The State minister for Tourism, Mr Martin Mugarra (2nd left) and a team from Ministry of Tourism receive the container with the cultural artifacts, which were repatriated to Uganda from the United Kingdom, at Entebbe Airport at the weekend. PHOTO/PETER SSERUGO
At least 39 cultural heritage artifacts have been repatriated to Uganda from the United Kingdom (UK) based Cambridge University, where they have been kept for more than 100 years.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, which received the artifacts at the weekend, the repatriated items were taken from Uganda by the colonialists between the 1890s and early 1900s.
They include a Bunyoro cultural drum, which is said to have been exported to the UK in the 1920s.
Other items include a headdress made of human hair acquired from Lango in 1937, decorated pots from Ankole acquired in the 1920s, and a Lubaale vessel from Buganda acquired in 1907.
While receiving the artifacts at the Entebbe airport on Saturday, the state minister for Tourism, Mr Martin Mugarra, said this marks the beginning of the processes in which hundreds of Ugandan cultural artifacts, which are still housed in the UK, will be returned to the country.
“We are grateful to the British government for their collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism. It has not been easy because these people have been holding onto these artifacts for over 100 years,” Mr Mugarra said.
He added that an arrangement will be made to return the artifacts to the respective kingdoms.
The acting commissioner in charge of museums and monuments at the Tourism ministry, Ms Jackline Nyiracyiza, said the arrangements for the repatriation of the artifacts started in 2018.
“The Ministry of Tourism together with the University of Michigan began a project in 2018. As we discussed how best we can reposition the Uganda museum, we got an idea of repatriating the objects,” Ms Nyiracyiza said.
She added that in 2022, a team from the Uganda Museum visited the University of Cambridge to examine and assess the status of Uganda’s objects in the UK.
With support from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, several researches were done and a consensus was reached between Uganda and the University of Cambridge to return the artifacts.
Ms Nyiracyiza said the Andrew Mellon Foundation injected $100,000 (Shs377m) to repatriate the relics.
What next
Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Cambridge University are expected to review the artifacts to ensure that they are in good condition today and tomorrow.
On Wednesday, the items will be taken to the Uganda Museum for official reception and public viewing. On a later date, the artifacts belonging to the Buganda Kingdom will be handed over to the Kingdom for further management and custody.
Reaction
Mr Fred Bamwesigye, the director general of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, said: “As a Ugandan I am happy that we have got our artifacts and tools that are going to be part and parcel of enriching our museums and our culture. These artifacts are going to attract tourists from abroad and as aviation, we shall be doing business.”
Prof Derek Peterson, a professor of African Studies at the University of Michigan, said: “These are very important objects that will enable Ugandan museums to tell a story of Uganda’s past. These objects must remain in the national museum in Kampala because Ugandans were colonised as black people in Uganda rather than individual tribes.”
