One of Nigeria’s major tour and travel operators, Peacock Tours and Travel Ltd, has taken a familiarisation trip to Uganda with the objective of promoting the Uganda Martyrs to the Nigerian pilgrims. The trip was hosted by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the tourism marketing agency.
Two representatives from Peacock Tours and Travel have concluded a familiarisation trip that has taken them through the Uganda Martyrs Trail in Kampala starting in Munyonyo and ending in Namugongo at the Martyrs Museum.
“This is an amazing country, and the Martyrs trail is one of its kind in Africa,” said Mr. Awolaiye Aderemi.
“This visit to Uganda is first to make sure the itinerary, packages and experiences are suitable for high end Nigerian Pilgrims, and also to agree on how we shall are to work together to promote Uganda in Nigeria.”
Peacock Travels and Tours, a subsidiary of the Peacock Group, is a high end travel company based in Nigeria with branches in the UK and South Africa. The travel company is part of the Peacock Group which is into travel, media and aviation.
Aderemi together with Emmanuel Upkong, the Consulting Editor at the Peacock Today media house, were visiting Uganda as a follow up to an earlier engagement between UTB and Nigerian tour operators in Lagos.
“The purpose of this trip is one of UTB’s strategies to promote religious tourism by international pilgrims to Uganda,” says John Ssempebwa, the UTB deputy CEO.
“From the previous tourism expo engagements, we are using our Pan African channels to showcase Uganda’s tourism. The Uganda Martyrs are a great opportunity to attract African and global pilgrims into Uganda through the year.”
The Nigerian operator’s trip to Uganda was a collaboration between UTB, the Speke Group of Companies, Asyanut Safaris and Incentives, Bic Tours, and RwandAir. While in Kampala, Peacock Tours also met with private sector tourism associations the represent the different tourism businesses and interests.
Peacock Tours is now offering Nigerians a Uganda Martyrs pilgrimage package at Naira 576,000 (Shs 5,968,000).
In 2014, the Uganda Tourism Board, the official tourism development and marketing agency, launched the Uganda Martyrs Trail.
The trail, an extra-ordinary journey of faith that literary gets you in the footsteps of the first Christian missionaries and converts as they walked through Uganda preaching, teaching, healing and transforming lives- and finally the places of their martyrdom.
Key sites in the martyrs’ trail
Mapeera site in Ssese: This is the spot where Fr. Simeon Lourdel, who was later named “Mapeera” and Brother Amans first touched Ugandan soil when they landed at the site to spend the night of 15th February 1879.
Kigungu Church, Entebbe: This is the second spot where Fr. Simeon Lourdel & Brother Amans landed on 17th February 1879 after spending a night at Bugoma, Buggala Island in Ssese, on his way to Munyonyo to meet with Kabaka Muteesa I.
Mapeera site in Kisubi: On their way to meet with King Muteesa I at Munyonyo palace, the missionaries also stayed at Kisubi, on the shores of Lake Victoria along Entebbe Road, a place the Catholic Church later revamped and established a seminary, and schools.
Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine, Munyonyo: In the same area where Kabaka Muteesa I had his palace lies the Munyonyo Martyrs’’ Shrine. This is the place where the missionaries met with the Kabaka who had earlier on written a letter to Queen Victoria of UK in 1876 inviting Christians to the Buganda Kingdom. It was at Munyonyo that Kabaka Mwanga took the decision to put Christians to death. The current church and a monument were inaugurated by Pope Francis on 27th November 2015 on his first visit to Uganda.
Mackay Cave in Nateete: Alexander Murdoch Mackay was a Presbyterian missionary to Uganda and one of the pioneer Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society who reached Uganda in 1878. Mackay, fondly known as Muzungu wa Kazi (white man of work), taught various skills to the people including carpentry and farming.
Mackay constructed a cave in Nateete as a hiding place when the Kabaka started persecuting Christians. It is also in this cave that Mackay is believed to have translated the gospel of Matthew into Luganda.
Busega Martyrs’ Church: Mackay’s cave was not secure for long and after some time, the Kabaka’s men finally found the Christians and executed them at the location of this current church.
Rubaga Catholic and Namirembe Anglican Cathedrals: Visiting both the Catholic Cathedral on Rubaga hill and the Anglican Cathedral on Namirembe hill shall provide you with the best knowledge, feel and experience of how the death of the Uganda Martyrs bred an everlasting spirit in the lives of the people of Uganda.
St. Mathias Mulumba in Old Kampala: In Old Kampala, the former trading capital of Kampala City, a church was built on the actual site of the martyrdom of St. Mathias Mulumba, 50, the oldest of the Uganda Martyrs. He was killed when he failed to endure the distance to Namugongo after being tortured. He was hacked by machetes and left to die, enduring an agony that lasted for several days.
St. Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe (Owino): A walk of about half a mile down Mengo Hill runs River Nakivubo, and the spot where Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe was beheaded, thrown onto a heap of burning firewood and burnt.
The martyr was the head of the Catholic Church in the absence of the Catholic Missionaries and a leader of all Christians. Joseph’s shrine is today surrounded by one of the largest markets in East Africa, St. Balikuddembe better known as Owino Market.
Uganda Martyrs’ Museum, and Shrine: The climax of the large scale persecution of Christians ended with executions at Namugongo. Today at the same place where they were tortured for days before being torched, lies the Uganda
Martyrs Museum: The museum, which lies on the Anglican premises, is the resting place of the Martyrs’ ashes.
Catholic Shrine: On the Catholic side is the Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine of unique construction with 22 pillars each representing one of the Catholic saints.
Three popes, Paul VI in 1969, John Paul II in 1993 and Pope Francis in 2015 have visited the Uganda to commemorate the Uganda Martyrs. These are among many other international dignitaries that have taken the pilgrimage to Namugongo.