Between tradition and modernity: imbalu of the bamasaba and human rights discourse

Abstract

The Imbalu culture of the Bamasaba people is well known in scholarly works as a rite of passage, which involves a series of rituals that culminate into circumcision among the Bamasaba males. The cultural practice is also recognized by UNESCO under the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and protected in various Human Rights instruments as a right like article 37 of the 1995 Uganda constitution, and the United Nations’ International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The paper sets out to explore human rights abuses, embedded in culture which in some circles have called for either its abolition or modifications to suit the modern cultural trends. This enlists questions. How can Imbalu be celebrated with respect to contemporary human rights discourses? How can the cultural heritage of the Imbalu be preserved and maintained in the face of mounting pressure to change some of the cultural values of Imbalu? This paper is descriptive and analytical, based on the ongoing research study on Imbalu among the Bamasaba people of Eastern Uganda.