Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fredrick Nsibambi

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fredrick Nsibambi

Published in Advances in Sciences and Humanities (Volume 8, Issue 1)

Received: 29 October 2021 Accepted: 4 February 2022 Published: 18 March 2022

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Abstract

Uganda’s cultural heritage includes artistic and cultural expressions such as languages and literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and handicrafts, indigenous knowledge, cultural beliefs, traditions and values, cultural sites, museums, monuments and antiquities. Some of these cultural heritage aspects are man-made while others are natural. Our cultural heritage is important for both sociocultural and educational purposes. It promotes tourism and consequently, creates employment for people. The natural aspects of our heritage have been known to enhance the protection of the environment through indigenous knowledge (discussed in the later sections). The museums, especially community museums, for instance, have made an effort to engage young people through cultural heritage clubs, which are more than 150 across Uganda. The museums have also contributed to the safeguarding of unique and threatened aspects of Uganda’s heritage. Sites and monuments, including historic buildings, are important in preserving and showcasing our collective memory as a country and tell our journeys in terms of social life, governance and administration. Despite its importance, our cultural heritage is usually not adequately supported, maintained, or documented, and people’s awareness of its value is still alarmingly low. At the turn of 2020, Uganda just like other countries in the world was hit by the Coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic), which virtually brought all aspects of life to a standstill. Tourism, particularly cultural tourism that provides a string on which the safeguarding of cultural heritage is fastened, was severely affected, exacerbating the dire situation that the cultural heritage industry was in before the pandemic. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safeguarding of Uganda’s cultural heritage both tangible and intangible, which includes museums, heritage sites, historic buildings on the tangible side, and the creative industries, traditional or indigenous medicines, and traditional values, on the intangible side. The paper further explores the opportunities and challenges that the pandemic poses to the protection and promotion of our heritage industry.

Published in	Advances in Sciences and Humanities (Volume 8, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15
Page(s)	22-26
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

COVID-19 Pandemic, Cultural Heritage Safeguarding, Creative/Cultural Industries, Museums, Opportunities & Challenges

References

[1]	Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (2006). The Uganda National Culture Policy, 2-7.
[2]	Uganda Community Museums Association (2021). Community museums safeguarding Uganda’s intangible cultural heritage, 3-17.
[3]	The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (2015). A Journey through Kampala’s History (map).
[4]	Nsibambi. F. (2016). The Emerging Role of Community Museums in Uganda: The Need for Capacity Building Among Managers, 125 -129.
[5]	UNESCO (2020). Museums around the world in the face of COVID-19, 4-30.
[6]	Ministry of Works and Transport (2021). Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for movement of vehicles during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
[7]	Europa Nostra (2020). Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Heritage.
[8]	New Vision newspaper. "Kampala through the eyes of 1945 German architect" new vision.co.ug, 24 April 2013.
[9]	International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (2020). Protecting Cultural Heritage during COVID-19.
[10]	Maluleka K, Wilkinson A, Gumbo M (2006) The relevance of indigenous technology in curriculum 2005/RNCS with special reference to the technology learning area. South Afr J Educ 26 (4): 501–513.
[11]	Gupta S, Radhakrishnan A, Raharja-Liu P, Lin G, Steinmetz LM, Gagneur J, et al. (2015) Temporal Expression Profiling Identifies Pathways Mediating Effect of Causal Variant on Phenotype. PLoS Genet 11 (6): e1005195. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005195.
[12]	Ramose MB (2004) In search of an African identity. South Afr J Educ 18 (3): 138–160.
[13]	Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (2014). Report on the mapping of culture and creative industries in Uganda, 10-35.
[14]	Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (2015). National Action Plan on Culture and Creative Industries of Uganda, 1-4.
[15]	UNESCO (2014). Mapping of culture and creative industries.
[16]	UNDP (2015). Sustainable Development Goals.

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Fredrick Nsibambi. (2022). Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Advances in Sciences and Humanities, 8(1), 22-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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Fredrick Nsibambi. Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Adv. Sci. Humanit. 2022, 8(1), 22-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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AMA Style

Fredrick Nsibambi. Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Adv Sci Humanit. 2022;8(1):22-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15,
  author = {Fredrick Nsibambi},
  title = {Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic},
  journal = {Advances in Sciences and Humanities},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {22-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ash.20220801.15},
  abstract = {Uganda’s cultural heritage includes artistic and cultural expressions such as languages and literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and handicrafts, indigenous knowledge, cultural beliefs, traditions and values, cultural sites, museums, monuments and antiquities. Some of these cultural heritage aspects are man-made while others are natural. Our cultural heritage is important for both sociocultural and educational purposes. It promotes tourism and consequently, creates employment for people. The natural aspects of our heritage have been known to enhance the protection of the environment through indigenous knowledge (discussed in the later sections). The museums, especially community museums, for instance, have made an effort to engage young people through cultural heritage clubs, which are more than 150 across Uganda. The museums have also contributed to the safeguarding of unique and threatened aspects of Uganda’s heritage. Sites and monuments, including historic buildings, are important in preserving and showcasing our collective memory as a country and tell our journeys in terms of social life, governance and administration. Despite its importance, our cultural heritage is usually not adequately supported, maintained, or documented, and people’s awareness of its value is still alarmingly low. At the turn of 2020, Uganda just like other countries in the world was hit by the Coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic), which virtually brought all aspects of life to a standstill. Tourism, particularly cultural tourism that provides a string on which the safeguarding of cultural heritage is fastened, was severely affected, exacerbating the dire situation that the cultural heritage industry was in before the pandemic. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safeguarding of Uganda’s cultural heritage both tangible and intangible, which includes museums, heritage sites, historic buildings on the tangible side, and the creative industries, traditional or indigenous medicines, and traditional values, on the intangible side. The paper further explores the opportunities and challenges that the pandemic poses to the protection and promotion of our heritage industry.},
 year = {2022}
}

