Ex-premier Amama to hand daughter to Ramaphosa son
Bridget Birungi and Andile Ramaphosa. COURTESY PHOTO
Former prime minister Amama Mbabazi is set to give away his daughter Bridget Birungi to Andile Ramaphosa, 36, the first-born son of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The ceremony will take place at Mr Mbabazi’s home in the leafy and breezy environs of one of Kampala’s posh neighbourhoods - Kololo.
By press time, Mr Ramaphosa was confirmed to be jetting in for the marriage ceremony. Andile’s mother, Hope Ramaphosa, was already in the country and enjoying the company of her in-laws.
By Thursday, Mr Mbabazi’s home was a beehive of activity as staff of the production house Events Warehouse were in constant motion to make sure that all was up to required standard to host guests for the Kuhingira (traditional marriage) today.
There will be screens to broadcast the ceremony to guests from different points of the venue. Tents are erected too; one main one to host guests and two others where the media will be working as it reports on the event.
Mr Mbabazi was in a cheerful mood and so were the family members as they hosted friends and members of the organising committee to finalise plans for D-day.
Coverage
Selected media was invited on Thursday to receive instruction in a dry run of what is expected of them on the wedding day.
Photography and videography spots were identified and the media is expected to arrive by midday in time to witness guests begin to arrive for the function.
All is expected to go well for the marriage ceremony of Andile Ramaphosa and Bridget Birungi.
An up-close and personal interaction with the couple reveals lovers as natural as the average ones come, with no pomp or airs that their family background would allow them.
They are a jolly duo who freely express their love for music and afford you the pleasure of humming out a few lines. From this newspaper’s exclusive love story of the couple that was published on Thursday, readers appreciated revelations from the experiences that drew the couple close.
For Ramaphosa, in Birungi, he found a best friend he can trust his secrets with.
A cultural celebration
Just like the Mbabazi family communication liaison attaché, Ms Maggie Lukowe implored the media, the marriage deserves to be celebrated beyond underlining the political identities the two draw as children of renowned politicians and political figures in the respective countries of Uganda and South Africa.
Visibly, every effort has been pulled to keep the celebration of the union to remain as natural as the culture from the two worlds from which they hail; the Venda of South Africa and the Bakiga of south western Uganda.
For the guests today, the similarities that identify the traditions of both Ramaphosa and Birungi will strike a chord, particularly in the gifts that will be presented to the bride, proof of crosscutting African symbolism and identity right from the south to the east end of Africa.
Owing to the fact that the wedding will be graced by President Museveni, President Ramaphosa, among other dignitaries, security is expected to be tight, and hopefully polite.
