Western Ugandan Culture

For travellers, on the face of it, Western Ugandan culture is very conservative with traditional values and a religious conviction deeply embedded into its very essence. We write "on the face of it" because, despite its purported religious culture, many of the locals will steal from each other (even friends) without any regard to those religious beliefs, and often the villagers show little compassion to others in need. That's not to say it's a "bad" community, just one whose will to survive often overshadows its more spiritual aspirations! However, that conservatism does extend to seeing women as subordinate to men and a clear expectation that all women, whether they be locals or outsiders such as volunteers or tourists, will wear appropriate dress, such as ensuring skirts and shorts are at least knee-length and generally take their cue from men. Women are also advised to wear other clothes that do not reveal too much flesh! If not doing so, you may not only offend the older generation but also inadvertently give out the wrong messages to local male youths, many of whom already believe that "western girls" are easy. Is this pandering to what is called a sexist culture? That's your call, but this is the culture in Uganda, and you are the visitor there, so if it's not something you can tolerate, best not visit.

You may also be surprised how tactile people are in Uganda and, in a country where homosexuality is illegal, its very common to see adult men walking together hand in hand in public. This is just a sign of friendship and respect, nothing more. Being friendly communities, you will often get invited into family homes. It's both etiquette (and expected) that you will remove your shoes before you do so, and having sat through the endless photo albums (one for each person in the household), you may be offered refreshments ranging from cut pineapple or mango to local porridge.