Uganda Railway History comes alive: Photo exhibition retraces a historic route

Dec 11, 2020

“The railway has left an indelible mark, it has influenced our economy, our culture and our society.”

TOURISM

A photo exhibition at the Uganda Museum on the history of the Uganda Railways is empowering young Ugandans to understand how rail transport played a crucial role in the development of the country.

About 100 photographs and diagrams plus 40 artefacts collected from the rail networks in the country are on display to enable curious visitors to trace the history of the Uganda railway from the earliest steam locomotives to diesel trains as there are plans to introduce electric trains.

John De Coninck, Programme Advisor, Cross Cultural Foundation Uganda (CCFU) explains the history of the Uganda railways during the exhibition at the Uganda national Museum. Photos by Shamim Saad

"Our nation's history has been intertwined with the development of its railways. Whether affecting the lives of individual people, of their entire communities, of entire regions or indeed of a nation as a whole," the Executive Director and co-founder of the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) Emily Drani said.

Tags that were used during the colonial times to book a ticket

"The railway has left an indelible mark, it has influenced our economy, our culture and our society," she added at the launch of the exhibition on Tuesday (December 08, 2020) in Kampala.

Drani says the age of the train might never return to Uganda even if newlines are built and old ones rehabilitated.

"The grander of the steam trains and the steamships has gone forever."

"To save as much of the memories of Uganda in the age of the train, we need to preserve this important part of our heritage, for the sake of the next generations."

The ticket tube, it had all tickets to the different stations were passengers would pick their tickets from and get it stamped

"This is urgent because this heritage is fast disappearing, those with the memory are leaving us and artefacts are getting lost," Drani counselled.

To preserve the history of the Uganda railway, a national railway museum is to be opened early next year.

It will be located at the Jinja railway station and financed by the European Union and SOGEA, the company rehabilitating the Tororo Pakwach railway line.

It will also be co-managed by the Uganda Railways Corporation and the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda.

The Technical Adviser CCFU, John DeConinck said the national railway museum will diversify and promote tourism in Uganda.

"The Museum will provide the visitors with a unique experience in one of the oldest railway stations in the country," he added.

The photo exhibition under the theme "Our railway our history; some recollections," opened to the public on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, and will go on until December 17, 2020, and is free entry for all.