“Faith · Hope · Restoration”
04 Ekisaakaate Boston
Ekisaakaate Boston brought young people together to learn through play, cooking, dance, music, teamwork, and shared culture. Across four colour teams, campers made friends, tried new things, and filled Singing Hills with energy.
Camp life, from the first frame
The young people did not only sit and listen. They cooked, danced, raced, cheered, performed, and learned from one another throughout the gathering.
About the gathering
The programme brought together campers, parents, organizers, cultural leaders, and invited guests. Through formal ceremonies, conversation, team activities, music, dance, and a closing dinner, young people were encouraged to understand their heritage and practise values that can guide them at home and in community.
The camp provided an outdoor setting where young people, families, leaders, and guests could gather for the programme.
Her Royal Highness formally opened the gathering and spent time with the young participants and the wider community.
Participants were organized into four colour teams that learned, performed, and took part in the day together.
Families, leaders, and guests gathered for dinner and the recognition of participants at the end of the programme.
The tradition behind the camp
In old Buganda, an ekisaakaate was a compound fenced with papyrus reeds where the young were gathered and taught by the Kabaka's chiefs. It was a place where leadership, etiquette, practical skill and moral responsibility were formed together.
The practice faded after the kingdoms were abolished in 1966, and was revived in 2007 by Her Royal Highness the Nnaabagereka, Queen of Buganda, as a holiday programme for children aged six to eighteen. Its enduring principle is simple: identity becomes meaningful when young people are given the language, practice and responsibility to live it.
Ekisaakaate Boston adapted that tradition for children and families living far from Buganda. It gave young people a place to ask questions, learn directly from cultural leaders, and practise aspects of their heritage within the community where they are growing up.
The opening
The day opened on the field: anthems sung beside the flags of Buganda and Uganda, campers assembled in their team colours, and welcome addresses delivered before the gathered community. From the arrival ceremony to conversation with leaders, the day placed youth formation at the centre.
The keynote
During the keynote address, Her Royal Highness spoke to the young people gathered in the hall. Her message connected respect for culture with personal character and encouraged campers to carry those values into the places where they live, learn, and grow.
Proverbs 22:6The fun of the enclosure
Character formation at Ekisaakaate happened through play as much as through instruction. The lake, the slides, and the field games gave the four teams room to compete, cheer, and simply be young together — and Her Royal Highness joined them right in the middle of it.
Music and cultural performance
The programme included Baakisimba dance, singing, a live band, and choreographed group performances. These activities gave the young people an opportunity to participate in cultural practice together and share their work with families and guests.
A royal tribute
We respectfully commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the coronation of His Majesty Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and honour his service to the Kingdom of Buganda.
We also honour Her Majesty the Nnaabagereka, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, who formally opened Ekisaakaate Boston and spent time encouraging its young participants.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace.”Numbers 6:24–26
What the programme encouraged
The camp connected teaching with participation. These four areas help explain what young people were invited to practise through the routines, conversations, and cultural activities.
Moral discipline
Campers took part in formations, anthems, group activities, and moments of instruction. These routines asked them to listen, wait for one another, follow guidance, and take responsibility for how they participated.
What this encouraged: Timekeeping, self-control, and respect for other people
Character development
The programme created opportunities for campers to speak, ask questions, and receive guidance. Conversations with elders, leaders, and Her Royal Highness connected values such as honesty, humility, and responsibility with choices young people make in ordinary life.
What this encouraged: A willingness to receive guidance and act responsibly
Cultural values
Campers did more than hear descriptions of Kiganda culture. They took part in music and dance, wore traditional dress, and learned through shared activities. Participation gave them a personal experience of practices that are important to their families and heritage.
What this encouraged: Greater confidence in practising and sharing their culture
Heritage
For young people growing up away from Buganda, heritage can sometimes feel distant. The flags, language, stories, royal tradition, and presence of the wider community helped make that heritage more immediate and easier to understand.
What this encouraged: A stronger understanding of the history and community connected to their identity
The teams
Campers were organized into red, blue, green, and yellow teams. The team structure gave them a smaller group for activities, shared responsibilities, encouragement, and photographs during the wider programme.
The closing ceremony
The programme concluded at Boston Marriott Newton, where campers, families, leaders, and guests gathered around dinner tables. Participants who performed especially well were called forward and recognized, giving the community an opportunity to affirm their effort, discipline, and participation.
A distinguished guest
The closing gathering also welcomed a visiting Princess. She addressed the youth directly as campers, families and leaders came together for the final evening.
Her attendance became part of a ceremony centred on the young people: what they had learned, the community gathered around them and the recognition of participants who performed especially well.
Families and community
Three views of the ballroom show the scale of the evening: young people at the centre, with families, organisers and community leaders gathered around them.
People who shared the occasion
The ceremony brought together ministry leadership, civic guests, parents and campers. Awards recognised effort; the signed board preserved what the young people wanted to remember.
After the programme
Ekisaakaate Boston gave young people time to learn and participate together, but character is formed over time. HESM hopes campers will continue showing respect, accepting responsibility, understanding their heritage, and applying what they learned at home, at school, and in their communities.
