UHRC says planning human rights museum

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A picture is worth a thousand words, but the stories behind them risk vanishing without preservation. In Uganda, where the echoes of past injustices still reverberate through generations, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) says if we fail to protect and document our photographic archives, we risk forgetting the hard truths that built the freedoms we now take for granted.

So far, UHRC has a new five-year strategic plan, which it says is a bold and timely initiative to establish a Human Rights Museum.

More than a gallery of images, the museum is envisioned as a national resource that captures the painful, complex and courageous journey Uganda has taken to establish human rights and constitutional democracy. It is expected to serve as a living archive, making it possible for citizens, especially the younger generation, to engage with their country's past, understand the cost of their rights and learn why they must be preserved.

Uganda Human Rights Commission Director Complaints, Investigations, and Legal Services, Pauline Nansamba Mutumba representing the Chairperson of the Commission Mariam Wangadya at the exhibition on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Photo by Miriam Najjingo)

“Many of these young people were not born; they are not aware of what informed the decision of having the 1995 Constitution to guide us,” Pauline Nansamba Mutumba, UHRC’s director of complaints, investigations and legal services, says, “photographs offer a powerful way of telling these stories. They bridge generational gaps and make abstract rights tangible”.

Mutumba speaking at photo journalist Abubaker Lubowa's exhibition on behalf of commission chairperson Mariam Wangadya, on May 8, 2025, at the head offices of the Uganda Law Society in Kampala city.

Themed: Through the Lens of Truth: 12 Years on the Frontline of Power and Protest in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the exhibition enthralled those who attended. Each image printed on a back cloth was meaningful.

One of the photos was that of President Yoweri Museveni giving a high five to an old woman in 2020 as he trekked 20km in one day.

Lubowa said the photo was taken with hindsight that at one point, it would remind Ugandans how an old man could walk for long distances and still remain fit.

Nation Media Group Managing Editor, Allan Chekwech, speaking about press freedom in Uganda during the exhibition on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Photo by Miriam Najjingo)

Flash back

Uganda’s journey has been marred by civil wars, political upheavals, abductions, and widespread human rights violations. These dark chapters, while painful, shaped the national consciousness and led to the adoption of a constitution grounded in dignity, justice and accountability. But much of this history is either undocumented or scattered, held in fragile photo albums, hidden in personal collections, or slowly decaying in newspaper archives.

UHRC believes that documenting these images and the stories they tell is not just a cultural exercise, it is an act of justice. In doing so, they hope to reawaken national memory and reaffirm the importance of protecting human dignity.

Mutumba said this initiative is, especially urgent given Uganda’s demographic profile. With more than 50% of the population under the age of 18, most Ugandans were born after many of the country’s defining historical moments. Without access to vivid, contextualised records, there's a real danger that younger generations could grow up unaware of the struggles that granted them their rights or the fragility of those rights.

The proposed museum would be the first of its kind in Uganda, spotlighting both the atrocities and the triumphs that have defined the nation’s human rights landscape. Through curated photographic exhibitions, testimonies and educational programs, it would engage citizens of all ages in conversations about justice, accountability, and reconciliation.

She said it would also honour the role of photojournalists—often the silent witnesses to history—whose courage behind the lens has brought hidden truths to light. Their images, once scattered in newspapers or locked in filing cabinets, could soon find a permanent home where their impact continues to educate and inspire.

Moreover, the Human Rights Museum is not just about the past. It is about shaping the future. UHRC envisions it as a space for learning, dialogue, and empowerment, where every Ugandan can not only reflect on history but also be inspired to stand up for human rights today.

“In a world where misinformation spreads fast and history can be manipulated, visual documentation becomes a powerful tool for truth,” Mutumba said, “by preserving our photographic history, we not only protect the truth, we protect the values that hold us together as a nation”.

As Uganda anticipates this historic addition to its civic landscape, Mutumba stated, “We must treat our visual history as a national treasure. To forget is to risk repeating the past. To preserve is to educate, to honour and to defend the freedoms we now enjoy.”

Lubowa commended the sacrifice of other photojournalists like Hajarah Nalwada of Vision Group and Francis Isaano of Next Media.

“Sometimes we go on an empty stomach, yet we must deliver stories and unique photos. We risk our lives,” Lubowa said.

He called for security to protect journalists and their work from being harassed.