the 1920s, hardly anyone beyond the town of Kabale had a clue this slice of paradise even existed — land was dirt cheap ’cos it was all just farmland. You could spot the locals who wandered into Kabale from a…
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… And Then Gods Finally Smiled
The Gods weren’t just against us — they were sitting up there with popcorn, taking bets on what could go wrong next. In October, when we tried to test our new Bunyonyi Batwa activity, the weather unleashed its fury, forcing us to ferry our partners to the other side of the lake instead. Eating Mama…
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Happy 2025 — with Tom in Musanze!
It used to be our tradition to ring in the new year on Tom’s island in the middle of Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi. Yesterday, however, we brought Tom Karemire to Rwanda instead. Fulfilling his wish to visit our home in Musanze was a delight and added something fresh to our celebrations. Alongside the usual New Year’s…
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Mouthwatering Blend of Batwa Culture and Bakiga Hospitality (Coming Soon)
We are making significant headway towards launching responsible Batwa “Pygmy” boat trips on Lake Bunyonyi! What we initiated in August is now on track to be readily available in October: a mouthwatering blend of Batwa culture and Bakiga hospitality. Last week we organised a meeting on the western side of Bunyonyi, at Mama Bena’s. We…
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Gallery Surprise in Kigali Leads to … The Home of Edirisa!
This is a postscript to the series that marked 20 years of Edirisa and 10 years of the Gorilla Highlands Initiative. Click here for Part I. When Antonio Chedrawy planned his return to Kigali, one special place from a previous trip was high on his agenda … The very first to arrive for the OMG…
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Partnership with Batwa “Pygmies”: Not the Easiest but Highly Impactful
Volunteering with Batwa “Pygmies”? Not the easiest thing in the world, yet potentially highly impactful! Londoner Edd had selected it from our long list of projects that had been waiting for the right person — and that’s how he found himself in a dugout with two Batwa delegates. The destination: BirdNest Resort, Lake Bunyonyi. There,…
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30 Years Ago Something Terrifying Started
On 7 April 1994 the prime minister of Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, was murdered together with ten Belgian peacekeepers who had been sent to guard her. She had to die because she was a moderate Hutu attempting to stabilise the country after the president’s plane was shot down the previous night. They were targeted because scaring…
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Trouble for Batwa “Pygmy” Communities: Successes & Failures
Our Batwa friends from Rwamahano happily received six months of accumulated funds this week. They got UGX 2,130,000 (USD 570) that we had saved from several Batwa Today experiences we did with them. Small contributions end up becoming substantial when brought together! Each time we collaborate we put half of Batwa fees aside and deliver…
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