The Dragon Boat Festival 2018 will take place on June 16 at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe, and is set to attract more tourists from China.
During the launch of the second edition of the festival in Uganda, which took place at Arirang Hotel in Kampala, China’s Ambassador to Uganda, Zheng ZhuQiang said he was happy that dragon boat culture was being embraced in Uganda, reports New Vision.
According to ZhuQiang, the dragon boat festivals take place in China and other parts of the world every year between May and June.
State Minister for Tourism in Uganda, Godfrey Kiwanda, said the country was fortunate to have many bodies of fresh water where the dragon boat races could take place and that Kabaka’s Lake would be ideal for boat racing.
“Kabaka’s Lake is within the city and it could attract many visitors if it is used for sports tourism. When I was in Malaysia, I was driven for 300 kilometres to go and see a fresh water body and there were many people there,” commented Kiwanda, adding: “Uganda has so many lakes and rivers that can be visited by tourists.”
Kiwanda hopes the festival will attract more tourists from China and enable the country to reach its target of attracting four million visitors per annum.
Currently, Uganda receives an estimated 1 320 000 visitors per year.
The Dragon Boat Festival started over 2 000 years ago in China and was intended to commemorate a patriotic poet, Qu Yuan. The festival has grown into one of the most important traditional festivals in China.
Chairman of the organising committee for the Dragon Boat Festival, Vincent Musubire, said there would be a variety of activities during the festival, such as a cultural trade expo, cultural games involving martial arts, kite shows, tug rope competitions, cultural dance competitions, as well as a variety of cultural cuisine on offer and more.
He added that there would be competitive boating races conducted in teams.
Benon Mugarura, Chairman of China Africa Friendship Association of Uganda said the mission of the organisation was to carry out activities that benefited China and Uganda’s private sector in people-to-people trade, business investments, cultural and social interests.
“Through this festival we hope to go a long way to promoting friendship and cultural exchanges between China and Uganda,” concluded Mugarura.
