Art & Crafts

The Pearl of Africa

Uganda has an amazing collection of arts & crafts which vary from region to region, the crafts from the south are different from those from the north as well as west from east.

A good source of fine art is Margaret Trowel School of Fine Art, Industrial Art and Design at Makerere University where both talented students and their lecturers paint or sculpt very exciting pieces. The capital Kampala, named after the great impala, has some great galleries the oldest being Nommo Gallery which is near the Presidential Lodge in Kampala. The gallery is home to the Uganda Artists Association a body that brings together both young and old artists. Other places to note are the famous buganda road kiosks as well as the National Theater shops.

Ugandan art was affected just like all other activities during the lost years many artists left the country for greener pastures in other nations including Austria, South Africa, Congo, Kenya among others lost. However some local crafts like drums, thumb pianos are made by the informal sector. 

Items such as these;

More of the crafts include musical instruments such as drums, thumb pianos, clay and reed pipes, lyre fiddles and rattles. Some cast-iron bells are worn on the legs of dancers. 

Gourds
Used in drinking water, beer and others used for storage. The gourds may also be decorated with colors and art to be used in various occassions but also for decoration of a home or office. 

 



Baskets & Mats
Made out of papyrus, these items are colored with dye solutions to create intricate patterns, then kneeted by hand to make sitting mats, decor and carry bags. Skilled craftsmen and women make these and earn a living out of them passing on the skills from generation to generation. Most noted are the ones made by Nubian women. 

Baskets can be pricey and too big but they are worth the price, if for their finery and fanciful colors and intricate patterns and designs. 

 









The Batooro and Bahima of western Uganda (Ankole, Toro) make fine, little cylindrical baskets (endiiro) in which millet bread is served and kept hot. Their size is handy for tourists without the space to keep big basketry. The prices can be a little bit high but negotiations will often bring the prices down. In Buganda, the baskets are bigger and saucer like. Coffee beans, fruits and even bottle beer are often served in these utensils. In modern Kiganda marriages, showy parades of men and women dressed up in kanzu and boding line up with the baskets (bibbo) as they approach the bride’s home on the introductory (courtship) occasions.

There are various types of pottery in Uganda with most of the pots and earthenware saucers made of kaolin, clay and dark soil. Skilled potters slurp the clay and roll it in their hands as they carve products out, without using a kick wheel. Many tribes use clay to make smoking pipes, pots for potable water and cooking purposes.

Weapons
There are arrays of traditional weapons in the region which should be of interest to tourists. Long an short spears, hooks, sticks bow and arrows all come to mind. Various tribes make various types of weapons and depending on the availability of materials. However, for kings and chiefs, the spear blades used to look wider and more prestigious. Catapults are common in the north while sticks are used by herdsmen.