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100 years of Omukama Cwa II Kabaleega
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Background

Bunyoro Kitara North America was started in 2009 by a small group of enthusiastic Banyoro Leaders in Maryland USA. It has since grown tremendously with a vision to promote culture and socio-economic development within the Banyoro that live and work within the Northern American communities.

 

Bunyoro Kitara North America Association {BUKINAA) is legally registered in the USA as a 501(C) (3). BUKINAA currently has a registered membership of over 300 members across North America making it the largest formal association of Banyoro in North America.

BUKINAA was founded to create a platform for the Banyoro that will be used to interact & forge beneficial partnerships for social-economic advancement; network, share, and experience the Bunyoro culture, explore & coordinate the abundant opportunities in their adopted communities in North America.

 

The Banyoro in North America are part of the underserved populations culturally, socially and economically. BUKINAA was established to initiate and facilitate programs/activities to address our core objectives as per our mission.

Mission

Our Mission

The Mission of Bunyoro-Kitara North America Association(BUKNAA) is to promote the cultural and socio-economic development of Banyoro(Banyakitara) people in the Diapora and Uganda

 

Objectives

  1. Encourage all Banyoro to help each other deal with the challenges of living abroad.
  2. Interact, network, and forge partnerships for economic advancement of Banyoro in the Diaspora
  3. Promote the advancement of the social, cultural, educational, healthcare, and economic development of Banyoro and Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom
  4. Provide a Platform for getting together to celebrate our culture in the Diaspora
  5. Find ways to empower youths in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom
  6. To work woth other community organisations to fully integrate new Banyoro into the Diaspora and act as a vehicle for civic participation
  7. To work towards acquiring property in terms of land and buildings, all necessary equipment’s for community purposes (offices, meeting rooms, resource and social function centers
  8. To support the Omukama(king) in his efforts to develop our Kingdom

Activities

1. Runyoro Dictionary: This was created to promote the language and culture of the Banyoro and friends of Banyoro. http://runyorodictionary.com/ is continuously being developed to accommodate more words and translations both from English to Runyoro and Runyoro to English.

2. Social Gatherings: These include picnics, and conventions aimed at bringing our communities and friends together inline objective 2 above.

3. Charity Work: 1) The association provides a $250 scholarship fund annually to underserved students in the Bunyoro Sub-region. 2.) Vocational training (art & crafts, Information Technology) and 3) Water sanitation projects in Bunyoro (in feasibility study stage).

4. Books and Articles: Author children and adult books pertaining to Bunyoro culture and history by the association members. This also includes compilation of existing cultural literature for; publication and online accessibility.

History and Culture

ORIGINS OF BUNYORO-KITARA THE OMUKAMA’S (KINGS)

The Empire of Kitara (also known as Bachwezi, Bacwezi, or Chwezi Empire) is a strong partof oral tradition in the area of the Great Lakes of Africa, including the modern countries of Uganda, northern Tanzania, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda andBurundi.In the oral tradition, Kitara was a kingdom which, at the height of its power in the fourteenthand fifteenth …centuries, included much of Uganda, northern Tanzania and eastern Congo(DRC), ruled by a dynasty known as the Bachwezi (or Chwezi) who were the successors of the Batembuzi Dynasty

I.  The Batembuzi Dynasty 

The first kings were of the Batembuzi dynasty. Batembuzi means harbingers or pioneers.The Batembuzi and their reign are not well documented, and are surrounded by a lot of mythand oral legend. There is very little concurrence, among scholars, regarding the Batembuzitime period in history, even the names and successive order of individual kings. It is believedthat their reign dates back to the height of Africa’s Bronze Age. The number of individualBatembuzi reigns, as given by different scholars, ranges from nine to twenty one.

II. The Bachwezi Dynasty 

The Bachwezi are credited with the founding of the ancient empire of Kitara; which includedareas of present day central, western, and southern Uganda; northern Tanzania, westernKenya, and eastern Congo. Very little is documented about them. Their entire reign wasshrouded in mystery, so much so that they were accorded the status of demi gods andworshipped by various clans. Many traditional gods in Toro, Bunyoro and Buganda havetypical kichwezi (adjective) names like Ndahura, Mulindwa, Wamara, Kagoro, etc..The bachwezi dynasty must have been very short, as supported by only three names of kings documented by historian. The Bachwezi kings were Ndahura, Mulindwa and Wamara;in this order.In addition to founding the empire of Kitara, the Bachwezi are further credited with theintroduction of the unique, long horned Ankole cattle, coffee growing, iron smelting, and thefirst semblance of organized and centralized government, under the king.No one knows what happened to the Bachwezi. About their disappearance, there is noshortage of colourful legend. One legend claims that they migrated westward anddisappeared into Lake Mwitanzige (Albert). Another legend has them disappearing into lakeWamala, which bears the name of the last king of the dynasty. There is a popular belief among scholars that they simply got assimilated into the indigenous populace, and are,today, the tribal groups like the bahima of Ankole and the batutsi of Rwanda. The bahimaand batutsi have the elegant, tall build and light complexion of the Bachwezi, and aretraditionally herders of the long horned Ankole cattle.

II. The Babiito Dynasty 

The Bachwezi dynasty was followed by the Babiito dynasty of the current Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara. Any attempt to pinpoint the dates of this, or any other dynasty before it, ispure conjecture; as there were no written records at the time. Modern day historians placethe beginning of the Babiito dynasty at around the time of the invasion of Bunyoro by the Luofrom the North. The first mubiito (singular) king was Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi I, whose reign isplaced around the 14th century. To date, there have been a total of 27 Babiito kings of Bunyoro-Kitara

Bunyoro-Kitara Anthem

Chorus

Bunyoro-Kitara Tukugonza Nyinaitwe, itwe abaana abeihanga abakutamu ekitiinisa

1st Stanza

Lero turakoraki, tukugizi mukama, nitwijuka ekitiinisa ky’eihanga lyaitu Bunyoro

Chorus

Bunyoro-Kitara Tukugonza Nyinaitwe, itwe abaana abeihanga abakutamu ekitiinisa

2nd Stanza

Emyenda ya kitara tukwatanize hamu twesigege omukama nukwo twombeke ge Bunyoro

Chorus

Bunyoro-Kitara Tukugonza Nyinaitwe, itwe abaana abeihanga abakutamu ekitiinisa

Last Stanza

Munjura N’omwihunga, murubaale n’enkuba kutufeere hali Bunyoro

Chorus

Bunyoro-Kitara Tukugonza Nyinaitwe, itwe abaana abeihanga abakutamu ekitiinisa

100 years of Omukama Cwa II Kabaleega

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