Uganda bans sexual funeral parties amid abuse claims

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Uganda on Monday banned an increasingly popular form of funeral celebration known as ‘disco matanga’, which authorities say leads to sexual abuse.

The all-night events, whose name means “funeral disco” in Swahili, usually involve men who pay for young women to dance to raise money for funeral costs.

They have been criticized by rights groups for leading to unwanted prostitution and sexual exploitation.

“Matanga disco is an evil dance. We have stopped it and those caught holding it will face the full force of the law,” Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba told AFP.

“Young girls are made to perform on stage in skimpy dresses and dance seductively to attract men and contribute to funeral expenses. These performances are done at night when the girls are sexually abused,” she said.

The minister said the parties originated in neighboring Kenya but were widespread in Uganda’s eastern border districts.

Kenya itself cracked down on the parties in 2018.

An official in Uganda’s eastern Namayingo district, Suleiman Walugembe Juuko, told AFP that the discos often involved heavy alcohol and drug use and often degenerated into violence.

“We have recorded two fatalities linked to Matanga discotheques – one of a young girl who was gang-raped and another of a boy who was killed in an attack while returning from the disco,” Juuko said.

“We are enforcing the ban,” he added.

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