Prime
Uganda reclaims 39 artefacts from Cambridge University
Human hair headdress from Lango is one of the 39 Artefacts reclaimed from Cambridge University. Photo | URN
What you need to know:
- The artefacts, collected by British colonial administrators and anthropologists over a century ago, include human remains, a headdress made of human hair, and beautifully decorated pots.
Uganda has successfully reclaimed 39 artefacts from Cambridge University, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to repatriate its cultural heritage.
The artefacts, collected by British colonial administrators and anthropologists over a century ago, include human remains, a headdress made of human hair, and beautifully decorated pots.
"While receiving these artefacts, we are reclaiming our history and cultural heritage," said Martin Mugarra, State Minister for Tourism.
"We are committed to reclaiming all artefacts taken from Uganda by colonial administrators between the mid-1800s and 1900s."
The artefacts which belong to Buganda, Lango, Bunyoro, and Ankole, among others, will be used to further enrich the country’s cultural history and heritage.
Ms Jackline Nyiracyiza, Commissioner for Museums and Monuments, noted that the process of returning these artefacts began in 2019 but was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She emphasized that Cambridge University still holds many Ugandan artefacts, and the returned artefacts will be used to enrich the country's cultural history and heritage.
“The returned artefacts include five human remains of the Balongo (Sacred Twins) vessel acquired from Buganda in 1907 and these will be returned to Wamala tombs where they were picked from,” she said.
Mr Derrick Peterson, a history professor from the University of Michigan, praised the repatriation effort, stating that these artefacts will help the Uganda Museum tell a more concrete Ugandan cultural history story, unlike the present narrative designed by a colonial mindset.
“They ended up in Cambridge, because all the ways of life, all the religions, had been devalued, and collectors like John Roscoe, could go around and acquire extraordinarily important items and take them off to Cambridge where they became part of the museum's collections. Returning them is a way of honouring a past that Ugandans have lost but need to remember, and bring people’s lives back in the focus, and recover.”
This is the second time Uganda is receiving its cultural heritage artefacts from Cambridge. The first return occurred in July 1962, during the independence celebrations when the Kibuuka Omubaale regalia were repatriated. The Kibuuka showcase at the Uganda Museum is one of the centerpiece artefacts of the museum exhibits.
The return of these artefacts cost USD 100,000, funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, which supported research and transportation. The artefacts will be analyzed, exhibited, and eventually returned to their communities of origin, honouring Uganda's past and cultural heritage.
