Bell Lager, a product of Uganda Breweries Limited, is set to host the first-ever disability-inclusive festival in Uganda. Dubbed the Bell ObaFest, the festival is a celebration of East African culture through food, music, and culture with beer as a unifying factor; on 22nd October at Jahazi Pier, Munyoyo.
The Bell ObaFest has been designed to include and accommodate individuals with disabilities and other special needs – in the true spirit of diversity and inclusion, and this is being done in partnership with Light For The World – a social organisation that advocates for the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Preparations for this first-of-a-kind festival are underway after representatives from Uganda Breweries and Light For The World conducted a successful accessibility audit at the venue to map out how persons with disabilities will be fully accommodated to ensure that they enjoy the ObaFest experience with dignity.
Speaking during the accessibility audit, Musa Mwambu, the Disability Inclusion Advisor at Light for the World said, “We applaud Uganda Breweries for its commitment to championing Inclusion and Diversity across its different operations, and the Bell Obafest is a very welcome step in the right direction towards creating events and experiences that cater to persons with disabilities.”
The key aspects of the audit included wheelchair accessibility to the event venue, proper signage, allocated pathways and a designated parking area, sanitation facilities, favourable lighting, emergency exits and others to ensure complete festival accessibility to persons with disabilities.
Grace Amme, the Bell Lager Brand Manager, said, “Uganda Breweries Limited has a strong track record of celebrating and advocating for inclusion and diversity both within our organisation and through our marketing campaigns, and the Bell ObaFest is an opportunity for us to deepen the impact of these initiatives and contribute towards shaping a more inclusive society.”
She added that “Tickets are available on Flexipay by dialling *291# for Shs30,000 for the early birds and Shs50,000 at the gate. ”
The brand became the first in Uganda to roll out an inclusive advert and all ObaFest ads include a sign language interpreter to communicate to people with hearing disabilities who are often left out of mainstream communication.
The Bell ObaFest is being held under the joint East African Breweries OktobaFest experience – a beer festival spanning the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan; to uniquely celebrate regional cultural pillars like food, art, music and more.
