Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Museum Day today 18th May 2023, at Kaunda grounds in Gulu City at under the theme “Museums sustainability and wellbeing” .This event was presided over by the Vice President of Uganda, escorted by Ministry of Tourism ministers, Permanent Secretary Katusiime Silver Doreen, agency and private sector partners, ministry officials, local government officials, district officials, and the general public.
Vice President Jessica Alupo, who represented H.E. President Yoweri Kagauta Museveni, hailed Uganda as a beautiful country with diverse natural and cultural heritage, inviting the local and international community to invest in it, especially in the north.
“I call upon private sector players and development partners to heavily invest in the untapped tourism potential and resources in Northern Uganda, especially in unique historical sites like Fort Patiko,Wodelai,Dufile, Lututulu, and Palabek, which will in turn boost community development,” Alupo revealed in her speech.
She noted some key tourism sites and attractions in Northern Uganda like Fort Patiko,Aruu Falls, Murchison Falls NP,Lututulu Hills, and Kabalega-Mwanga sites with rich historical and archeological information being packaged by the Uganda Museums together with development partners.
In line with this year’s theme, the Ministry has continued to urge mindset change and community involvement for heritage preservation. This is done by instilling a sense of ownership and appreciation in the public by creating space to showcase cultural diversity to the domestic and international markets. According to Katusiime Silver Doreen, as she appeared on a program hosted by Kirabo Robert on UBC, the Ministry has applicable infrastructure development plans for the major tourism attractions; however, it is constrained by the heavy budget required for both technicalities and public compensations.
Professor Catherine Odora Hopper, a Ugandan lecturer at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, says a museum is not about dead things but that they should be transformed into living spaces, adding that museums in Luo settings are participatory.
Most of Uganda’s diversity of heritage can be seen in museums. The Uganda National Museum is located on plot 5 Kira Road, Kamwokya, and is a history unit holding a range of plant and animal specimens that contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts in Uganda.
