The Tales behind Lake Bunyonyi's punishment Island! - Uganda Safari News

Many of us were punished during our childhood and we literally thought, they were the worst punishments! Safari Uganda to Lake Bunyonyi Uganda's Akampene Island, take a boat ride, visit it and listen to the stories about this punishment Island. The history of Akampene of Lake Bunyonyi masks a dark and painful past making it a key tourist destination. In fact, of all the 29 islands in Lake Bunyonyi, the Punishment island is the most visited on by tourists on safaris to Uganda. The islands around it are far busier, with houses, tourist comfort resorts such as those that litter the entire lake and thriving trees. 

The Akampene Punishment Island

Akampene Island, found in the center of lake Bunyonyi, is large enough for the lonely tree that grows there. From the Bunyonyi overland resort pier, it takes a ride of about 20 minutes in a motorized boat running at a slow speed to get to the island. Some tourists on Uganda adventure safaris to Lake Bunyonyi, prefer paddling their way in locally dugout canoes. 

In the old traditional Bakiga society, a young woman could only get pregnant after marriage. Marrying off a virgin daughter meant receiving a bride price, mostly paid with livestock. An unmarried pregnant girl was seen as not only bringing shame to the family but robbing it of much needed wealth. Families used to rid themselves of the "shame" by dumping pregnant girls on Akampene punishment Island, leaving them to die.

Most people at the time especially girls did not know how to swim. So, if a young woman was dumped on the island, she had two options; jump into the water and drown or wait to die from the cold and hunger.


Another way the girl would survive was that a passing canoeist would stop by the island and rescue the girl there. This rescuer would take the girl as his own wife. Because dowry was expensive then, men and girls would find themselves in unlikely romance developing between the gratefully rescued girl and the gallant rescuer. This was regarded as “getting a free wife”, because the man would not have to pay any bride price for her. This was the most common event, and there are women still alive today who were rescued in this way and they have happy families.

However, Akampene island itself is dying out because the lake is eroding it away from underneath, and this is what killed the trees that existed there. Their roots do not find soil anymore, so in the future, there may not be any Punishment Island any more. But there will still be that the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. Take a Uganda safari before it diminishes.      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHERE CAN YOU FIND & SEE GORILLAS IN UGANDA AFRICA?

Image
Uganda has only two national parks where one can see gorillas i.e Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and this is where g orilla trekking in Uganda is done to search and find  the rear endangered Mountain Gorillas . With about 1063 mountain gorillas that still exist on earth today, Uganda is home to more than half of all these endangered Great Apes making it one of the only 3 countries in the world where mountain gorillas live and Uganda gorilla tours are only done in there two national parks. Uganda has 20 gorilla families that have been habituated and already set for tourism purposes , 19 of which are tracked/found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only 1 is found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one  of the places where you can see Gorillas in Uganda Africa. The appropriately named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (also called “The Place of Darkness”) is the world’s premier gorilla t
Read more

Mountain Gorilla Behavior,Diet,Threats and Predators

http://www.primeugandasafaris.com/gorilla-safaris/5-days-uganda-gorilla-safari.html Behavior  Although strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle,shy ,retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous . They live in groups of 2-40 individuals, averaging about 11. Groups are led by a dominant male, the Silverback, named for the silvery gray hairs that grow when the male matures. The Silverback serves as the chief leader and protector of the group, to whom all group members defer. He decides when and where to go, rest and sleep, arbitrates disputes among his family members and protects them from rival Silverbacks or human predators. Gorillas usually seeks no trouble but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened. An adult male called a silverback named for the silvery gray hairs on its back normally leads each group, serving as its chief protector and defender. Gorillas
Read more

SHELLEY’S CRIMSONWING; THE BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Image
With over 1057 species of birds, the birding safaris and tours in Uganda go beyond the ordinary. Among these species of birds, there is the eye catching Shelley’s Crimsonwing scientifically referred as Cryptospiza Shelleyi. The Shelley’s Crimsonwing is categorized among the estrildid finch species thrives in closed canopy moist forests, close to water valley bottoms, low secondary growth at the edges of forests, glades and forest clearings marked by extensive herbs, moorland and Bamboo thickets. The birders on Uganda safaris can explore the Shelley Crimsonwing in the Mountains of the Albertine rift valley including Rwenzori Mountains. This Species stretch to other famous parts in the region including the Virunga Mountains, the Kahuzi Biega Mountain, Itombwe Mountain as explored on Congo Safaris and tours and Nyungwe Forest National Park and Gishwati Mukura National Park as explored on Safaris in Rwanda . Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the south west of Uganda is
Read more