Uganda Martyrs day celebration is held every third June at Uganda martyrs’ shrine in Namugongo, Kampala-Uganda. It is declared a public day in the country.  The shrines are located 15 kilometers East of Kampala City off Jinja, Namugongo. Prior, it was a place of execution of all people who dedicated severe offences within the Kingdom of Buganda. It is at this place where Christians where burnt on 3rd June, 1886 Namugongo and ever since then, it has steadily taken on the image of attraction as a place of pilgrimage, as God simultaneously has honored them before Believers.

It gives chance to millions of people the world over, near and from far, to partake a pilgrimage to this holly land- Namugongo Martyrs Shrine. The shrine is to a greater extent catholic based dedicated to the Martyrs of Uganda who shed their blood because of the Christian faith. The Shrine is well known for its lovely and unique inner and outside. The construction of this shrine began in 1967 though it was completed and officially opened by Papal envoy, His Eminence Sergio Cardinal Pignedoli on 3rd June 1975.

During this time, the Uganda Martyrs’ day celebrations begin with a tour to various parts of the country especially in places where different Martyrs were either born or killed. These celebrations are mostly attended by travelers from adjacent countries including; Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and from some other continents.

Many of these pilgrims, young and old, walk miles and miles from their home areas up to Namugongo as a sign of honor to the Martyrs who shed their blood for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pilgrims also spend weeks on this long journey trying to invoke the Uganda Martyrs to intercede for them in overcoming their problems. These, indeed have often testified Martyrs’ positive reaction to their prayers as they get salvaged from their bonds.

In preparation for Uganda Martyrs Day, do not only pilgrims or faithful flock to the place, business people as well come to Namugongo in big numbers to sell foodstuffs and other merchandise to fellow business people and to pilgrims. This makes the numbers shoot high not only at Namugongo but even in the neighboring trading centres.

The peak is the celebrations of a Pontifical High Mass on 3rd June. The ritual celebrations are organized by various dioceses, year after the other. The celebrations Mass begins at 10 (East African Standard Time) with processions accompanied by liturgical dances organized by the leading diocese. Important persons from Uganda government, embassies and other countries usually attend the celebrations. The security is always beefed up by police and the army. This makes the celebrations very peaceful despite the big numbers (millions) that turn up for the celebrations.

There is an interesting lake at the site. This brings back the memories of the work executed by St. Charles Lwanga when he was still a side. In fact many pilgrimages pilgrims have often drawn water from this lake and later given testimonies about this water healing them of various diseases.  There is a nice Pavilion in the lake .This grass thatched pavilion, also in circular form like the Shrine is supported by 4 pillars and can accommodate more than 300 priests and a number of bishops that turn for the High Mass on Martyrs Day.

Uganda Tourism Board exhibited at the Catholic shrine at the delegates. Registration point, exhibiting and distributing the Martyrs Trail brochures, Uganda Tourism Board DVDs and brochures. Over 2500 international delegates from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, United States of America, United Kingdom, Kenya and Tanzania attended the function.

A new crop of animators and cartoonists in Africa are sparing no effort to put the continent on the map when it comes to the genre. From Ghana, to Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, animators are proving that we don’t need to rely on external content for entertainment and education.

One Ugandan animation studio has now also joined the queue. Creatures Animation Studio is set to release a high quality animated short film made by Ugandans and for Ugandans.

The short film “A kalabanda Ate My Homework”, is a tale of a boy and his encounter with a Kakalabanda (a mythical creature that is said to haunt schools in Uganda) bringing a ridiculous twist to the infamous excuse “the dog ate my homework“.

Tendo, a pupil shows up to class one day without homework – claiming that a “Kalabanda” ate it. Who’d believe such a lame excuse? No-one! How will Tendo prove his story? And does this mythical creature really exist? All these questions are what to be answered when you get to watch the short film after it’s premiere.

On coming up with the idea of animation and A kalabanda Ate My Homework.

When Raymond Malinga decided to quit his well paying job in Malaysia two years ago and come back to Uganda, he knew that there was no turning back. His dream has always been to setup up an Animation company that employs local artists and focuses on making local content aimed at exporting our experiences beyond our borders in new and interesting ways”

“I quit my job in Malaysia to come back and start an animation company that will develop Ugandan animation films. Uganda, East Africa and Africa are blessed with a rich culture,experiences  and stories that have the potential to translate into impactful entertainment” Raymond explains.

In 2015, he started Creatures Animations Studio that is based in Kampala. The studio is now home to 8 animators who have been working hard to produce their first ever project- A kalabanda Ate My Homework.

The characters behind the voices are familiar ones that Ugandans- the target audience, will relate to. The main character voices are; Rising media personality Martha “Kay” Kagimba known for her viral Range Rover video, comedian Patrick “Salvado” Idringi, comedian Omara Daniel and upcoming children’s book author Faith Kisa .

Coming up with the film has not been an easy journey. Works started in 2015 and since the skill of animation remains unchartered  to many, a lot of time was put into mastering the script, training the voicing characters and also setting up a fully fledged team capable of building and developing future project. which is typical of a growing initiative.

Beyond A kalabanda Ate My Homework

The team plans on creating many more animated projects to serve the content needs of Ugandans.”We are planning on developing TV animated shows and feature films in the future and are determined to have them see the light of day.” Raymond says.

Raymond believes in sharing of knowledge and experiences and that is why he is training more young people to become animators to create a multiplier effect that will see the rise of an animation Industry in the country and the region.

“Our aim is to recruit as many animators as possible. We have schools teaching animations but students don’t have where to go after. Creatures Animation Studio is positioning itself as a destination for aspiring animators as a relevant employment platform” Raymond explains.

On the state and feature of animations in Uganda

Raymond believes the only challenge that is limiting the jump start of the animation innovations is lack of teams. Most animation projects require a lot of labour (teams) and creating a successful one very difficult if you’re an individual.

“The current local animation landscape is populated with good animators that can accomplish tasks only at a certain scale. Film is a collaborative effort, to pull off a project like a short film, a television show or a film in a consistent way requires a team. The more teams we get the faster the industry will grow.” Raymond emphasizes.

Raymond also teaches animation at the Artfield Institute of Design where he is training young animation talents to co-create and build a network of animators in the country.