Along Gayaza Road, two banana trees stand in isolation at different points. The first is in Mpererwe at the turnoff to Kawempe. The tree stubbornly stands unusually amid a stone slab that forms part of the design of the road. For a while, I wondered, why the tree was not slashed out as is usually the case whenever road construction is taking place. The other is at the boda-boda stage in the Kasangati trading centre. The banana tree stands lonely at a dusty crowded part of the road in this dry area and for a while, I wondered how this thirsty mess could be the place of growth for the banana tree. So I set out to understand more about the cultural phenomenon of the banana stem and why we insist on it as a culture.
This banana tree is not just another ordinary tree. It is symbolic of life sustenance. Traditionally, every homestead in Buganda had a banana plantation and its fruit, Matooke is the main staple food among the Baganda. The dish enjoys the privilege of being referred to as emere which means food. In the Buganda context, there is no emere should the meal exclude the serving of matooke.
The kitooke, the Ganda name for a banana tree, is also symbolic of a gross act by someone. One of the worst acts of life is felling down a banana plantation olusuku, for one to carry such an act out is considered to be hatred. The underlying thought here is that one wishes others to die of hunger. Should one survive a life-threatening incident it is claimed that the person “planted a banana stem” (asimbye yo e kitooke). It is alleged the near-death experience warranted the digging of one’s grave therefore in exchange for cheating death, a Banana sucker is planted in mock of death and to celebrate life
In 2011, when the Kabaka of Buganda visited the Kyadondo Saza Grounds at Kasangati local residents befittingly went out of their way to have décor of all sorts lining the roads in welcome. Unlike many of the modern events lately, the Kabaka’s visit maintained the use of greenery as decoration. A key item used as a gesture of welcome was Banana stems which were lined up on either side of the road. From afar, it always looks like a green avenue. Banana stems have slim petite bodies that embody different shades of green increasingly more beautiful with distance. This idea is a tradition in Buganda traceable to the 1800s.
Margaret Trowell writes in her book African Tapestry, about one of their staff at Mulago who always took it upon themself to have this kind of décor done for them.
“…should we go away our return is celebrated by the decoration of the garden. At intervals up the drive, young banana shoots are stuck in to form a ceremonial approach, and large holes are made in the lawn to support shoots to which he ties tight little bunches of flowers cut within a few inches of their heads.”
With the passing of time as the world of decorations improved, the stem would be pinned with colourful flowers to add bloom to the entire beauty. The flowers were not necessarily about the scent since the suckers were (still are) planted in a distant place.
Flowers were not evident enough to bring out the beauty. Synthetic decorations like white (toilet) tissue was rolled around the neck of the stem-like a scarf out at play waltzing in obedience to the direction of the wind at the junction of the little shoots and buds. This made for good high table décor.
Then came the era of balloons. They, like tissue paper, occupied the same space. They came dangling down in the bosom of the stem.
However, more often than not, the idea of planting a banana stem is a landmark. Often, after the celebration is done no one goes back to uproot the stem. Should the conditions be favourable, the stems soon grow into a banana tree that bears fruit, matooke, the staple food.
Today, on your way to a kwanjula or burial ceremony, you will find a banana stem stoically standing by the roadside well tucked in the ground with a ribbon around its neck. It comes off as a bowtie tightly fixed in the neck of its wearer giving you direction to where you are going.
Circumstance and time might have changed several things but one thing is for certain, the impact of a banana stem is still here to stay.
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