NAMUGONGO, Uganda (RNS) — Beneath the equatorial sun and a sky streaked with clouds, thousands of pilgrims move slowly toward Namugongo. Their bare feet blistered, lips murmuring prayers and hands clutching rosaries, many walk hundreds of miles toward the sacred site for Uganda’s Martyrs Day, one of the largest annual religious events in Africa.
This year, about 1 million people are expected to gather on Tuesday (June 3) to honor the 45 Christian converts — 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans — executed between 1885 and 1887 by the orders of Buganda King Mwanga II for refusing to renounce their faith.
Pilgrims — many dressed in red — come from across Uganda and neighboring countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Congo. Some walk for weeks, covering hundreds of kilometers to reach the place where the martyrs were burned or beheaded for their beliefs. Uganda’s tourism officials have said Martyrs’ Day now fuels a major religious tourism sector, generating millions annually through transportation, hospitality and trade.
“Every sore on my feet is part of my prayer,” said Brenda Wesonga, a pilgrim from Bungoma, Kenya, who walked for three weeks, covering more than 300 kilometers, or 186 miles. “We’re praying for peace, for justice in our countries …