Coat of arms of Uganda

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Coat of arms of Uganda
Uganda Protectorate
(1914-1962)
crested crane, both proper.
CompartmentA grassy mount down the centre of which flows a river, between dexter a sprig of coffee and in sinister a sprig of cotton, both leaved and fructed proper.
MottoFor God and My Country [1][2]

The coat of arms of

Governor of Uganda Walter Coutts, and formally established by law on 9 October.[3]

The shield and spears represent the willingness of the Ugandan people to defend their country. There are three images on the shield: those on top represent the waves of Lake Victoria and Lake Albert; the sun in the centre represents the many days of brilliant sunshine Uganda enjoys; and the traditional drum at the bottom is symbolic of dancing, and the summoning of people to meetings and ceremony.[1][2]

The above explanation, about the symbolism of the drum, is a distortion that came about after the bloody 1966 national crisis when the Prime Minister of the day,

Toro, and the Principality of Busoga, turning Uganda into a republic and making Milton Obote president with unlimited executive powers.[3]

Before Obote's rule, the drum was symbolic of royalty and the authority of Uganda's kings. On a related note, the kings of Uganda were the first to use the traditional lentil shaped African shield in their heraldic arms.[3]

The shield is flanked on the

national bird of Uganda. On the right is the Ugandan kob (Kobus kob thomasi), a subspecies of kob that here represents abundant wildlife.[1][2]

The shield stands on a green mound, representing fertile land, and directly above a representation of the

River Nile. Two main cash crops, coffee and cotton, flank the river. At the bottom is the national motto: "For God and My Country".[1][2]

Blazon

For arms, sable upon the fess point a sun in his splendour and in base a Uganda drum gold the skin and guy-ropes argent, a chief barry wavy of six azure and argent; behind the shield two Uganda spears of estate crossed in saltire proper; and upon a compartment representing a grassy mound down the centre of which flows a river between in dexter a sprig of coffee and in sinister a sprig of cotton, both leaved and fructed proper, for supporters, on the dexter side a male Uganda kob proper and on the sinister side a crested crane likewise proper; together with this motto, FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Parliament of Uganda. "The Parliament Building". www.parliament.go.ug. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Uganda High Commission. "Uganda Coat of Arms". www.ugandahighcommission.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Hubert de Vries. "Uganda". www.hubert-herald.nl. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  4. ^ The National Flag and Armorial Ensigns Act
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