By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
As the world marked Food Culture Day today, Tuesday, CONSENT Uganda, a non-government organization, engaged food vendors at Mbale Central Market, the media, and the Mbale City community on how to maintain bamboo, locally known as Kamalewa, as a unique food identity of the Bamasaba worldwide.
CONSENT Uganda promotes food quality and safety in markets and other areas across the country.
While speaking during the engagement at the Northern City Division headquarters today, Agnes Kirabo, Executive Director of the Food Rights Alliance, said every tribe has indigenous foods, but many have disappeared due to modernization.
She noted that it is only the Bamasaba of Bugisu who have maintained bamboo as their distinct cultural food.
“We want bamboo not to disappear the way other cultural foods have disappeared in other tribes,” Kirabo said.
Maimuna Nakadama, Assistant Town Clerk, Northern City Division, said bamboo is one of the main foods that identify the Bamasaba and must be preserved because, worldwide, it is associated with Bugisu.
Richard Wandeba, a resident of Northern City Division, said it is now very hard to get bamboo compared to the past. He added that in the past, people used to go to Mt. Elgon National Park and collect bamboo freely, but currently the Uganda Wildlife Authority has deployed rangers who deter people from entering the park to pick bamboo.
Wandeba said the low supply of bamboo has pushed its price up. He urged government to allow the Bamasaba to access bamboo since it is their traditional food.
Edith Mandu, a bamboo seller at Mbale Central Market, explained how to prepare bamboo as a sauce. She said it should be mixed with soda ash and groundnut paste to make it delicious.
