The word, mwenge, refers to alcohol in Buganda. In Buganda, “Mwenge Bigere” is a common drink at Kwanjulas (traditional weddings) and at lumbe’s (last funeral rites.) It goes by the acronyms of mwenge muganda, and tonto. However, this special alcohol made from a variety of bananas is not only limited to the Baganda, it spreads as far as the west.
How Mwenge Bigere is made
According to Yusuf Ntege of Busujju, Mityana district, the process of making mwenge bigere is a long one. “The mwenge is made from bananas like kisubi, ndizi, musa, kivuru, kabula and mbidde.” It is the mwenge that’s made from mbidde and kisubi that tastes best.
“For not less than 3 days, green bananas are covered with endagala (banana leaves) to enable them to ripen,” says Ntege. “Elyato (a canoe-shaped wooden trough) is used to squeeze out the juice from the bananas.” The men always used their feet during the extraction process thus the name-mwenge bigere. To make the extraction easier, spear-grass (etteete) are used to wring the bananas.
The juice is then filtered through a funnel made out of a calabash with the aid of grass before being diluted with appropriate proportions of water. “Omuwemba (sorghum) is added to the diluted juice. This broth is covered with banana leaves and stems (ebikolokomba) in a shallow but warm dug pit.” This incubation process of sorts goes on for 3 days to allow for complete fermentation.
Mwenge Bigere In Buganda Culture
According to Raymond Nsereko, a historian who now lives in United States, “Mwenge bigere is a sign of muzza nganda, it unites people in Buganda.” He adds on that, “It’s the one which gets one a wife. The introductory gift to the parents of the girl, it’s a kiggula lugyi- it opens the door for a man to be welcomed into the girl’s home.
If the recipients at the bride’s home taste it and find it of good quality, one is given credit and warmly welcome into the family. “In olden days mwenge wasn’t for sale, anyone would brew and invite everyone to come n enjoy, then discuss important issues of life,” says Nsereko. “The drinkers would simply sight the home where it was brewed and beckon the others saying- tugende ewa gundi yayisizza.” The mwenge bigere is usually drunk from small gourds referred to as endeku.
As times evolved and the mwenge bigere became an income generating activity of sorts, people began using enkatas (round-head carriers made out of banana leaves). These would be hung on a wooden stick along the path that led to the home which sold the mwenge bigere. In Nsereko’s view, the proverb: “Good Wine needs no bush” came as a result of those producing the best quality mwenge refusing to advertise themselves with the enkata.
Nsereko reaffirms the common story that the Bakisimba dance came as a result of mwenge Bigere. “Upon the discovery of the mwenge Bigere, the Kabaka took too much of it and began staggering, to avoid the embarrassment, the drummers of the Kingdom decided to follow the rhythm of his steps and the dance came to be,” explains Nsereko.
During the last funeral rights (okwabya olumbe), the drinking of the mwenge muganda by the omukeezi (an early comer) and other mourners symbolizes the defeat of death. By drinking the mwenge muganda, death is shoved out of the house and wild cheers and excitement follow.
There is also a song about Mwenge Bigere with lyrics like: “Wololo kaguteema bamwongeele ecuupa, nabulagala.” This literally means that the person who brought the bananas deserves more of the wine. All in all, mwenge Bigere for many, is a traditional liquor that surpasses all.
