Abavandimwe Carnival Igitaramo second edition ‘loading’ as organisers tease November return

Kampala: Organisers of the Abavandimwe Carnival Igitaramo have released a teaser poster declaring the second edition “loading,” months after the inaugural festival drew thousands to Lugogo Cricket Oval and was confirmed as an annual event.

The artwork, circulating on social media, carries the title “Abavandimwe Carnival Igitaramo” and the Kinyarwanda line “Turashima Imana kandi turagushimiye” — “We praise God and we thank you.” It is branded “100% Ugandan” and shows a child in traditional dress against gold cultural motifs, with a portrait of a man in a wide-brimmed hat above the headline. No date, venue or lineup is printed on the poster.

The first Igitaramo was held on Saturday, 3 January 2026, at Lugogo Cricket Oval under the Council for Abavandimwe, chaired by Frank Gashumba. Entry was free and the dress code was white. Performers included Eddy Kenzo, Cindy Sanyu, Omega 256, Ray G, Jose Chameleone, Sheebah Karungi and Rwanda’s Inyamibwa Cultural Troupe, with gospel sets from Pastor Wilson Bugembe and Joseph Ngoma. President Yoweri Museveni sent an on-screen message thanking the community for supporting the NRM and for preserving cultural identity.

Gashumba later said the turnout had proved doubters wrong and that the carnival would return every year “to promote our culture, unity and the cultures of our fellow Ugandans.” He set the second edition for November 2026 and thanked Fenon Events, the media and the artists. New Vision reported that other Ugandan cultures also performed, a point organisers have used to frame the festival as a shared national stage rather than a closed community gathering.

The Council for Abavandimwe describes itself as an umbrella body for indigenous Banyarwanda in Uganda, listed among the country’s communities under the 1995 Constitution. Gashumba was elected its chairman in December 2024. The council has long argued that members still face questions over citizenship documents, land, business registration and public service, and has cast the carnival as both a cultural showcase and a public answer to stigma.

With November approaching and only a teaser out, followers are waiting for the date, venue and bill.

Contacts used for the first edition were 0708 500 444, 0791 777 888 and 0743 000 888.

The post Abavandimwe Carnival Igitaramo second edition ‘loading’ as organisers tease November return appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.