Browsing by Author "Kioli, Felix Ngunzo"

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A visual narrative of Batwa indigenous artifacts : an ethnography of material culture
(Machakos University Journal of Science and Technology, 2024-09) Kamugisha, Edward; Kekimuri, Joan; Kioli, Felix Ngunzo; Mutungi, Emmanuel
Material culture may cut across all items owned by people including a big assortment of tangible things like artifacts, cuisine, architecture, music, dance, folklore, religion and rituals. The Batwa lived in forests and largely depended on local technologies and traditional methods of living, and this formed their rich material culture. Citing a case of the Batwa (singular: Mutwa) on Mt Mgahinga in Kisoro, southwestern Uganda, this case study was conducted following four objectives: to identify different Batwa material culture items; analyse how they were produced; examine their functionality; and use them to inspire the execution of painterly visual narratives. The study pursued a qualitative approach, where a case study as the research design and employed ethnography as one of the research methods was used. We set out to study the Batwa living on the foothills of Mt Mgahinga and occupying two “cells” of Rukeri and Nyagakenke villages. Five men and 12 women were selected purposively and participant observation, unstructured interviews and photography were employed to capture the different activities that took place during the expedition. The findings revealed the processes behind the different items of material culture, for example, the making of fire, bows and arrows, spears, skins, bamboo containers, traditional traps and snares, and architectural designs. We also conducted discussions on the uses of each of the items. The study found that most of the Batwa material culture has been lost and most present-day Batwa have inadequate knowledge about their traditional material culture. The findings showed that this is so because the elderly Batwa that orally bear this knowledge have greatly reduced in number. Batwa have certain spiritual and religious ties with forests. It is therefore pertinent that the Government of Uganda looks into the possibility of resettling them outside the forest environment, and also benchmark to see how indigenous ethnic groups in other countries are handled.
Painting as identity reconstruction : socially concerned art and Batwa material culture
(South-North Cultural and Media Studies, 2026-08-04) Kamugisha, Edward; Kekimuri, Joan; Kioli, Felix Ngunzo
In Southwestern Uganda, material culture of the Batwa pygmies has been overtly manifested in a number of ways through painterly narratives produced by Edward Kamugisha to record images defining their collective identity. In this article, the discussion is centred on some of the striking narratives employed in the visual arts to reclaim the vanishing cultural artefacts, which are significant in the traditional way of life of the Batwa pygmies. In light of social and cultural identity of the Batwa pygmies, and of their need for survival expressed through their cultural heritage in Southwestern Uganda, a series of paintings as a form of identity reconstruction emerged through studio-investigation. Consequently, those narratives became an agency for cultural preservation. Consequently, the following questions emerge: How did the Batwa pygmies of Southwestern Uganda express their identity through material culture? How could the gap between traditional ethnography and contemporary visual arts practice be bridged? How would integrating process and artefact serve as painting reclamations? How should the material culture of the Batwa pygmies be re-imagined as socially concerned art? This article addresses those questions taking into consideration some lessons to be learned which may not be limited to Batwa pygmies of Southwestern Uganda but would inform broader conversations concerning how art would be used to address socio-cultural issues.