By Wanambwa M. Rogers
Kampala, Uganda (RTN)-Every year on 3rd June, Uganda celebrates Martyrs' Day which takes place in Namugongo on the outskirts of Uganda's Capital, Kampala. But due to the outbreak of Coronavirus , the country is under lockdown and no such celebrations are happening today.
During the last presidential address
in which he issued guidelines to be followed as the country gradually opens up for normal business, all events that bring many people together were banned from taking place.
According to Mr. John Ssempebwa, a Historian and Economist, who was hosted this morning, as Uganda celebrates Martyrs' day, on NBS TV(a local television station) Morning Breeze, three(3) million people came to Kampala last year specifically to Namugongo and surrounding areas to pilgrimage.
He explained that these people spent on average UGX50,000 which translates to UGX150bn in Kampala during the Martyrs' week.
Furthermore, during the discussion, he explained that there are over 40 more cites around the country that if harnessed well, could bring in even more money for the country throughout the year. This could be achieved through advertising the cites and making them known to Ugandans and foreigners too.
Uganda's population according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is mainly Christian, with 84% of the population professing to be Christian. Most of these are Catholic, followed by Anglicans, all of whom believe in the Namugongo pilgrimage.
This does not include the growing number of foreigners that join the pilgrimage every year from around the world.
Today, only 40 people are expected to attend the ceremony at Namugongo according to the organizers, which is less than 1%(0.0013%) of last year's pilgrims. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit the economy of Uganda as much.
Mr. Ssempebwa argues that the community around these cites also need to be taught how to earn more from these yearly visits and improve their livelihood.
It is absurd that many business people from other parts of the city and Uganda benefit from the celebrations and the locals there do not or if they do, just a very small portion of the cut.
He explained that these people can earn from being educated about the history of the place, which turn they can do tour guides explaining to the pilgrims for a small fee, or providing the food they eat, or even sheltering them by building abodes for them.
Uganda as a whole can benefit by attracting more pilgrims throughout the year to come visit the Namugongo shrines, the Kigungu cite, among other cites and encouraging the locals to be engaged so that more forex stays within the communities.
These cites explain Uganda as a nation's existence as a matter of fact because it is from the events that happened here that Buganda's citizens(and later on the world Uganda) would get to believe in the movement brought about by the missionaries that would later become a major religion in Uganda and influence a lot of Uganda's political, social and economic activities.
Uganda Martyrs were canonized and elevated to sainthood by Pope Paul VI on 18 October 1964. This year makes 56years of their sainthood.
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