Uagadou School of Magic

Uagadou is the Ugandan wizarding school, located in the Mountains of the Moon in western Uganda. It is the largest of the eleven wizarding schools, accepting students from all over Africa.

Location
Visitors to the school speak of a stunning edifice carved out of the mountainside and shrouded in mist, giving it the appearance of simply floating in mid-air.

History
Uagadou was founded at least a thousand years before the lifetime of Harry Potter, making it roughly the same age as Hogwarts (perhaps even older). Although a number of smaller wizarding schools can be found throughout Africa, only Uagadou has stood the test of time and achieved an enviable international reputation.

One notable graduate of Uagadou is Babajide Akingbade, who succeeded Albus Dumbledore as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Another student from Uagadou also competed in the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship.

At an International Symposium of Animagi held in or around 2016, the Uagadou School Team attracted a lot of press when their display of synchronized transformations nearly caused a riot. Many older and more experienced witches and wizards felt threatened by teenagers who could transform at will into elephants and cheetahs, and Adrian Tutley (whose animagus form was a gerbil) lodged a formal complaint with the International Confederation of Wizards.

Reputation
Uagadou students are famously skilled in Astronomy, Alchemy, and Self-Transfiguration. Wands are primarily a European invention, and although African wizards have adopted them as useful tools, Uagadou students prefer and are able to cast spells simply by pointing their fingers or through other types of hand gestures. This technique gives them a sturdy line of defense when accused of breaking the International Statute of Secrecy.

Recruitment
Students receive notice of their acceptance to Uagadou through Dream Messengers sent by the headmaster or headmistress of the day. The Dream Messenger appears to the child as they sleep and will leave a token, usually an inscribed stone, to be found in the child's hand upon waking. Uagadou is the only school that employs this method of student notification.

Subjects

 * Astronomy: Astronomy is one of the subjects taught at Uagadou. Uagadou students have a reputation for being skilled in astronomy.
 * Alchemy: Alchemy is another subject taught at Uagadou. Uagadou students have a reputation for being skilled in alchemy as well.
 * Transfiguration: Transfiguration is a subject held at Uagadou. Uagadou students have a reputation for being skilled in self-transfiguration.

Known students

 * Potions champion
 * Babajide Akingbade (graduated)
 * Uagadou School Team

Etymology and Pronunciation

 * The pronunciation of Uagadou is " Wag - a -doo".
 * Uagadou may be a variant spelling of Ouagadou, a commune in southwestern Mali, or Wagadu, a name for the Ghana Empire, which was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. It is also possible that it is derived from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.