The Bugisu Cultural Institution is among the traditional and cultural institutions seeking to have the Traditional and Cultural Leaders Act, Cap 242, translated into various Ugandan local languages for ease of understanding.
The Bugisu Cultural Institution is working together with the Uganda Law Reform Commission to ensure that the current law on traditional and cultural institutions is translated into the Lumasaba language.
The spokesperson of the Bugisu Cultural Institution, Steven Masiga, told The Ankole Times by telephone that he recently met with the Executive Director of the Uganda Law Reform Commission in Kampala and briefed her on the necessity of translating the Traditional and Cultural Leaders Act into several local languages to promote better understanding.
He explained that the beneficiaries of this law are community elders and members who are often encumbered by the foreign language in which many of these enabling legislations are written.
Masiga said community conflicts involving traditional and cultural institutions and leaders are partly due to a lack of understanding of the law, which is couched in a foreign language.
“What is equally critical is that the languages into which we want this Act translated are our mother languages. To us, it is a celebration of culture. If schools are teaching our language to school-going children, how can we subject our elders to read Ugandan laws in English, which is laced with ambiguities?” Masiga asked. He added that preservation of language is a constitutional directive, which is why they are pushing for translation.
The Equal Opportunities Commission agreed to explore how the translation of this important legislation can be undertaken.
“The law must be explained to our subjects in the most appropriate language they understand, including the roles of traditional leaders and their appointees,” Masiga said.
He added that fellow spokespersons of other cultural and traditional institutions have been briefed and are in agreement with this appeal.
