The Luganda Society is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

dedicated to the teaching and promotion of the

Luganda language The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...

Founding

The Luganda Society was established in 1950 through the efforts of Michael B. Nsimbi, known as “The Father of

Ganda Ganda may refer to: Places * Ganda, Angola * Ganda, Tibet, China * Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in Belgium Other uses * Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda ** Luganda or Ganda language, a language of Uganda * ''Ganda'' and "Ga ...

literature.” Observing the detrimental effects of colonialism on

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

society and culture, and the neglect and loss of local customs, language and culture, Nsimbi joined with other likeminded nationals to form the society, with the key goals of preserving, popularising and promoting the use of Luganda to both

Baganda The Ganda people, or Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are official ...

and non-Baganda.

Society Aims

Since its establishment the specific aims of the Society have been: * To promote proper use of the Luganda language and popularize Luganda literature * To promote proper Luganda orthography among both Baganda and non-Baganda * To promote research about Luganda words and idioms * To encourage translation of foreign language literature into Luganda * To organize Luganda language courses and competitions in schools * To organize festivals highlighting the local language and culture through music and drama

Achievements

The Luganda Society became a catalyst for inspiring and resourcing a number of writers in the Luganda language, including Solomon Mpalanyi, Phoebe Mukasa, Hugo Ssematimba, C. Kalinda, Dr. Livingstone Walusimbi and Michael B. Nsimbi himself. In 1958 the society began a regular program on

Radio Uganda Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) is the public broadcaster network of Uganda. It was founded as a result of the "Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2004", which merged the operations of Uganda Television (UTV) and Radio Uganda. It started ...

to promote teaching and learning of Luganda and various aspects of Buganda's culture, and organise on-air Luganda language competitions. In 1959 the society began organising competitions in schools, and in 1965 began offering scholarships to the best students in Luganda, known today as the ''Dr. Nsimbi Scholarship Scheme''. In 1963 the society organized the first Pageant of Uganda, a cultural festival held at Uganda's National Theater in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, highlighting Uganda's many cultures. The Society eventually gained government recognition for their cause, and from the 1970s worked together to produce a Luganda language curriculum at

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, the country's only university at the time, in 1976. Nsimbi and fellow Society member Dr. Livingstone Walusimbi were instrumental in this process, which also saw the creation of a high school curriculum in 1979, and a curriculum for the National Teachers' Colleges in 1984. The Society also worked to establish the Luganda Teachers Association in 1988, and a curriculum for Teacher Training Colleges in 1994.

Chairpersons of Luganda Society

* Prince Earnest Kayima Mpadwa, 1950 - 1953 ( Ssaabalangira at the time) * J.S. Kasirye, 1953 - 1953 * Princess Irene Ndagire, 1953 - 1963 ( Nnaalinya at the time) * Dr. Michael B. Nsimbi, 1963 - 1987 * Dr. Livingstone Walusimbi, 1987 - * Mr. Arthur Bagunywa -

References

{{Reflist * Buganda.com
The Luganda Society
Cultural organisations based in Uganda Education in Uganda Language advocacy organizations