Now in the 11th year of the Global Greening Initiative, the Republic of Ireland through her Embassy in Uganda together with Uganda Tourism Board on Wednesday evening illuminated green the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe located along Masaka Road to mark the national St Patrick’s Day – a popular saint in Ireland, which takes place annually every year on 17th March.
In Uganda, this is the seventh year the Pearl of Africa has been part in the Global Greening Initiative, an annual event that witnesses over 300 famous landmarks and iconic sites across the world go green for 17th March. In the past, these have included the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids in Egypt, Table Mountain in South Africa and the Equator Monument in Uganda, The Jinja Nile Bridge among others.
Cormac Shine – Second Secretary, Ireland Embassy
This year round, the Uganda Equator monument was selected as a distinctive symbol and meeting point for the two Countries dedicated to jointly promote tourism as also, the greening event is a boost to both Uganda and Ireland’s tourism as images of the activity are shared across the world.
Second Secretary Cormac Shine shared “We are very excited to be partnering with UTB once again on the Global Greening and as well to green the Equator for the second time. “The Equator is one of Uganda’s iconic monuments and tourism landmarks and it’s an honor and privilege to shed a light on this as our sign of continued commitment towards supporting tourism in Uganda.”
Lilly Ajarova, UTB Chief Executive Officer welcomed the partnership with the Embassy of Ireland, noting “Uganda’s participation in this Irish greening initiative is part of our long working relationship with the Embassy of Ireland. The greening initiative has supported us to showcase our unique tourism attractions to the whole world. We are delighted that the Equator will once again take center stage in this greening initiative. ”She added, “We wish the Irish a great St. Patrick’s Day.”
Ajarova also quoted that, ‘’ The Republic of Ireland has been Uganda’s development partner, directly as a country but also indirectly through other entities such as the European Union where they are members.
She continued, ‘’for many years, now, Ireland has been part of Ugandans lives, especially in the tourism sector, through some of their most famous brands i.e. Guinness and Jameson Irish Whisky’’.
She concluded, ‘’The European Union, where Island is one of the 27 members, as we all know has been one of Uganda’s prominent development partners, especially in sectors such as infrastructure that are very close to the tourism sector. But more recently, in September 2020, the EU made available, a grant of Euros 6 million to aid in the recovery of the tourism sector from the effects of Covid-19’’.
The eagerness of cities and countries worldwide to take part in the ‘Global Greening’ initiative underlines the strength of the deep connection that people all over the world feel to Ireland. More than 70 million people around the world claim links to the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to connect these people, and others worldwide, with Irish culture and heritage.
What Exactly is Saint Patrick’s Day and Who is Saint Patrick?
Traditionally, Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held every 17th March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland. But in the recent past, Tourism Ireland, the Irish tourism promotion agency, has created the Global Greening Initiative to leverage the global prominence of St. Patrick’s Day to drive awareness about Ireland.
This year, Uganda is proud that the Kayabwe Equator Monument has been chosen, for the second time, to join other global iconic landmarks, such as the Sydney Opera House, in Australia and the largest fountain in the world, The Palm Fountain in Dubai, to mention just a few, to participate in this initiative.
This is over and above other famous landmarks, that include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls and the London Eye that have gone green in the previous years.
In Uganda, other icons that have previously participated in this initiative include the New Nile Bridge and the Biharwe Eclipse Monument on the outskirts of Mbarara town.
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