Blacksmiths in Kabale district want the government to recognize them in a bid to enhance tourism in the country.
Known to be practiced in Bikoora parish, Kitumba Sub County, Ndorwa West County, blacksmiths make various projects. With the use of indigenous technology of lighting fire on charcoal, and heating metallic objects, blacksmiths bend and cut heated metallic objects using the hammer and produce various objects such as knives, axes, hoes, pangas, saucepans, and spears among others.
The whole process takes several hours to allow objects to get wholly heated making them easy to mend and cut. However, blacksmiths say despite the technology introduced by their ancestors even before the colonial error, it is facing extinction due to competition by the modernized industrial revolution.
They say once, the government takes an interest in preserving it under tourism heritage, it will generate income for both locals and the government and education purposes. Moses Kasingu, one of the blacksmiths from Hamuganda village in Bukoora parish says that he has spent about 10 years in blacksmithing activity. Kasingu says that it is his dream and wish that the government considers their activity as a tourism heritage site so that the world recognizes that it still exists in Uganda.
He says that once their activity is a tourism heritage site, prices of their products can increase from current prices of between 5000-30,000 Shillings to more than 100,000 Shillings.
Hilary Mackinnon Bahati, another blacksmith from Bukoora parish says that because their activity is not valued by the government, their products are still sold locally in western Uganda. He says that the government categorizing their activity under tourism heritage will attract foreign tourists to come to Uganda.
David Kwesiga Bahati, Ndorwa West County Member of Parliament and also the Minister of State of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives says that he has already tabled the request before the government for consideration since their blacksmithing activity also makes a positive cultural significance.
Bahati also says that under “Small-scale industries,” the government will also look into measures of advancing technology to produce products.
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