Community museums teaching tradition to young people
May 25, 2019
The Community Museums have been working independently; nonetheless, from 2010, they united to form an umbrella organisation.
Young people in Uganda constitute about 78% of the total population, according to government statistics.
"But young people are spending less time with their parents in this modern era," Abraham Kitaulwa, the chairperson Uganda Community Museums Association worries.
"Some young people do not know their villages and have not met their grandparents. We are now using our community museums to bridge the gap between parents and young people by teaching them about their heritage in the face of modernity," he disclosed.
On May 18, 2019, Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Museums Day.
Organized by the International Council of Museums, International Museums Day raises awareness among people that museums are an important means of cultural exchange and development of mutual understanding.
The theme this year was "Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition".
"We have to know our history to know our future," Moses Akugizibwe, the treasurer Uganda community Museums Association has advised.
He said the community museums today are functioning as the space that combines creativity and generational knowledge to benefit the much younger people.
"Community museums have preserved our culture, and items that our ancestors used that are of use to the new and future generation," Akugizibwe said in Kampala.
"We have mobilised, developed standards, and we are currently building capacity to market these museums, train curators and executives on how to manage the museums at different levels," he said.
However, that will need about sh100m for the next two to three years, according to Akugizibwe who is also the coordinator Centre for Africa Development Studies at Mountains of the Moons University.
The Community Museums have been working independently; nonetheless, from 2010, they united to form an umbrella organisation.
The Uganda community Museums Association that so far has 22 members plans to document information for the museums and also promote mobile museums, for people to get info wherever they are.
Akugizibwe disclosed Uganda community Museums plan to visit schools, and hold exhibitions. He also stated that Uganda is transforming to a tourism economy.
"To sell our country we must show what we have in terms of our history and preservation. Currently, we are transforming community museums to go beyond local operations, to a national and global setup," he explained.