Hundreds of Bamasaba gathered at the Mutoto Grounds in Mbale Municipality , to launch this year’s cultural male circumcision season.

The ceremony, also called as a cultural gathering for the Bamasaba, is used to initiate male youths into manhood.

In Friday 11th August 2006 ceremony, the Bamasaba assembled this year’s circumcision candidates through the Mbale streets, while dancing the Kadoodi dance.

The parade then headed for the Mutoto grounds, where they were smeared with flour and decorated with traditional beads, before they were taken to a grass hut.

They were then circumcised inside this hut, and then declared to be men, by the chief elder of the Bamasaba.

Imbalu is one of the cultural attributes that people leaving around Mt Elgon (BAMASABA) have. Yet cultural tourism is of great importance as far as Uganda’s tourism industry is concerned. Therefore preserving this culture by the Bamasaba is an important aspect to Uganda’s tourism industry.

By Tanah Hadijah

Uganda Tourism