Crafts Of Uganda:
Uganda Crafts:
Uganda is a blend of cultures where a wonderful and delightful mixture of traditions melts. Art and craft are part of Ugandan culture. They form an inseparable part of the Ugandan culture and play an important role in the traditions of all Uganda’s people.
Crafts have been developed through the traditions of the people. Art and craft are a result of the feelings of the people responding to a variety of historical events and influences and the environment in a most spontaneous manner. Art is the creation of works of beauty through the application of skill resulting from knowledge and regular practice. Craft on the other hand is taken as an occupation, especially one in which skills or techniques in the use of the hands are needed.
A wide range of traditional handicrafts is produced in different parts of Uganda, ranging from ceramics and basketry to traditional woodcarvings and contemporary paintings. Ugandan craft works are so varied that one needs to pay attention to various ethnic setting in order to exhaust it. One has also to make distinctions and give similarities that occur within the crafts of different ethnic groups. The differences that appear in crafts are consequences of the cultural practices of each ethnic group.
Among the fine handicrafts are colourful mats in traditional patterns from Buganda, raffia bowls and baskets from Toro and Ankole, musical instruments from west Nile and Busoga, and the famous drums of Buganda.
Generally, on the domestic and cultural level, Ugandan crafts can be identified under the following categories: Basketry, pottery, gourd vessels and wood vessels for food and drinks, pipes, stools, clothing and adornments, belts and girdles, hair dressing, headdresses and facial ornaments,Aÿneck, arm and leg ornaments shields, spears, bows and arrows, swords, dancing weapons, hunting knives, finger knives and wrist knives, hunting gear and sound instruments.
Basketry is one of the most highly developed crafts in Uganda. It is at the foundation of home making. Basketry is essential in building houses, stockades, fences or enclosures, pens, traps for wild animals, baskets and mats. Recently, redesigning has been emphasized to produce modern items like hand bags, table mats, flat trays, ornament baskets and mats wit different patterns. Most of these come from Buganda, Toro, Kigezi and Bunyoro.
Wood-curving is also another sector which has thrived traditionally and still thrives today in Uganda. However, it has been very much influenced by external forces, especially in terms of design.
The commonest domestic woodcraft products include; stools, beds, mortars and pestles, bowls, ladles, trays, wooden canoes and others. Some carvings are also done as decorations taking the form of masks, omweso boards, walking sticks and others.
Traditional craft items in Uganda cultures include amulets, necklaces or beads, arm and leg ornaments, bracelets, rings, and headdresses. For example, the Karimojong headdress is made form human hair felted together with grease and clay. It is strengthened by a wire framework round the front edge. It is patterned with red, blue and yellow paint. The metal eyelets across the crown and at the back are used t hold ostrich features and other ornaments.
In modern times, there are clashes between cultures. In Buganda for example, there are immigrants form all parts of Uganda and beyond. There is thus a country-wide tendency of cultures influencing one another as regards crafts and art. This however, could, lead to a strong political, social and economic integration in the sense that ethnocentrisms could die at a fat rate.
This has brought Ugandan craftsmen together with one common need: to sell their work. In the past when the markets were local, when life moved at a slow and even tempo and there were no buyers form overseas, there was no need to redesign the traditional craft for modern use. While the production of craftworks by local craftsmen for sale is fairly recent, is fast growing and has great potential. The main ideas behind it have been to preserve and encourage indigenous methods, to create jobs for local people, especially women, and to exploit the huge market.
Raw Materials:
Most of the components and raw materials are found naturally in Uganda - local grasses and papyrus, banana fibre and palm leaves, gemstones, seeds, horn and woods, as well as skins and local leathers. Bark cloth from the Omutuba tree is particularly enchanting, and is widely used for mats, cushions and hats. Jewellery can be hand made from a broad range of materials, and provides distinctive decoration for both ladies and gentlemen.
For further information, please consult:
The Uganda National Art and Crafts Association
National Theatre Cultural Village
Tel: +256-41 236543.
Link Partners
Uganda safari | uganda tours | uganda gorilla safari | uganda safaris | rwanda safari
gorilla safaris in uganda | gorilla safaris in rwanda |safari in uganda |safaris to uganda
Related package vacations
