At the TAKS Centre in Gulu, the activities differ both in what they offer and how people can take part: visitors can watch boxing, try dancing with the Solid Youth Team, and play darts with the team. Fort Patiko, with its own historical significance, lies around 30 kilometres away.
TAKS Centre: Community Art, Dance and Sport
An article from 2021 described the TAKS Centre as a community arts space and cultural meeting place in Gulu, locating it on Upper Churchill Drive in the Senior Quarters neighbourhood. The TAKS Boxing Club trains Monday to Saturday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome to watch. Members can join from the age of seven; the minimum age for sparring is eleven. Girls and boys are both welcome.
The Solid Youth Team trains Monday to Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Its dancers are at least ten years old and have different levels of experience and dance styles. Visitors can drop in and try dancing. The TAKS Darts Club is a recreational and competitive league. It trains Monday to Wednesday at 6 p.m.; visitors can play darts with the team.
The weekly schedules differ: boxing takes place six days a week, the Solid Youth Team trains on five weekdays, and darts is played on three days, Monday to Wednesday. Boxing and dance also overlap in the afternoon; darts starts at 6 p.m., while boxing training runs until 6:30 p.m. Choose an activity that suits you and confirm the training details before your visit.
The age details apply to different groups and requirements: seven is the age at which members can join the boxing club, eleven is the minimum age for sparring, and the Solid Youth Team’s dancers are at least ten years old. In 2021, the TAKS Dance Troupe held dance rehearsals every evening and practised various cultural dances. The Dance Troupe and the Solid Youth Team are separate groups; the Dance Troupe’s rehearsals are specific to 2021.
Fort Patiko: A Historic Site Near Gulu
Fort Patiko is about 30 kilometres from Gulu, in Ajulu parish, Patiko sub-county and Aswa county. It was established as a collection point for enslaved people. Sir Samuel Baker took over the fort between 1872 and 1888. It later served as the headquarters for Emin Pasha and Gordon, successive governors of the then Equatorial Province of the British Protectorate.
The parish, sub-county and county specify the location more precisely than the distance alone. The sequence of the fort’s uses is also part of its history: it was established as a collection point before later being used as a headquarters. The site thus connects the history of enslavement with the colonial administration of the then Equatorial Province.
Discover more destinations: Paraa, Nebbi, Lorengedwat, Moroto, Arua.
Back to the regional travel overview: Northern Region.
