Sarkodie Calls for Return to Authentic African Architecture After Kasubi Tombs Visit

Sarkodie has used his stop in Uganda to start a conversation about how Africans build. After touring the Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, the rapper wrote on X on Wednesday, 11 November: “I think we need to go back to authentic African architecture.”

He explained that seeing structures built centuries ago, still standing strong and, in his view, looking more beautiful than many modern buildings, was “a real wake up call”. He closed the post with: “Somewhere along the way, we lost it.” He tagged it #TheAfricanDiaries, the hashtag he has used for the whole trip.

Sarkodie at the Kasubi Tombs

The Kasubi Tombs are the royal burial grounds of the Kabakas (kings) of Buganda and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The huge thatched main house was destroyed by fire in 2010 and has since been rebuilt using traditional methods.

On Instagram, Sarkodie shared photos of himself standing in front of the thatched building. In the caption he called Uganda “a beautiful discovery”, listing Mengo Palace, the Kasubi Tombs, meeting the Princess of Buganda and spending time with the Ghetto Kids dance group. He said he saw “so many similarities with Ghana”, ending with “Different lands, one African soul!”

Earlier in the visit he met Princess Katrina Ssangalyambogo at Mengo Palace, which we reported in Sarkodie Meets Buganda Princess Katrina Ssangalyambogo at Mengo Palace.

Buganda Kingdom offers a clan totem

The Buganda Kingdom’s official X account quoted his post in Luganda, playfully asking whether they should find him a clan totem (omuziro). Sarkodie replied in Luganda too, saying he had already been given the Engabi (bushbuck) totem. According to X’s translation, he added: “Now I’m a true Muganda.” The exchange was clearly in good fun.

On Thursday morning he also thanked Buganda tourism ambassador Namatovu Swabra Kamoga, who had posted her appreciation to him for exploring the Kasubi Tombs and visiting with the princess and the Ghetto Kids.

How fans reacted

Replies under the architecture post were mostly supportive. Many Ghanaians and Ugandans agreed that modern buildings have moved away from local designs and materials. A few users teased the rapper, joking that he should start with his own house. Others pointed out that some old buildings across Africa date from the colonial era.

The African Diaries so far

The trip started in Kenya, where Sarkodie did a radio run in Nairobi (read more here), before he touched down in Uganda for the first time. When he announced the journey, he said Tanzania and Nigeria were also on the list. He has not yet confirmed when he will move on.

Keep following ghanasong.org for more updates from Sarkodie’s African Diaries.