CULTURE
The
Westernized elites are virtually the sole consumers and practitioners
of the fine arts. Nevertheless, there is a small but active group
of local artists—painters, sculptors, poets, and playwrights—who
exhibit their works in local galleries and theatres. There is
a wide audience for both Ugandan and foreign music. Uganda's well-known
Afrigo Band, which combines traditional and popular musical elements,
regularly tours abroad and has produced a number of recordings.
Congolese music is extremely popular and represents a return of
musicians from that country, a cultural exchange that previously
had been active until the 1970s. There are many discos, pubs,
and bars in most towns and trading centres, where live music is
performed.
The
staple diet in most of the south is a kind of plantain called
matoke. Sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and cassava are consumed
along with a variety of vegetables. The central market in Kampala—Nakasero—offers
an extensive array of vegetables and fruits, some of which are
imported from neighbouring countries. Most northerners eat millet,
sorghum, cornmeal, and cassava together with local vegetables.
The pastoralist communities tend to consume animal-derived products,
especially butter, meat, and animal blood. Fish is eaten by a
number of groups.
Cultural
diversity has produced a wide variety of lifestyles and interests
among Ugandans. While literacy is slowly increasing, especially
in the urban centres, where there are numerous newspapers, oral
traditions remain a popular form of entertainment. Uganda possesses
a rich tradition of theatre, ranging from the very active National
Theatre in Kampala to hundreds of small, local theatrical groups.
Theatre has played an important role in educating and informing
the public on a range of issues from gender relations to sexually
transmitted diseases. Another popular and widespread form of entertainment
is the many hundreds of small video booths spread throughout the
towns and small rural trading centres. A video booth, which can
operate on a vehicle battery, provides an opportunity—mainly
for young people—to see a variety of films; but, more important,
the booths also show occasional short informative films supplied
by governmental agencies. Television is widely available in urban
centres and in some smaller rural centres, where it is not uncommon
to see a large group of people clustered in front of one set.
