This place is amazing. I will be the first to admit it wasn’t top of my priorities to do ‘touristy’ things while I’m here in Uganda. Especially on my own, I wanted to focus on the work I was sent here to do (with isn’t a bad thing, in this season). Gerald wanted to take to me to a Ndere Cultural Center, where they have a show filled with all the different tribal dances from across Uganda. The troupe was setup to show the positive side of cultural dances. Allot of cultural and tribal dances have links with the occult and witchcraft, but some of it doesn’t, and we have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water!
The show was three hours long, but time disappeared and I hardly felt I had been there an hour. Fantastic dances by some very talented performers from the different tribes across Uganda and surrounding areas woven together by an incredible funny old man, whose claim to fame lies in his appearance as the health minister, in the film “The Last King of Scotland”. The dances were breathtaking, and included coming of age ceremonies, dances to express love and musical instruments expertly played from all over East Africa. The final route in was with drums the size of large sheep, balanced atop the heads of the young men (incredible impressive).
The presenter wove everything together so well bringing a refreshing comedic angle to join each dance together, drawing the audience in with funny stories anecdotes and interactions. He had a story for every nationality, and did an excellent job of humour-rising some of the Ugandan traits, which Gerald, Teddy, Jeremy and Joan all found hilarious. The words Heart, Hut, Hat and Hurt are all pronounced the same with the Ugandan accent!
It costs just 30,000 UGS for internationals (about £6, $10), drinks are a little pricy compared to the rest of Uganda, but for a show equal to anything you would see in the West End, you can’t miss it. More information: Ndere.com
