| dc.description | The art piece was done in 1989. The artist, Masembe belongs to a dominant ethnic group, in the central region of Uganda called the Baganda. He has a strong affection for his culture and considers the traditional practice of installing heirs to deceased people as one of the highly regarded customs among the Baganda People. In the foreground, he presents the heir seated on a stool in front of a traditional circular hut surrounded by the clan elders holding spears. In the Background of this work, stands a multitude of people assembled to witness the installation of the heir. On the left hand side of the painting a woman in a traditional patterned Busuuti is presented seated next to the heir. This person is called the Lubuga. The main heir, if it is a man usually has a co heir, but less dominant. This tradition has been maintained for hundreds of years in Buganda culture. The female co-heir in the Ganda tradition, is installed to remind the people the placenta in which the deceased was fed while still in the womb of the mother and which is left in the plantation after delivery. She also serves the role of being a family “wife” to the heir with responsibility of ensuring that whenever visitors come to the home of the deceased, they are taken care of in terms of feeding. In the far right hand side of the background of the painting, a house with three seated officials is presented. The presentation of these three people is significant in Ganda culture. First, three is a number which is sacred. It is a number connected to spirituality. The person in the middle is Kabaka, the remaining two, one is the kingdom prime minister and the second one the clan leader (Omukulu wakasolya). In Ganda tradition, after the heir has been installed, is introduced to the Clan head by the linage leader and the clan leader officially presents him to the Katikiro who in turn during a purposely organized official ceremony presents the heir/s to the Kabaka and request him to confirm them in their new roles. The significance of the tradition is that the installation of the heir is a responsibility taken seriously among the Baganda, and the roles of heirs are part of the Kingdoms stability. The heir performs his duties to the family on behalf of the Kabaka that why he is always the one to confirm them into their new offices. | en_US |
