All roads today lead to the Mayor’s Parlour at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) where the sixth national heritage awards ceremony will be held.
The event is organized by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC) and the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU).
Every 2-3 years, the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) recognizes individuals, families and organizations for their outstanding contribution to preserving and promoting our heritage – whether built, natural or intangible — through Heritage Awards.
“The major objective of the heritage awards is to provide a missing incentive – social recognition, publicity, and a small cash contribution, and to underscore the urgency of heritage protection in the country. The awards therefore aim to promote the benefits of cultural heritage conservation by highlighting good practice conservation examples, as well as offering the owners or guardians of our cultural heritage recognition of their invaluable work,” said Barbra Babweteera, the executive director of CCFU.
Ahead of the awards CCFU in conjunction with the UNCC organised an exhibition to showcase Uganda’s rich heritage. The exhibition drew several exhibitors and members of the public eager to learn about Uganda’s diverse cultural heritage.
Different organizations exhibited items ranging from hand-woven baskets to guards to mats to storage baskets. Others like Ewaffe Cultural Village exhibited the traditional foods of the Baganda.
Francis Peter Ojede, the executive director of UNCC said they were happy to collaborate with CCFU to promote art and culture.
“Some of the items like the millet grinding stone remind me of my mother, my grandmother and other women when I was growing up,” Ojede said. “When a young woman got married they would gift you with millet and you to find a grinding stone. Today’s children don’t know how millet is made.”
Simon Musaasizi, CCFU’s programme manager for Heritage Trust said that the exhibition had been a success and had gone far in exposing Uganda’s rich cultural heritage to the world.
