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US restores former slave trade hotspot
Natalie Brown. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The restoration of the centre cost $45,000 (about Shs158 million), which was a grant from the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to Uganda’s Department of Museums and Monuments.
United States Ambassador to Uganda Natalie E. Brown last Friday opened the restored former slave trading centre, Luba Thurston Fort, in Walumbe Village, Mayuge District amid fanfare.
The restoration of the centre cost $45,000 (about Shs158 million), which was a grant from the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to Uganda’s Department of Museums and Monuments.
A statement from the US Mission in Uganda said the site is important for documenting the end of the slave trade in Uganda.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Brown said the world cannot run away from the past atrocities of slave trade but must learn from the experiences of the suffering.
“We must acknowledge the pain slavery brought to communities around the globe, the continuing impact of its legacy, and take lessons from that painful history to build a better future in which all citizens enjoy equal freedoms under the law,” she said.
Ambassador Brown was joined by the minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Mr Tom Butime, local leaders and the Walumbe community at the unveiling of the Luba-Thurston Fort Memorial.
During the ceremony, the Makerere Spirituals Choir performed a series of African-American songs to celebrate the US Mission in Uganda’s observation of Black History Month.
Black History Month
Ambassador Brown said every February, the United States celebrates Black History Month to honour the achievements and contributions of African-Americans to their society, culture, and nation.
She said African-American spirituals have their roots in songs sung by enslaved people in the United States and that they helped played a key role in ending slavery.
“Honestly facing our history, including the tragedy of slavery in America, and the systemic racism that continues today is the only way we will be able to deliver on America’s promise of freedom, equality, and opportunity for all,” she said.
Bukaleba Palace and Fort Thurston are were Bishop Hannington was murdered by King Mwanga II of Buganda. It was built by the colonialists who later abandoned it in 1898 due to an outbreak of sleeping sickness.
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The place is said to have been a notorious slave trading centre for Arabs who raided the hinterlands for slave, transporting them to America and other continents.
Fort Thurston is currently surrounded by a natural forest overlooking Lake Victoria, with a vast variety of aquatic and wildlife.
