Browsing by Author "Kamugisha, Edward"

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A visual narrative of Batwa indigenous artifacts : an ethnography of material culture
(Machakos University Journal of Science and Technology, 2024-09) Kamugisha, Edward; Kekimuri, Joan; Kioli, Felix Ngunzo; Mutungi, Emmanuel
Material culture may cut across all items owned by people including a big assortment of tangible things like artifacts, cuisine, architecture, music, dance, folklore, religion and rituals. The Batwa lived in forests and largely depended on local technologies and traditional methods of living, and this formed their rich material culture. Citing a case of the Batwa (singular: Mutwa) on Mt Mgahinga in Kisoro, southwestern Uganda, this case study was conducted following four objectives: to identify different Batwa material culture items; analyse how they were produced; examine their functionality; and use them to inspire the execution of painterly visual narratives. The study pursued a qualitative approach, where a case study as the research design and employed ethnography as one of the research methods was used. We set out to study the Batwa living on the foothills of Mt Mgahinga and occupying two “cells” of Rukeri and Nyagakenke villages. Five men and 12 women were selected purposively and participant observation, unstructured interviews and photography were employed to capture the different activities that took place during the expedition. The findings revealed the processes behind the different items of material culture, for example, the making of fire, bows and arrows, spears, skins, bamboo containers, traditional traps and snares, and architectural designs. We also conducted discussions on the uses of each of the items. The study found that most of the Batwa material culture has been lost and most present-day Batwa have inadequate knowledge about their traditional material culture. The findings showed that this is so because the elderly Batwa that orally bear this knowledge have greatly reduced in number. Batwa have certain spiritual and religious ties with forests. It is therefore pertinent that the Government of Uganda looks into the possibility of resettling them outside the forest environment, and also benchmark to see how indigenous ethnic groups in other countries are handled.
Paintings reconstructing the positive identity of Batwa minority group inspired by their Indigenous dances
(Kyambogo University [unpublished work], 2018-11) Kamugisha, Edward
Worldwide, different communities have peculiar characteristics that make them different from others hence giving them identity. More so, despite the fact that modernity has carved some of the characteristics to become minimal and small, minority groups still keep most of their characteristics. The purpose of this study was to produce paintings depicting the identity of Batwa minority group inspired by their dances. The research was conducted under the following objectives; to analyze Batwa cultures that fanned their identity, to analyze how Batwa dances could be a source of inspiration to produce paintings for identity reconstruction, and to articulate dances through different studio possibilities in painting as building blocks to identity. The study was carried out in Rushaga area around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kisoro District where seven respondents and a group of dancers were purposively selected. The study was etimography and the research methods included; direct observation, in depth interviews, focused group discussions (FGDs), recording, and studio experimentation. The findings indicate that because of Batwa being discriminated and marginalized, they probably developed inferiority complex which has led to the decline of their identity. To mitigate this negative perception, and promote their identity, the researcher developed three projects in painting that bring out the importance of the Batwa. The paintings were based on three dances of Yaanga dance, fight dance and the hunt dance. The findings reveal that the Batwa culture is so rich and can be used to promote their identity as well as being used as a source of livelihood. The study recommends that different Batwa cultures should be promoted for their wellbeing and reconstructing their identity.