A hunter jumps into the air to score a point during a Quidditch practice, also known as quadball.image: AFP
Quidditch – originally from the world of Harry Potter and then renamed quadball – has taken root in a Ugandan village thanks to an enthusiastic teacher. Between banana trees and dusty fields, this unusual sport is now changing the everyday life of young people in search of new perspectives.
January 31, 2026, 7:43 p.mJanuary 31, 2026, 7:43 p.m
Julie CAPELLE – Lwengo, Uganda
A player cheers when she catches the “Golden Snitch”; Balls are thrown through raised rings. The scene could take place in the fairytale Hogwarts School, but the players compete in a Ugandan village, the unexpected African cradle of Harry Potter’s favorite sport.
The hunters and beaters, each with a broom between their legs, fight for the ball during a Quidditch game.image: AFP
The sport, which was officially renamed Quadball in 2022, was introduced in Katwadde (South West) in 2013 by John Ssentamu, a now 47-year-old teacher who discovered the adventures and saga of the famous magician when he glanced at the book of a person sitting next to him on the bus.
«I then borrowed the book from him (…). The word “Quidditch” meant nothing to me, in English or any other language. So I googled it.”
John Ssentamu talks to AFP
“And then I thought to myself, ‘Wait a minute, this is a sport,’ and then ‘Wow, that’s great!’ I think I could bring this to my community.”
In 2023, his team hosted and won the first national quadball tournament at Good Shepherd School, located in a remote agricultural region covered in banana trees. Seven players per team run around the field with sticks between their legs and try to hit a volleyball (the “Quaffle”) through rings and catch the “Golden Snitch” – a small ball attached to a neutral player.
18-year-old Trave Katumba, playing as a hunter, jumps in the air to score a point during a training session.image: AFP
Uganda now has more than 200 players, including some in the north of the country. The teacher is happy about this, but at the same time points out a lack of resources. But the introduction of the sport to the village, 135 kilometers from the Ugandan capital Kampala, has changed the lives of his community for the better, assures John Ssentamu.
translation
This text was written by our colleagues from French-speaking Switzerland and we translated it for you.
“Spectacular”
Quadball “includes all other conceivable sports (…) including netball (a type of basketball played with a smaller ball, editor’s note), football, volleyball and rugby,” he explains. The teams must be mixed, which means that the members have learned to “appreciate the role of each individual on the field”.
Quidditch has also attracted many children to school in an area where schools are difficult for many to access and education is not always a priority for families. John Ssentamu’s daughter, Vicky Edith Nabbanja, is a driver – she is responsible for defending her teammates with big balls.
The 25-year-old player says that this “spectacular” sport spread quickly in the village and “brought the youth together”. “It also allows me to get to know people from all over the world,” she emphasizes to AFP. She dreams of one day taking part in the Quadball World Championships.
In recent years, the players and those responsible for this sport have worked to ensure that it is recognized worldwide as an independent discipline.
It also attempted to distance itself from Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s comments on the rights of transgender people and her belief that biological sex is unchangeable – a view that is widely held in very conservative Uganda.
John Ssentamu emphasizes that the Ugandan team has been invited to the Quadball World Cup several times, which has been taking place since 2012. However, she was never able to take part, mainly due to lack of money. “But it is my dream to one day see a Ugandan team at the World Cup because that would be a revelation for the whole world.”
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