Let me be clear: tradition and religion coexist. They are not enemies. They are parts of the same house that shelters humanity.
I will explain this house using four principles every Muganda, every African, and every human understands:
The Foundation: Tradition and Culture
No house stands without a foundation. For us as people, that foundation is tradition and culture. It is where we come from. I am a Catholic and a traditionist from Kifuuta, Kyotera, Buddu, of the Mutima Omuyanja clan. That is my foundation. It tells me who I am before any book or doctrine does. Estonia and Latvia did not develop because they were Christian or Muslim. They developed because they respected their foundation: their earth, their nature, and their people. If you despise your foundation, your house cracks.
The Superstructure: Morals and Knowledge
On that foundation, we build the walls and pillars. That is morals and knowledge. This is what holds the house up in storms. Morals tell us right from wrong. Knowledge tells us how to build better. Without morals, knowledge becomes a weapon. Without knowledge, morals become empty noise. This is where we learn to live with others.
The Roofing: Religion
The roof protects everyone inside from rain and sun. That is religion. It gives meaning, hope, and order. Your roof may be Catholic. Your neighbor’s may be Muslim. Another’s may be African spirituality. The rain falls on all of us the same. I don’t argue about anyone’s religion. Jaajja Zaidi Luswata and Mustafa Kakeeto never asked me to leave my Catholic Church. My late Kojja BMK gave me a wristwatch and a rosary, not the Quran. That was respect under one roof.
The Finishes: Behavior and Character
A house can have a strong foundation, walls, and roof, but if the finishes are poor, no one wants to live in it. Finishes are behavior and character. It is how you greet people. How you keep friends. It was not Ali Ssekatawa who stopped me from eating pork in my house. It was respect for our friendship. That is character. That is the finish that makes a house a home.
One Compound, Many Houses
Our Kabaka is the epitome of the Baganda. The respect, homage, and reverence he commands were sent by God, and all gods know him. Why? Because he understands this house. He does not force everyone to pray the same way, but he protects the foundation of Buganda for all of us.
So here is how we live together in one compound:
- Dig your foundation deep: Know your clan. Know your tradition. A person who knows where he comes from will not mock where you come from.
- Build strong walls together: Share morals. Share knowledge. Estonia built schools and trusted each other before they built churches and mosques.
- Respect every roof: You don’t have to sleep under my religion. Don’t poke holes in mine. The sun and rain don’t choose religions.
- Polish your finishes daily: Your character is what your children, your neighbors, and your country see. Be the kind of person others want to live next to.
Tradition grounds you. Morals raise you. Religion covers you. Character defines you.
I will not drop my rosary. You don’t have to drop your book. But we will honor our friendship, our clans, our Kabaka, and our country. Because we are not just building houses. We are building a nation. And a nation that knows its foundation, respects its roofing, and finishes itself with character will never fall.
That is non-negotiable. Let's leave God to handle the gods. Kifuuta Kibanda Kiterede, clan Omutima Omuyanja.