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Author Information

Fredrick Nsibambi

The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda, Kampala, Uganda

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APA Style

Fredrick Nsibambi. (2022). Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Advances in Sciences and Humanities, 8(1), 22-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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ACS Style

Fredrick Nsibambi. Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Adv. Sci. Humanit. 2022, 8(1), 22-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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AMA Style

Fredrick Nsibambi. Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Adv Sci Humanit. 2022;8(1):22-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15,
  author = {Fredrick Nsibambi},
  title = {Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic},
  journal = {Advances in Sciences and Humanities},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {22-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ash.20220801.15},
  abstract = {Uganda’s cultural heritage includes artistic and cultural expressions such as languages and literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and handicrafts, indigenous knowledge, cultural beliefs, traditions and values, cultural sites, museums, monuments and antiquities. Some of these cultural heritage aspects are man-made while others are natural. Our cultural heritage is important for both sociocultural and educational purposes. It promotes tourism and consequently, creates employment for people. The natural aspects of our heritage have been known to enhance the protection of the environment through indigenous knowledge (discussed in the later sections). The museums, especially community museums, for instance, have made an effort to engage young people through cultural heritage clubs, which are more than 150 across Uganda. The museums have also contributed to the safeguarding of unique and threatened aspects of Uganda’s heritage. Sites and monuments, including historic buildings, are important in preserving and showcasing our collective memory as a country and tell our journeys in terms of social life, governance and administration. Despite its importance, our cultural heritage is usually not adequately supported, maintained, or documented, and people’s awareness of its value is still alarmingly low. At the turn of 2020, Uganda just like other countries in the world was hit by the Coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic), which virtually brought all aspects of life to a standstill. Tourism, particularly cultural tourism that provides a string on which the safeguarding of cultural heritage is fastened, was severely affected, exacerbating the dire situation that the cultural heritage industry was in before the pandemic. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safeguarding of Uganda’s cultural heritage both tangible and intangible, which includes museums, heritage sites, historic buildings on the tangible side, and the creative industries, traditional or indigenous medicines, and traditional values, on the intangible side. The paper further explores the opportunities and challenges that the pandemic poses to the protection and promotion of our heritage industry.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Safeguarding Uganda’s Cultural Heritage: An Inquiry into the Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU  - Fredrick Nsibambi
Y1  - 2022/03/18
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15
T2  - Advances in Sciences and Humanities
JF  - Advances in Sciences and Humanities
JO  - Advances in Sciences and Humanities
SP  - 22
EP  - 26
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-0984
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20220801.15
AB  - Uganda’s cultural heritage includes artistic and cultural expressions such as languages and literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and handicrafts, indigenous knowledge, cultural beliefs, traditions and values, cultural sites, museums, monuments and antiquities. Some of these cultural heritage aspects are man-made while others are natural. Our cultural heritage is important for both sociocultural and educational purposes. It promotes tourism and consequently, creates employment for people. The natural aspects of our heritage have been known to enhance the protection of the environment through indigenous knowledge (discussed in the later sections). The museums, especially community museums, for instance, have made an effort to engage young people through cultural heritage clubs, which are more than 150 across Uganda. The museums have also contributed to the safeguarding of unique and threatened aspects of Uganda’s heritage. Sites and monuments, including historic buildings, are important in preserving and showcasing our collective memory as a country and tell our journeys in terms of social life, governance and administration. Despite its importance, our cultural heritage is usually not adequately supported, maintained, or documented, and people’s awareness of its value is still alarmingly low. At the turn of 2020, Uganda just like other countries in the world was hit by the Coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic), which virtually brought all aspects of life to a standstill. Tourism, particularly cultural tourism that provides a string on which the safeguarding of cultural heritage is fastened, was severely affected, exacerbating the dire situation that the cultural heritage industry was in before the pandemic. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safeguarding of Uganda’s cultural heritage both tangible and intangible, which includes museums, heritage sites, historic buildings on the tangible side, and the creative industries, traditional or indigenous medicines, and traditional values, on the intangible side. The paper further explores the opportunities and challenges that the pandemic poses to the protection and promotion of our heritage industry.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

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