UGANDA NATIONAL PEOPLES’ RIGHTS ASSOCIATION
-LONDON SEAT-

PRESS RELEASE BY UNAPERA LONDON SEAT
Friday, 10th October 2008

VIOLATION OF CULTURAL RIGHTS OF THE BAGANDA PEOPLE BY THE UGANDAN GOVERNMENT

The London Seat of the Uganda National Peoples’ Rights Association (UNAPERA) has carefully studied the Uganda Government’s action of barring the Kabaka of Buganda, His Majesty Ronald Muteebi, from going to Nakasongola to kick start Community Voluntary Work (Bulungi Bwa Nsi) and to preside over the 8th October Buganda Independence celebrations.

What was carried out by the Government was nothing else but gross violation of the Cultural Human Rights of the Baganda People, of the Baganda-Baluuli Community and of the Kabaka, in his personal and official capacity as the Cultural Leader of the Baganda National People, of the Baganda-Baluuli Community and of the Buganda Kingdom.

It has to be remembered that Article 15 (1a) of the International Covenant On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights 1966 recognises that the Baganda as a National People, Baganda-Baluuli Community People and the Kabaka have, individually and collectively, a cultural human right to “take part in cultural life.” Uganda is a signatory to this Covenant. In that respect, the Government contravened this Article and violated this cultural human right by barring the Baganda National People, the Baganda-Baluuli Community and the Kabaka from socially and culturally celebrating the Buganda Independence Day at Nakasongola of the Buganda Buluuli County.

UNAPERA notes that violating the above cultural right by the Uganda Government even contravened the current Uganda Constitution, not forgetting that that Constitution oppresses all the National Peoples of Uganda by denying them to enjoy their human right to internal democratic self-determination.

Chapter IV Section 37 of the Uganda Constitution recognises that every Ugandan has a right to belong to, enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote any culture, cultural institution, language and tradition in community with others. While trying to direct the Baganda-Baluuli Community not to identify with the Kiganda culture and the Kabaka cultural institution, the Uganda Government violated the cultural rights of the Baganda-Baluuli Community to belong, enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote the Kiganda culture, Kabaka cultural institution, Luganda language and tradition.

It is in the spirit of fighting for respect of the cultural human rights and of the right to internal democratic self-determination of all the Ugandan national peoples that UNAPERA wants Ugandans and people of good will to understand that, the action of barring the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom from going to Nakasongola by the Government, amounted to a gross violation of cultural human rights of the Baganda-Baluuli Community, of the Baganda as a national people and of the Kabaka. What that calls for is knowing one’s rights and solidarity so as to defend the rights at stake.

Ricardo Mulinda                                                   Dr. Obonyo Benjamin
UNAPERA Global Involvement Co-Chair               Vice Esteemed Peoples’ Rights Defender – (For the Diaspora)

+ 44 – (0) 7950887315
rmulinda@hotmail.com
www.unapera.com

UGANDA NATIONAL PEOPLES’ RIGHTS ASSOCIATION

LONDON SEAT

PRESS RELEASE – LONDON UGANDAN CONFERENCE PART II

Saturday 16th, August 2008

Saturday 16th August 2008, the Uganda National Peoples’ Rights Association (UNAPERA) held its second part of the London Ugandan Conference at Durning Hall, in London. The Conference was attended by a big number of Ugandans from the UK Baganda Community, UK Acholi Community, UK Iteso Community, UK Banyoro Community, UK Basoga Community, UK Basamya Community, and many other Ugandans from other UK Ugandan Ethnic Communities. The Conference was presided over by Owek. Dan Muliika – the Esteemed Peoples’ Rights Defender (EPRIDE) or Leader. Conference Presenters included Mr. John Baptist Ayela, Mr. Ricardo Mulinda, Mr. Alex Oringa, Mr. Leo Ssebweze, Mr. Ssejjengo, and many others.

The Conference was convened for the purpose of, among other things, Launching UNAPERA WEBSITE and Presenting the UNAPERA GLOBAL APPEAL. Hon. Dan Muliika – the UNAPERA EPRIDE was welcomed by a deafening clapping and ululation from the Conference attendees. After the EPRIDE welcome, the Uganda, the Buganda, the Bunyoro and the Tooro Anthems were sang by the conferees. After singing the anthems, Hon. Dan Muliika opened the Part II London Ugandan Conference.

In his speech which was punctuated with applauses from time to time, Hon Muliika emphasized the point that: “The 14 nations or states of Uganda whose names are inscribed at the entrance of the Uganda Parliamentary Building in Kampala are the true stakeholders of Uganda. They need to sit together in a Uganda National Conference, as they did in Lancaster House in 1961, and decide the destiny of Uganda. Each one of them, like the Buganda Kingdom and Nation which got its independence on 8th October 1962 and joined Uganda on 9th October 1962 as an autonomous nation, has a right to internal self-determination. They are the ones who should discuss the destiny of Uganda and the issue of restoring federalism for those Ugandan nations or states which demand it.”  After his speech, Hon Muliika launched the UNAPERA Website whose address is – www.unapera.com.

Mr. Ayela – the UNAPERA-UK Vice Chair and member of the UK Acholi Community stated that: “It should be accepted by all people of sound mind that the unitary system of governance has failed in Uganda. There is no reason why the present Ugandan NRMO regime denies the Ugandan nations or peoples their inalienable right to internal self-determination. There is an urgent need for all the Ugandan nations and peoples to reconcile as brothers and sisters, to sit down in a National Conference, demand their right to internal self-determination and establish a federal system of governance for Uganda now.”

Mr. Ricardo Mulinda – the UNAPERA Global Involvement Co-Chair (GIC) and a member of UK Buganda Community presented the UNAPERA GLOBAL APPEAL. He proclaimed that: “Henceforth, it is necessary for all of us Ugandans within and without Uganda to make a sacrifice in one way or another for the cause of our collective and individual inalienable rights which include, among others, the right to peace for all the peoples of Uganda, the right to internal democratic self-determination, democratic rights, land rights, cultural rights, linguistic rights, environmental rights and posterity rights. All of us are called upon to campaign for the establishment of a federal system of governance in Uganda because Buganda Kingdom as a nation and many other Ugandan nations or peoples demand it and have a right to enjoy all their collective human righs. Our Appeal as UNAPERA to the Ugandan Government is:  Be just; work for lasting peace for all the peoples of Uganda; do acknowledge and respect the human right to internal democratic self-determination and other collective rights of the Buganda Kingdom as a nation and state, and of other Ugandan nations or peoples.”

Ricardo Mulinda
UNAPERA Global Involvement Chair (GIC)

John Baptist Ayela
UNAPERA-UK BRANCH Vice Chair

UNAPERA London Seat,
Tel: +44 (0)207 987 0396
Mob: +44 (0)790 395 6760
Web: www.unapera.com
Email: info@unapera.com, uganda@unapera.com, uk@unapera.com