Gen David Sejusa has raised concerns over what he described as the gradual erosion of Uganda’s cultural identity, warning that local languages, traditions and long-standing cultural practices could disappear if communities fail to protect and pass them on to younger generations.
Sejusa made the remarks during the recent burial of Lay Canon Christopher Kabirisi, where he used the occasion to reflect on the future of culture in Uganda, particularly in Ankole.
He warned that the Runyankore language and other aspects of Ankore culture could face serious decline within the coming decades unless deliberate measures are taken to preserve them.
Sejusa said that within a relatively short period, the cultural identity of the Banyankore could be severely weakened, leaving younger generations increasingly disconnected from their traditional heritage.
He illustrated his concerns by recounting an experience involving an interracial marriage, which he said demonstrated how foreign cultural practices are increasingly becoming part of Ugandan family life.
According to Sejusa, a friend named George had married a Korean woman. He recalled sitting with the groom at the high table during the wedding reception when waiters brought them a meal he was unfamiliar with.
“I asked someone what it was, and it turned out it was dog meat sizzling on the plate,” he said.
Sejusa said he immediately informed his friend about what he was about to eat.
“I told George, ‘I am about to eat a dog right now.’ He stepped out, I think to puke. But by the time he came back, I had eaten mine.”
He said the incident was an example of how cultural practices from different parts of the world can become intertwined with Ugandan families through marriages and other forms of social interaction.
“That is because these are the marriages our children are having,” he added.
Sejusa argued that communities need stronger and more organised cultural institutions if Uganda is to preserve its indigenous identities amid changing social practices.
He specifically appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to consider restoring a traditional leadership structure in Ankole, saying such an institution could provide an organised framework for protecting the region’s culture.
“Perhaps the President could consider reviving our lost Nkore kingdom or chiefdoms, but there must be some organisation,” he said.
Ankole is among Uganda’s major pre-colonial cultural regions whose traditional kingdom has not been restored. Attempts to revive the institution have historically generated political and cultural disagreements, particularly over leadership and the role such an institution should play in modern Uganda.
Sejusa also expressed concern about the future of Runyankore, warning that failure to deliberately teach the language to children could eventually lead to its disappearance from everyday life.
“If we remain like this, in 30 years, there will not be a single Munyakore who speaks Runyankore in this land. God help us figure this out,” he said.
Beyond language and traditional leadership, Sejusa also criticised what he described as changing attitudes toward funerals in Uganda.
He argued that some Ugandans are increasingly treating funerals primarily as celebrations of the lives of the deceased, rather than as occasions when families and communities are given space to openly express grief.
“People no longer weep for the dead. When Christianity came, it transformed us, but it killed something else,” Sejusa said.
He maintained that celebrating the life and achievements of a deceased person should not eliminate the traditional expression of sorrow during burial ceremonies.
- According to him, the celebration of a person’s life can take place after burial, while the funeral itself should remain a moment for relatives and friends to mourn.
“When an old man like this dies, people dress well and call it a celebration. But the celebration should come afterwards, not at the funeral. At the funeral, there should be weeping,” he said.
Sejusa further recalled traditional mourning practices in which bereaved relatives and mourners shaved their heads and tore their clothes to publicly demonstrate their grief.
He argued that the adoption of Christianity should not necessarily mean abandoning every traditional practice associated with mourning.
To support his argument, Sejusa referred to the biblical account of Jesus Christ weeping following the death of Lazarus, saying the scripture itself demonstrates that openly expressing grief is not incompatible with Christian faith.
His remarks have renewed discussion about the future of Uganda’s indigenous languages, cultural institutions and traditional practices at a time when younger generations are increasingly exposed to global cultures through education, technology, migration, intermarriage and social media.
For Sejusa, preserving cultural identity requires deliberate action rather than simply assuming that traditions and languages will naturally survive from one generation to another.
