Museum opens in Ntungamo District

A local museum that aims to document, preserve and promote the history and local technology of the Bakiga, Banyankole, Banywaranda and Baziba of Tanzania and Burundi, has opened in Ntungamo district, courtesy of Nathan Matsiko, a prominent hotelier in Kampala. The museum, that saddles the border of Kigezi and Ankole Kingdom at Rwahi trading centre, was opened to the public last month.

Harriet Katushabe, one of the proprietors, said the centre was built to protect the rich heritage of the area for the benefit of the young generation and for tourism.

Katushabe added that the museum named, ‘the Great Lakes Museum’, will exhibit the past lifestyle and way of life of these groups. 

Katushabe inside the museum

 

“Our children should be encouraged to appreciate the past history and have a chance to see and experience how their forefathers used to live so that they can chart a way for their own future,” Katushabe said.

On the display are old household items such as cooking utensils, sleeping mats, musical instruments, hunting equipment and fighting gear used in past battles.

“On display we also have items of early modern technology such as old radios, cameras, clothes and toys manufactured in the 19th and 20th Centuries,” she said. 

All the items displayed were procured by direct purchase from the local people, especially the old people. She advised children not to destroy items that were used by their old parents as they can be useful.

George Aketch, the operations manager, said the museum is also aimed at promoting local technology that is slowly dying out, yet is still appropriate and environmentally friendly compared to the one introduced by the Europeans during the colonial times.

The museum has 25 eco-friendly cottages for accommodation.

Other facilities at the museum include a children’s playground, a conference centre and sculptures depicting Uganda’s rich history in fashion, culture, fauna and flora.

The locals around the museum have also started feeling the impact of the establishment as they sell their agricultural produce to hotel owners.