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Jinja is a major commercial centre and the second largest city in Uganda. It is located 80km east of Kampala and sits on the banks of Lake Victoria at the source of the River Nile.
While primarily an industrial town, Jinja is a good center for exploring this central part of Uganda. Surrounding Jinja is prime agricultural country with extensive plantations of sugar cane and tea.
Jinja lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and is a major marketing centre for southern Uganda. It's an interesting little place with many old Asian-style buildings, reflecting the days when the town had a sizeable Asian community. The town was virtually owned by Asians, and since many of them have started to return Jinja is once again becoming prosperous. There are a lot of spacious mansions in various states of repair, surrounded by expansive lawns overlooking the lake along Nile Crescent adjacent to the golf club and the agricultural showground. The town didn't suffer as badly as many others during the last civil war and so does not wear the same air of dereliction. According to local residents, Okello's retreating troops were told in no uncertain terms that they wouldn't be welcome.
Jinja is close to the Owen Falls Dam, a hydro-electric station which supplies Uganda with the bulk of its electricity. The main Kampala to Jinja road runs across the top of the dam, and the railway line crosses on a bridge close by. Just below the golf course is the Source of the Nile, formerly Ripon Falls
Introduction
Basoga are the eastern neighbors of the Baganda. They occupy the region between Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga in the present districts of Jinja, Kamuli and Iganga.
Origin
Due to the continuous movements and intermingling of people within the Basoga region, the history of the Basoga is complex. It can be asserted, however, that the earliest inhabitants of Busoga belonged to the same Bantu group comprising the Banyoro and the Baganda. Their origins can therefore be traced, like other Bantu groups, to the Katanga region of Central Africa. Tradition holds that the earliest inhabitants were the Langi, the Iteso and the Bagisu. They were later engulfed by migrants from Buganda.
The earliest settlers in Busoga are said to have occupied the lake-shore areas of modern Bukoli. Nanyumba's Banyole are believed to have been among these earliest inhabitants. These early settlements took place far back in the 14th century. They were later joined by other people from the Mt. Elgon region. These people are said to have been led by Kintu and are said to have settled in Bugabula and Bulamogi. They were later joined by others from Budama and some from Kigulu in Kenya.
Legend
There are three legends regarding the origins of the Basoga. One of them talks of the famous hunter, Mukama, who came from the East side of Mt. Elgon and crossed into Busoga via present Bugisu and Budama. He is said to have been accompanied by his wives, various followers and two dogs. Mukama had eight sons during his stay in Busoga. These sons were subsequently appointed rulers over certain areas. Mukama proceeded to Bunyoro where he set up a kingdom. He died of smallpox in Bunyoro and that is why the relatives of Mukama in Busoga do not look at a patient suffering from smallpox. It is also customary that no member of the Ngobi clan passes by another one suffering from smallpox without touching him.
The second legend insists that Mukama did not come to Busoga at all that Mukama only sent his own sons to rule Busoga because there were no capable rulers among the Basoga.
The third legend talks of Kintu as having been the man called Mukama and it was this same Kintu who came to Busoga from the east
of Mt. Elgon. This legend asserts that Kintu left his sons in Busoga and continued to Buganda. He is said to have returned to Busoga and lived in a place called Buswikira which is at Igombe, Bunya. He died and was buried there. Afterwards, his tomb became a rock which is worshipped even today by some Basoga.
Originally, the Basoga were a disunited people. They could not unite even in the face of a common enemy. This explains why they were incessantly prone to foreign influence first from Bunyoro and later from Buganda.
Language
Lusoga language closely approximates to Luganda, especially that spoken by the Ssesse Islanders. There exist many Lusoga dialects. However Buganda influence over Busoga was so much that Luganda tends to be used as a lingua franca in Busoga more than Lusoga itself. Within Busoga, there are so many dialects of the Lusoga language that it is difficult to reach agreement on the correct way to spell or pronounce certain words. For instance, in the north of Busoga, there is a distinct H but people from southern Busoga do not accept this H as being appropriate to the Lusoga Language.
Luo influences
The Basoga were also under the influence of the Luo rulers of Bunyoro. As a result, the Basoga followed some of the Luo customs. For example, at puberty, they used to extract the six teeth in the lower jaw as an initiation to adulthood like the Alur of West Nile and the Joluo of western Kenya. Even some of their ceremonies, especially those regarding death, tended to resemble those of the Luo.
Lusoga language closely approximates to Luganda, especially that spoken by the Ssesse Islanders. There exist many Lusoga dialects. However Buganda influence over Busoga was so much that Luganda tends to be used as a lingua franca in Busoga more than Lusoga itself. Within Busoga there are so many dialects of the Lusoga language that it is difficult to reach agreement on the correct way to spell or pronounce certain words. For instance, - in the north of Busoga, there is a distinct H but people from southern Busoga
Land ownership and the economy
in Busoga, each clan had land and the Mutaka (clan-head) was responsible for the clan's land. This land could not pass from the ownership of one clan to another nor could a member who was granted land by the clan-head be deprived of it. There was plenty of land in spite of the large population. Any member could get land by simply asking the clan-head for it. A non-clan member could be allowed to cultivate land but only as a Mugiha (tenant). The land could be taken from him should it be required by any member of the clan to which it belonged They were settled agriculturalists and they were quite rich in food and cattle.
