The country is set to host a milk exhibition under a new collaboration between Uganda Tourism Board and Uganda National Museum and the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich.
During a visit of MrRahaelSchwere, a Swiss anthropologist, the board chairman UTB and also director of Igongo Cultural centre located in Mbarara, Mr James Tumusiime said that the partnership is aimed at transforming cultural information that will encourage tourists to visit heritage sites, monuments and museums in the country.
“We want to uplift these museums, monuments and heritage sites and this should help promote tourism apart from depending only on game parks,” said Mr Tumusiime.
MrSchwere, who is a visiting researcher, said he is interested in researching on the milk communities ahead of the milk exhibition expected in the near future.
He added that the exhibition will attract all cattle keepers as they showcase all the traditional milk processing and production methods, shortage items and other utensils.
“Milk drinking cultures from most parts of the world are in the process of establishing a joint exhibition of milk in Uganda,” said MrSchwere.
“Uganda is rich is very rich in cultural. Traditional ways of milk processing existing alongside modern methods,” he added.
MrSchwere , who is also interested in learning about Uganda’s his history for the last 50 years, said he has been involved in a research project on milk in Karamoja, Soroti and western Uganda.
MrTumusimme, who said that the milk exhibition should be organized as soon as possible, added that he expects other countries in the East African region and those neighboring countries to participate in the milk exhibition.
According to MrAmonMugume, the conservator of Natural History at the Uganda National Museum, the country has only three public museums is very small compared with the City of Zurich with about 1000 museums for a small population.
“Milk is complex, it has economic, social and cultural benefits and we have to collect all traditional objects related to its production chain,” said MrMugume.
However, the national museum remains neglected; according to the caretaker, due to limited space as most of the historic items are not on display but in stores. The recent new additional items into the museums are presidential cars used by former heads of state and the information on the discovery of oil in the Albertine grabben.
Utilities
A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary
The cost of Daily visits at the National Museum
Foreigner’s nationals: Shs5, 000
Uganda adults: Shs2, 000
Students: Shs1, 000
Students and primary schools pupils make the highest number of visits to the National Museum, in 2013, 38,022 primary pupils, 235 children and 9519 secondary students visited the museums
EMMANUEL AINEBYOONA
eainebyoona@ug.nationmedia.com
