Kulyennyingi, by M.B. Nsimbi, Chapter 2, Part 1

In this passage, Nsimbi compares the anarchy of the Amin years to that of the years of Mwanga II's reign (1864-1888).

Lumiramwenge's children started school and reached adolescence when the manners of the old world and the traditional religion were radically changed. The traditional religion and the old world manners had greatly helped people to behave well. At the time they came to be despised and degraded, people had not yet fully grasped the new good religions of the foreigners, and they commenced to behave in whatever ways they liked, as though they had been released from rope knots which had prevented them from doing whatever they liked. Now, long ago it was a startling thing to see a person beating his mother or father. A thief was a detested. When it was determined that a person was a thief, the people of his clan did not like it when he approached them and they would not go to his home. The murderer was shunned and the slasher [?] rejected by all. Thieves and murderers were forced to run from their villages where they had built homes and wander like beggars throughout the land, because people of good manners could not bear to be their neighbors. People even feared to eat criminals' food as they believed that doing so would lead to death and murder [?]
The lubaale spirits too did not tolerate thieves. Mukasa, spirit of the lake, in particular hated them. Thus, on the Ssese islands, there were no thieves, and even the thieves on the coast of Lake Nalubaale feared to go steal at Sssese. The shrines were not stolen from and were looked after out of decency. These were purified places where people could go to worship Kawamigero [God] in their own way, as they knew how. It was the French-sponsored priests under Kabaka Mwanga II who were the first to despise and blaspheme against the traditional religion and old manners of the land. Listen to these songs that they sang praising their own power and courage in pillaging things from the clan heads and shrines of their own land!

Long ago they said to us
At Bukeerere do not plunder
We did not plunder the fat goats,
We encouraged nine people [?]
For us, hurry, he dies
Hurry, he sickens
Hurry, he moans

Another of their songs:

Drive away the clan heads.
A clan head does not eat his goat
We left him the stake [to which the goat was tied]
The child Ndikumulaga at Bukoto
He beats the court
[So that it visibly faces] Mmengo
When I look at Mmengo
And the power and the [piling up]
And I turn my gaze
To look at Kivumagana at Kamuli

[According to J.A. Rowe, "Besides being robbed, the old-guard chiefs were insulted and even made to sit in the mud by the Christian officer Ndikumulaga, who was in charge of digging the Kabaka's new bathing pond. Someone's well-placed bullet cut short Ndikumulaga's arrogant exactions, but the general high-handed behavious of the young favourites continued." (Rowe 1964, 70)]

This was a period for Kulyennyingi and his brothers and sisters during which many people grow up a lot but continue to be stubborn. Like many children they did not fear anything or listen to their parents or other grownups. Many grownups too were not listening much more to those who were supposed to lead or manage them at home or work. Many children at school developed a habit of not listening to their teachers and okubbaŋŋana [?]. Rebelliousness brought forth malice in many people, some of whom started to hire people to kill their bosses, and also started to falsely accuse their bosses of crimes in order to soil their reputations or drive them away from work, so that they were unable to do good things. Grownup people in these years began to be despised and slandered and left helpless in their troubles. It was said all the time that "Old man, you are unable" and old men too were exposed to much slander, and the things they were able to do [?] failed them [?]

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CHAPTER 2

Abaana ba Lumiramwenge we baatandikira okusoma n'okuvubuka ng'empisa z'ensi ez'edda n'eddiini ey'obuwangwa bikyuuse nnyo. Eddiini ey'obuwangwa n'empisa z'ensi byayambanga nnyo abantu okuyisa obulungi. Bwe byamala okunyoomebwa n'okufeebezebwa abantu abaali batannaba kukwata bulungi diini zaabwe empya n'empisa z'abagwira ennungi baatandika okweyisa nga bwe baagala, nga bali ng'abasumuluddwa ku miguwa egyabagaananga okukola buli kye baagala. Kale edda kyabanga kyebonere okulaba omuntu akuba nnyina oba kitaawe. Omubbi naye yakyayibwanga nnyo. Omuntu bwe yakakasibwanga nga mubbi ng'ab'ekika kye tebakyayagala abeesembereze era nga nabo tebakyagenda wuwe. Omussi w'abantu eyafuukiranga ddala omutemu naye yakyayibwanga abantu bonna. Ababbi n'abatemu baawalirizibwanga okudduka ku byalo kwe baabanga bazimbye ne bagenda nga babungeeta mu nsi anti ng'abantu ab'empisa ennungi tebakyayagala kubeeriraaanya. Ate abantu baatyanga nnyo okulya ebibbe nga balowooza nti biyinza okuvaako olumbe ne lubatta.
Baalubaale nabo tebayaagalanga babbi. Mukasa alinga ye yasinganga okubakyawa. E Ssese kyewaavanga wataba babbi, anti nga n'ababbi abaabanga ku lukalu lw'ennyanja Nalubaale baatyanga okugenda okubba e Ssese. Amasabo tegabbibwangamu era tegaakolerwangamu bya nsonyi. Byali bifo bitukuvu abantu mwe baagendanga okusinza Kawamigero mu ngeri yabwe gye baali bamanyi. Abapere b'oke Mwanga II be baasokera ddala okunyooma n'okuvvoola ennyo eddiini y'obuwangwa n'empisa z'ensi ez'edda. Wulira enyimba ze baayimbanga nga beetenda amaanyi n'obuzira olw'okunyaga ebintu ku bataka ne mu masabo g'omu nsi yaabwe!

Edda baatugambanga nti
E Bukeerere tenyagwa.
Twanyagayo embuzi ensaata,
Abantu twagirya mwenda,
Ku ffenna kwabula afaako.
Ate kwabula alwala.
Era kwabula asinda.

Oluyimba lwabwe olulala:

Mwegobe Abataka.
Omutaka atalya mbuzi ye
Twamulekera nkondo.
Omwana Ndikumulaga e Bukoto
Yakuba embuga erabika
Eyolekera Mmengo
Bwe ntunuulira e Mmengo
N'ekifuba ne mbiina
Ne nkyusa amaaso
Okulaba Kivumagana e Kamuli


Ekiseera Kulyennyingi ne baganda be ne bannyina kye baakuliramu abantu bangi kye beeyongereramu ennyo okuba bamawale, ng'abato bangi tebakyatya era ngo tebakyawulira bazadde baabwe n'abantu abakulu ab'engeri endala. Abantu abakulu bangi nabo baali tebakyawulira babasinga n'ababatwala oba ababafuga mu maka ne ku mirimu. Abaana bangi ab'omu masomero beeyongera obutawulira basomesa baabwe n'okubbaŋŋana. Obujeemu bwaleeta ettima mu bantu bangi, abamu ne batandika okuguliriranga abantu okutta ababafuga ku mirimu oba okubawaayiriza emisango olw'okubanenya oba okubagoba ku mirimu nga balemeddwa okugikola obulungi. Abantu abakulu mu myaka baatandika okuvumibwa n'okunyoomebwa n'obutayambibwa mu bizibu byabwe. Okugambibwa buli kiseera nti "Muzeeyi tosobola" nabo kwabatuusa ku kwenyooma ennyo, ne bye bandisobodde okukola ne bibalema.

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Rowe, J. A. 1964. The purge of Christians at Mwanga's court: A reassessment of this episode in Buganda history. Journal of African History 5 (1): 55-72.