Introduction / History

The Bagandas dwell in Buganda, a kingdom of Uganda northwest of Lake Victoria, the headwater of the Nile River. As the largest Bantu people group, they are often called the King’s Men—a name indicative of their status in the region as the largest of fifteen monarchies in Uganda. These monarchies were abolished in 1967. This was reversed in 1993, when the Buganda monarchy was restored as a ceremonial monarchy in order to preserve cultural heritage. The people speak Ganda.

Most live in Uganda, but others live in nearby Kenya and Tanzania. Others have migrated to the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Though polygamy is sometimes practiced, monogamy is the norm. The traditional term for marriage, jangu enfumbire, means “Come cook for me.” Upon marriage, the wife typically relocates to the husband’s village. Traditionally, a family occupies a circular hut, built of natural materials (sticks, grass, clay, stone). Other housing types are also present, but huts are often built adjacent to the home.

The region is well-suited for farming green bananas, which serve as the Buganda’s staple food. Coffee, cotton, and tea are also farmed seasonally. While these have accounted for a majority of the economy in the past, three decades of peace have allowed them to branch out into urban professions and academics, especially in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Christian missionaries first entered Buganda in 1876. At that time, the Baganda worshiped gods of the Balubaale religion. Today, though, Christianity is the majority religion, split evenly between Catholic and Protestant. The remainder of the population is primarily Muslim. Kampala is home to the Kampala Evangelical School of Theology, which envisions “a church that is Christ-like in its character, work and witness, and a society that is influenced by the values of the gospel.”

What Are Their Needs?

The Bagandas need a spiritual revival that will draw them closer to Christ and bless them for eternity.

Prayer Items

Pray that the love of the Baganda believers abounds in knowledge and depth of insight so that they might be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, full of the fruit of righteousness that comes through him.
May their lips offer up a continual sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess Jesus as Lord.
Pray for them to have open doors to proclaim the good news to those in their midst who have not yet heard or understood.

Scripture Prayers for the Baganda in Uganda.

References

https://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Baganda.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15jF_5vFsEI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZWFwQAAAP4
https://www.kest.ac.ug/index.php/kest/about-us
https://hereinuganda.com/the-baganda-and-their-rich-cultural-heritage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baganda
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/baganda.html
https://www.gorillatrekkingtoursandsafaris.com/baganda-and-their-culture/