Death and burial rites
A chief
Whenever an important chief was sick, very few people were allowed to come near him. His death was first kept secret until all his wives, cattle, hoes, ivory, and male slaves had been secured. Thereafter, the official announcement was made early in the morning by a Mujwa (funeral official). It was then that the chief's wives, headmen, and people wept and kissed the corpse. No work of any kind could be done, not even visiting or cooking any kind of food. If there happened to be any other dead people, their burials had to wait until the chief's funeral rites were completed. It was taboo for any cock to crow during that period. No one shaved until the rites were over. The older wives of the chief were gathered and kept in the death hut for seven days supporting the body of the dead chief across their feet. For these seven days, they were not supposed to touch food of any kind.
Burial
The chief was buried in the hut of his first wife. He was buried with some objects, his body facing towards their supposed direction of origin. Most Basoga bury their dead facing northwards because they believe that they came from Bunyoro. The chief's grave was deep indeed, about ten meters. Before burial, the corpse was washed all over by the wives. A new barkcloth was hung across the doorway of the hut. The corpse was smeared with butter and a large colored bead was tied round the neck. In Bugabula, a piece of flayed cowhide was taken from a cow sacrificed to the dead and laid upon the forehead of the corpse. Other presents like beads, wires or bracelets were also put on the arms and legs of the corpse. The body was then carried to the burial hut by the Bagwa and put in the grave but no earth was put in yet. A bullock was tied to the doorway of the hut and dedicated to the dead chief. This ceremony was extended to inaugurate an heir.
Burial of the head of family
All children kissed the corpse and wailed loudly. No cooking was allowed for one day. His grave could be dug in his own hut, garden or courtyard. The heir could be appointed at the time of burial. The other rites were like those of a chief but his grave was not reopened to add fresh barkcloths like the chief's. They could only sprinkle beer and blood over the grave.
Burial of a childless man
A young man was treated like an old man. If he was unmarried, a widower, or married but without children, a broom was placed on the grave and he was ordered not to come back in the following words: "Go straight away and never return to earth, you childless one". His name was despised in the society and care was taken not to give it to another person for fear that he also might become childless.
Burial of a married woman
The husband would wail and kiss the corpse and so would some relatives. She was buried in the banana plantation according to the customs of her husband. Often she was made to lie on her left. She was informed upon being buried that none of those present had caused her death and was implored not to come back for revenge.
Should she have possessed property, her spirit was placated by the offer of a goat or a bullock before the heir took over the property. Custom demanded that the dead woman's relatives should bring forward an unmarried girl and give her to the dead woman's husband. This girl became the heiress and took over the functions and property of the dead woman.
If the deceased woman had daughters who were married, their husbands had to redeem them from the death spirit with a goat. There was another special ceremony for a dead woman who left married sons. Each of the wives of her sons cooked food and took it to the place of burial where they would find their husband awaiting them.
The women dressed themselves up like men and went to the banana plantation. They would sit down in the manner men did when they went to arrange bridewealth or to redeem their wives from funeral rites. Their husbands would dress up like women and come to greet their wives. Then they would do all they could to make their wives laugh. If any of the women laughed, she was deemed unfit; the food she brought was considered unfit for eating; and her marriage was cancelled.
In the case of a childless woman, the speaker said, "Never come back for nothing behind". A broom was then f upon the grave and her name was allowed to die out of the society. Unmarried girls are buried in almost the same way as women, only no heiress was necessary.
Religion
The Basoga believed in the existence of a spirit world. They called the supreme being Lubaale. Human agents worked as messengers of Lubaale, or the ancestors, or other minor gods. To the Basoga, the spirit world, places of worship, animated objects and fetishes had power to do good or evil to the living. The Basoga call magicians, fetishmen and spirit mediums Bacwezi.
The Basoga believed in the existence of several gods and sub-gods. Below Lubaale, there was Mukama, the creator of all things; Jingo, the public god who attended to the general needs of the people; Nawandyo; and Bilungo the god of plagues. Semaganda, Gasani and Kitaka were other gods the Basoga believed in.
Political set-up
There was no paramount chief over the whole of Basoga. The Basoga were organized into principalities or chiefdoms under the sovereignty of Bunyoro and later of Buganda. In the early times, the death of a chief was first reported to the Mukama of Bunyoro who would send the funeral barkcloth and all the necessary requirements for the burial rites. On several occasions, he used to appoint the heir or send back the son of the deceased chief if the son happened, as was usually the case, to be at the Mukama’s court in Bunyoro.
During the time of the Luo migrations, Luo sub-dynasties were established in Busoga. Among these sub-dynasties (at least six in all), Bukoli and Bugwere were founded about the same time as the Babiito dynasty of Bunyoro at the beginning of the 16th century By the turn of the 19th century, there were fifteen virtually independent principalities. In fact, the southern principalities are said to have been ruled by dynasties whose origins could be traced to the east and Lake Victoria Islands. During the 19th century, Buganda influence very greatly in-creased over the southern Busoga principalities. The northern principalities still had a connection with Bunyoro and indeed their language contained many Runyoro words.
In 1906 the British protectorate accomplished an administrative amalgamation of the multifarious kingdoms of pre-colonial Busoga into a single integrated structure. Representatives from the small pre-colonial kingdoms constituted the Busoga Lukiiko. In the same year Semei Kakungulu was appointed President of the Lukiiko, his reign ended with his resignation in 1913. This led to the collapse of the monstrous political structure and the abolition of the office of "President of the Lukiiko of Busoga". Later there arose demands within Busoga for the revival of the office. In 1919 the Isebantu Kyabazinga office was established as an alternative to it. And Ezekieri Wako was appointed the first Isebantu Kyabazinga.
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