Conserve our cultural sites

As Uganda and the rest of the world marked the International Museums Day on Friday—a day closely linked to the preservation of cultural heritage, it emerged that encroachers are threatening one of this country’s revered archeological relics. People have taken to cultivating crops and quarrying on land belonging to Nyero Rock Paintings thus threatening the very existence of this tourist site.

The rock paintings, located in Kumi District- eastern Uganda, is an internationally recongised heritage site. It symbolises a unique history and is said to have been home to the early Iron Age inhabitants of Teso sub-region and bears imprints of the ancient people’s settlement. There are rock paintings on three caves with drawings representing various things, all of which are now being destroyed. It is unfortunate that the very people who should be preserving this rare site are instead carrying out detrimental activities that destroy it.

Though there have been efforts to save Nyero Rock Paintings in the past-- three years ago, Kumi District Council passed a resolution banning stone quarrying and cultivation at the surrounding of Nyero Rock Paintings-- it is clear, from the ongoing human activity at the site, that the authorities have failed to control the encroachers who are destroying a national treasure.

This story speaks a lot about our collective attitude as a nation towards our heritage and general lack of interest in local tourism, a sector that would, if promoted, give this country’s economy a huge boost. Even the Uganda Museum, the centre to showcase our cultural heritage, is under-funded and largely neglected.

In fact, plans are underway to demolish it (and move the exhibitions to another place) to give way for the construction of a multi-million dollar office block, a move conservationists are challenging.

How then do we ensure that our history does not disappear completely? As part of the Ug@50 series to mark 50 years of Independence, this newspaper is running, among other things, our cultural sites and historic places. These are not just stories to feel newspaper pages; we are profiling our history as part of a bigger effort to preserve these important sites.

We urge all Ugandans to play their part in preserving our heritage: Government, local leaders and every citizen. Destroying our heritage denies the future generation an opportunity to know this country’s unique heritage.