The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda-IRCU has established a partnership with the Buganda kingdom’s cultural leaders to harness interventions that strengthen the values of humanity and sustainable development in families.
IRCU entered into a formal collaboration with the council of clan leaders in the Buganda Kingdom, to jointly use their respective influences to champion values of humanity and economic empowerment among communities they control.
The partnership came after a four-day retreat at Maria Flo Hotel in Masaka City, in which the religious and 52 clan leaders of Buganda agreed on eight action points that will see them work in unison for a common good despite the underlying divergences in ideologies.
In a joint statement read by Monsignor Charles Kasibante, the former Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, the leaders observed a need to jointly work towards bringing up a generation that is nurtured with acceptable morals that are built from a strong foundation of families.
He indicated that they re-examined their respective roles in nurturing responsible human beings, as well as reflecting on their weaknesses that have given room for unacceptable habits to root in society, hence agreeing on common approaches to counteract the challenges that affect humanity.
Besides nurturing morals, the leaders also agreed to jointly use their cultural and religious clout to promote dialogue and unity among their followers, as a way of building harmony and sustainable peace in the country.
Msgr. Kasibante says that the established partnership is going to help them better understand each other, to avoid situations of building unnecessary tensions that usually present with dire effects to their subjects.
Augustine Kizito Mutumba, the Chairperson of the Council of Buganda Clan leaders indicates that although culture and religion have much in common, they have been at conflicting terms based on wrong perceptions, hence leaving a gap that has given chance to unacceptable habits to thrive.
He says the partnership is going to bring them closer, to complement and better understand each other, which will eventually enable them to have a common voice towards building proper values of humanity for the betterment of society.
The Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga appreciates the partnership as a new foundation towards strengthening society morals, as well as correcting the historical disputes that were created by ambiguities left behind by the different cultural and religious teachings.
He says that they intend to use the joint partnership as an avenue towards solving the potentials of social-economic transformation among the subjects.
The established partnership is an initiative spearheaded by the Buganda Queen Mother Sylvia Naginda through the Nabagereka Development Foundation; as one of the interventions to promote positive cultural values with contemporary ones towards addressing development challenges
