The Kasubi royal tombs are located on a hilltop in the heart of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The site covers an area of 27 hectares and comprises several built components surrounded by a vast cultivated area. Each component of the site is associated with very strong intangible values, making it a place of cultural pilgrimage much frequented by the local population. The most impressive element of this complex is the Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga, a 31 m diameter construction of plant material covered with a thick layer of thatch, inside which lies the "sacred forest", an area protected from view housing the tombs of the four rulers who ruled the kingdom of Bouganda before the present King. The site is also a place of pilgrimage, witness to many traditional practices that are hard to find elsewhere.
These tombs have been protected since 1967, and were proposed by Uganda as the first cultural site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.
In 2001 :
- To offer practical and scientific experience to curators and local players in order to improve their skills and prepare them for other similar actions;
- Strengthen the role of the artisans of the Ngeye and Ngo clans, guardians of traditional techniques;
- Implementing conservation work ;
- Inscribe the site on the World Heritage List;
- Prepare a management plan.
In 2005-2006 :
- Carry out a detailed study of the straw roof construction industry;
- Produce a promotional booklet, postcards and posters to raise awareness of the site;
In 2008 :
- Bringing together site stakeholders;
- Evaluate the first management plan ;
- Draw up a new 2009-2015 management plan.
In 2010 :
- Fire inventory;
- Drawing up a timetable for the reconstruction of the Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga ;
- Propose a strategy for rebuilding tombs;
- Support the implementation of the management plan.
CRAterre and its partners in the Africa 2009 program were called upon to prepare the nomination, a task which led to the tombs' inclusion on the World Heritage List in 2001. At the same time, the serious problems of conserving thatched roofs were addressed. These technical activities made it possible to focus on values, authenticity, traditional and current responsibilities, and thus on the management of the property. Working on roof maintenance led to an understanding of the key role played by two clans in particular: the Ngeye clan, in charge of roofing, and the Ngo clan, in charge of interior decoration. The work on management strengthened the links between the many traditional players who keep the site alive, the kingdom officials and the conservators charged by the state with monitoring the condition of the property.
In 2006, restoration work and a research program on the entire straw roofing production chain enabled us to gain a better understanding of the finer points of this unique technique, where the straw is not attached to the roof and is therefore easy to change. The management plan drawn up in preparation for the World Heritage nomination benefited greatly from this field experience. This enabled the situation to evolve positively between 2001 and 2008. The numerous studies and experiments carried out during this period resulted in a detailed knowledge of the site and the conditions for its conservation, and the plan was revised in 2008.
The formulation of the new 2009 - 2015 management plan also benefited from the support of the Africa 2009 program and the expertise of CRAterre. The plan was finalized in October 2009.
Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the main building on March 16, 2010. Nothing remains of this masterpiece erected by the kingdom's craftsmen, unique in the world in terms of size and quality of decoration. UNESCO dispatched a mission to the site a month later, in which a CRAterre expert took part. The reconstruction of Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga is expected to take at least two years.
Results
- Training 12 people in conservation techniques as part of a conservation project;
- Numerous conservation and preservation works have been carried out on the site (drainage, walls, roofs, etc.);
- The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001;
- Conservation of traditional skills, mastered by two of the kingdom's main clans; this program has helped to promote the role of the clans and their little-recognized skills;
- Acquisition of basic tooling ;
- Two management plans have been drawn up: the first in 2000 and the revised version in 2009;
- Creation of a promotional brochure, postcards, posters and a website;
- Stakeholder roles and responsibilities better defined ;
- A better understanding of the site's intangible values ;
- Extensive historical, technical and iconographic documentation ;
- Directional signage installed in town.
Partners
Kingdom of Uganda, Department of Museums and Monuments, Unesco World Heritage Centre, Unesco Regional Office in Nairobi, Africa 2009, French Embassy in Uganda, Iccrom, Department of Architecture at Makerere University, Unesco National Commission in Uganda.
