In November last year, Kabarole Tours organised two Empaako Ceremonies for groups of visitors from Kampala and Sweden. Us volunteers were invited to receive our personal pet name as well.

An Empaako is a praise name and is seen as a positive affirmation in social interactions. It can be used as a greeting or a declaration of affection, respect, honour or love. Use of Empaako can defuse tension or anger and sends a strong message about social identity and unity, peace and reconciliation. In short, whoever has an Empaako is part of the community.

Generally, Empaako ceremonies happen 3 days after birth for girls and after four days for boys. The praise name is given at a naming ceremony performed in the home and presided over by the clan head. The paternal aunts receive the baby and examine its features. Any resemblance to existing relatives forms the basis of the choice of name. The clan head then declares the name to the child.

However, the Batooro people are a very welcoming people, so that every guest who sleeps for at least one night in the region will receive an Empaako. Usually it is friends or the people you will travel with who provide you with a name. But we got lucky. Richard Tooro, director and founder of Kabarole Tours also is the clan leader so that he can grant Empaakos to his guests.

We then prepared for the big ceremony. We invited dancers and musicians who would accompany us through the evening with traditional music. There was a big barbecue and a buffet with local foods, like matooke, millet and chapatis was offered. With the minister of culture as our guest of honour we could make sure, that the ceremony would be as official as possible.

Sophie, I and our guests from Kampala were draped in traditional dresses and after some speeches (in Uganda, there are always a lot of speeches), we were called in front individually and received our Empaako.

There are 12 different Empaako, where four of them are reserved only for men: Apuuli, Acaali, Araali, Abaala.

Okali is reserved for the King of the Batooro. The rest of the names are shared between men and women: Akiiki, Amooti, Atwooki, Abooki, Abwooli, Atenyi and Adyeri

During the assignment of your personal Empaako, you will kneel in front of the clan head who will then touch both your shoulders and award you with the name. After thanking him, you will proceed to share a meal of millet and beef stew and receive a small gift. We were gifted a key chain with our Empaako on it. During the award, the musicians will sing your Empaako, so that everyone will hear your new name.

After everyone received their personal pet name, we ate dinner together and afterwards cut the cake as a final celebration.

Empaakos are also used as a sign of respect, so that especially in Uganda where hierarchical and age structures still play a big role, people of higher rank and older age will be addressed by their Empaako. It is considered rude to call an elder by their given name.  

The transmission of Empaako through naming rituals has dropped dramatically due to a general decline in appreciation of traditional culture and the diminishing use of the language associated with the element. Therefore it is important that people like Richard (Akiiki) continue to provide these ceremonies to keep the tradition alive.

You would like to be part of an Empaako ceremony to receive your own personal pet name? Check out our Pearl of Africa tour where this is part of the itinerary or contact us to organise your own ceremony.