The Uganda-Banyarwanda Trust plans to build a cultural centre worth 6bn Ugandan shillings to preserve the heritage of the Banyarwanda community in Uganda.
The trust says the money will come from Banyarwanda communities and businesspeople. The plan was launched at a prayer breakfast at Mestil Hotel in Kampala.
Speaking to journalists, the trust’s chairman, Gad Gasatura, said the centre would keep historical materials in one place. It would also give young people a chance to learn from elders and cultural practitioners.
“Our ambition is to build a cultural landmark that presents our heritage to future generations,” he said.
The trust’s patron, Justice Allan Paul Nshimye Mbabazi, the resident judge of Mbarara, said the centre was meant to restore the community’s heritage in Uganda.
“It will be a one-stop centre for our culture,” he said. “We have children and in-laws who need to know more about our indigenous culture, and it is their right.”
He added that the constitution of Uganda gives every citizen the right to their culture.
Nshimye said the centre could also draw visitors and boost tourism.
“People can come from anywhere, within and outside the country, to visit the place and learn more about the culture,” he said.
The chairman of the prayer breakfast committee, Gashegu Muramira, who is also deputy speaker of Mukono district, said the centre would benefit more than the Banyarwanda.
He said many Banyarwanda lived in harmony with their neighbours, and that friends of the community would be able to use the centre too.
Muramira said contributions had already started coming in.
“In the same spirit, we thank the president of Uganda, who has made sure the country is peaceful, so that even non-indigenous people have been able to enjoy the peace,” he said.
Several people in government and the private sector have also pledged support for the project. They include senior lawyer Peter Kabatsi, Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye and Pastor Aloysius Bujingo.
