UN cultural agency UNESCO on August 28th recommended that tombs of royal traditional leaders in Uganda that were ravaged by fire more than a decade ago should be removed from its list of endangered heritage.
Housed in grass-thatched buildings on a hillside in the capital Kampala, the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi have been reconstructed with the help of international funding since the 2010 blaze. The tombs, revered as an important historical and spiritual site for the Buganda people, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. UNESCO's recommendations, following a mission to the site in June, will go before the 21 member states of the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh from September 10th-25th.
The fire destroyed the main tomb building, a circular structure with a domed roof which was built in 1882 as a palace for the Kabakas or kings of Buganda and converted into a royal burial ground two years later. UNESCO has described the building known as Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga as an "architectural masterpiece". It has said the removal of the tombs from the endangered list would be a powerful symbol given that 50% of sites considered in danger are in Africa.
The Kasubi Tombs in 2007 - Fire destroyed the main tomb building, since re-constructed, in 2010. Image, Wikimedia Commons
After the blaze, at least two people were killed when Ugandan security forces quelled riots that erupted as supporters of the Kabaka tried to prevent Uganda's veteran president Yoweri Museveni from visiting the devastated site. The disaster occurred at a time of strained relations between the government and the Buganda people after a travel ban was imposed on their largely ceremonial monarch in September 2009. The ban triggered riots around Kampala that left at least 27 people dead.
In July, thousands of Ugandans joined a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the coronation of current Bugandan king Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, whose ancestors ruled a region that includes Uganda's modern-day capital, Kampala.
Buganda, one of four ancient kingdoms in the East African country, was first established in the 14th century on the shores of Lake Victoria. The Buganda make up the largest ethnic grouping in Uganda and their kingdom was granted considerable autonomy after independence from Britain in 1962. But independence leader Milton Obote went on to outlaw the tribal kingdoms, and forced the Kabaka into exile. The bush war that brought Obote's rival Museveni to power in 1986 was successful largely due to support from Buganda. (© AFP 28/8/2023)
Prior to the Buganda tombs, the most recent site to be removed from the list was Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire in July 2017 (See: "African national park taken off World Heritage "danger list" following IUCN advice" www.iucn.org/news/) .
The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa are on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in accordance with Article 11 (4) of the World Heritage Convention. Half of all the endangered sites on the list are in Africa. The year in brackets is when the site was placed on the list. The asterisk (*) indicates a transboundary property. Inscription on the list entitles the site to particular attention and emergency conservation attention.
The Abu Simbel Temples - the Great Temple of Ramesses II (left) and the Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari (right) – were the catalyst for the creation of the World Heritage List. Image, Wikimedia Commons
More than 1,000 properties around the world are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List (see here). These unique landscapes, ecosystems, buildings, monuments and cities are selected to represent the natural and cultural heritage of the world. The listed sites are identified, protected, monitored and preserved for the benefit of all humanity.
The catalyst to create the List was the decision to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt and thus flood the valley where the Abu Simbel temples were located. (See: "Egypt's Exquisite Temples that had to be Moved www.bbc.com). The campaign's successes demonstrated the vast potential of international cooperation and resulted in other campaigns and, ultimately, the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16th 1972.
The first 12 sites were named in 1978, including Simien National Park Ethiopia, Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela, Ethiopia and the Island of Gorée, Senegal.
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