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MBARARA, Uganda -- At least once a week, Girino Ndyanabo's family converges around a pit in which bananas have been left to ripen. The bananas are peeled and thrown into a wooden vat carved like a boat, and the patriarch steps in with bare feet.
MBARARA, Uganda -- At least once a week, Girino Ndyanabo's family converges around a pit in which bananas have been left to ripen. The bananas are peeled and thrown into a wooden vat carved like a boat, and the patriarch steps in with bare feet.
Tonto is a legendary traditional drink in Uganda. But the fermented banana juice is under threat as authorities move to regulate the production of what are considered illicit home brews. The drink is popular among many Ugandans ranging from officials in suits to laborers in sandals. Politicians take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies terminate at dusk with tonto parties. The AP spoke to a family that's been brewing tonto for decades about the pressures that also include inflation and changing cultivation choices.
Tonto is a legendary traditional drink in Uganda. But the fermented banana juice is under threat as authorities move to regulate the production of what are considered illicit home brews. The drink is popular among many Ugandans ranging from officials in suits to laborers in sandals. Politicians take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies terminate at dusk with tonto parties. The AP spoke to a family that's been brewing tonto for decades about the pressures that also include inflation and changing cultivation choices.
A bill in the national assembly seeking to regulate the production and sale of alcohol would criminalize the activities of home brewers of tonto, along with other traditional brews made across this East African country.