#MutibaTOURSandTRAVELS Did you know that the BBC African footballer of the Year plaque given to winners is made in Uganda at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains? Did you know that bronze, the third award given out to medal winners in prestigious sports competitions is now made in Uganda as well? These are some of the unheralded miracles happening deep down in western Uganda and across this hugely endowed country. Not spiritual healings and miracles but the men and women of Uganda are springing out incredible tourism innovations like bronze casting that is only comparable to the awkward marketing that march these priceless jewels. A trip to the Rwenzori regions is more than the usual trail of the safari and the Rwenzori Mountains which are Africa’s third highest mountain ranges and are still very attractive. But unprecedented in Uganda and the region, a bronze casting plant called the Rwenzori Founders offers sculptors the opportunity to have their works cast into bronze by skilled craftsmen. The art work before the plaque is usually done by a separate artist who then brings it to the foundry for the bronze casting site. Today, the foundry built from locally sourced materials like drum plates, bamboo rids and grass is exhibiting a selection of bronzes and art pieces. It is an art collector’s paradise! They have also courted wild birds by setting up feeding points and today, about 200 bird species including free roaming guinea fowls are in the area making it an easy pick for a bird watcher. The scraping of raw wax to bring out the art detail, the dipping of the metal in furnace as it is refined is a delicate but nervy process before one sees the beautiful finished product. Emmanuel Basaza, a director of the foundry who alongside three friends were trained in Britain on the art of bronze casting is now only waiting for Kilembe copper mines factory to start production so they can begin to buy copper directly from within the country which would greatly reduce their import bill and hard earned foreign exchange cash. Copper is a major ingredient in the bronze casting process. This interlinkage between the foundry and the Kilembe copper plant is great evidence of the power tourism has in sparking economic production across sectors. Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) who partly organized the trip says clustering of the country now allows for specific products to be developed while creating different country experience. “The whole country is rich and diverse like none in the region, a traveller just has more than enough for a different experience everyday and we want to focus on this across Uganda,” Stephen Asiimwe, UTB chief. Asiimwe added that the entire country is set to be clustered. Further down in Rubona just after Fort Portal town, hundreds of women are weaving their way to cash. Kengazi Kellen, the leader of the group alongside another 100 women under the Participatory basket colouring project at Rubona are making unique baskets that cover the entire needs of a home. From designs for different cuisines (millet, coffee, bread, fruits) to office solutions like pen and folder holders and glass holders the baskets come in different shapes and colours. Kengazi and her women group use fresh stems that are planted just outside their office on the Fort Portal Kasese highway. They then take a tourist or interested visitor through the delicate process of making baskets using natural sources from the plant to the finished basket. “Within a day nine colours of dyes from different plants make about 10 different baskets types. The basket group started in 1994 with sh1m which they paid in two months. Today, they have bought a plot of land and earn over sh2.5m in a month. Across the street still in Rubona, another 90 women under the Bunyangabu Beekeepers Cooperative (BBC) are processing hundreds of litters of fresh honey. From the honey, they are making candle wax, decorations and candles as bi-products which they sell to travellers. Some of the wax is used at the Rwenzori Founders facility during the bronze casting which is located on the way to Fort Portal town, another illustration of the backward linkage between sectors and tourism. Anne Maria Makela, marketing specialist with the United Nations World Tourism Organization that is pushing the inclusive markets programme has advised tour operators to take the new products seriously and market them because they mark out the uniqueness of the country. “There is more to Uganda, people come looking for gorillas but leave talking about the people,” noted Makela. Western Uganda is rich in diversity and culture. Kabarole tours and travel have opened up a trail where visitors can experience the pet naming process (Empaako), cycling in the dense Mpanga tea plantation. The Semliki area, Kibale national park boasts some of the largest presence of birds which makes the region a paradise for bird watcher in just a single stop. But they can blend this with the neighbouring tree climbing mountains in Ishaka as well as the diversity in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Then there is the masterpiece of the Rwenzori Mountain which still lies largely undiscovered. Stanley Baluku, the chairman of the Rwenzori Mountaineering services that organize the central hiking route says the Rwenzori footholds now hosts the largest chunk of the Bakonzo population because of the economic windfalls tourism activities are bringing to the area. From porters, to lodges, private tents, fruits and restaurants all operated by community initiatives, the locals are leaving fairly comfortably off the gift of the Rwenzori. Baluku intends to diversify travellers’ experiences to go beyond just mountain hiking to include cable trips and conservation activities like more tree planting so that the endangered ice caps do not melt away completely.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:16:30 +0000
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