Story By Mungufeni Saviour King

How Uganda martyr’s university museum has contributed to students’ creativity in  Uganda martyrs university

Background

Uganda Martyrs University Museum is situated in the center of the University. It was set up in 1996 as a collection of endogenous cultural artifacts and sculptures from Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. Its mission is to preserve and promote African culture, as well as to facilitate research on its significance in the present African and world development contexts.

It is one of the few anthropological museums in Uganda and stores written, photographic, audio-visual archival materials from various research and publication projects.

Research and Tourism

The museum has greatly impacted the Uganda Martyrs’ University (UMU) students’ creativity and academic performance. Several pieces of research have been conducted with the help of the museum.

David N Tshimba, the Chairman UMU museum on a phone call said that the museum has greatly improved on research.

Students access the museum to carry out research as well a proposal writing in line with culture and tourism

It has also attracted a number of visitors, especially students and researchers who come to tour the collections in the museum.

Below is a slides show of the artwork found at the Uganda Martyrs University museum and how it has promoted cultural activities.

Cultural inspiration to students

Among the objectives is to facilitate research on and collection of elements of Africa’s cultural heritage and their relevance in contemporary times. The museum has achieved this by offering a chance for students to explore their cultural backgrounds.

Daniel Ocen, a student at UMU said that he feels a sense of belonging whenever he visits the museum.

The museum has also made great strides in linking historical to current customs through exhibiting various collections including African warfare technologies, farming tools, traditional clothing, traditional dances, indigenous foods and traditions, medicine and practices, construction systems, hunting tools, religion (divination).

Art and craft

Many cultural performances that are done at the University are inspired by the museum. Students of fashion and design create different art and crafts that can also be stored in the museum.

Music dance and drama depict different cultures as exhibited in the center.

Promotion of African cultural values

The museum plays an important role in preserving and promoting the diversity of Uganda’s cultural heritage and provides spaces for appreciating different cultures by the students and cultural repositories.

Many students are inspired by the artwork in the museum as Shadia Mwadi, one of the students expresses in the audio below

Some of the items are well-documented literature on culture and other sociology-anthropological aspects the students get to love and are inspired by items in the museum through this, they are able to appreciate where they come from through performing cultural dramas and dances also the understanding the environment the students comprehend deeper, their attitude expressed in their logical thinking, drawing, telling the stories, composing.

Thus, the museum is the special activity milieu, that can support the development of students’ creativity at Uganda martyrs university

Below is a cultural dance performed on the installation of the 4th vice-chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University.

Recommendations

Many students appreciate the fact that the museum improving their cultural knowledge and customs. However, they recommend that some structures should be put in place to add more artwork.

To change people’s perceptions about culture, the museum coordinates Heritage Education Programme on behalf of the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda.

This helps in teaching the young generations about the culture which has helped them know their identity. This has also aided as a base to engage in activities like mat weaving, pot making, and basket making which have aided in skill acquisitions and little money as a supplement to the students.

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