Festo Karwemera is 80 years old but he is no “mzee”. He is an “omugurusi” - this is how Bakiga, the tribe from the southwest of Uganda, call their elders. “Mzee” comes from Swahili and Karwemera hates foreign words polluting Rukiga. Come on, the Bakiga don’t even pronounce the name of their main town properly any more! Instead of putting the stress on the first part of the word (which would bring the right meaning of “a small stone”) many pronounce “Kabale” as if they were from central Uganda. Disgraceful!

Locals must be anxious whenever they meet this former primary school teacher... He gives on-the-spot lectures on which words should be used and how they should be pronounced. But he does it in a humorous, friendly, upbeat fashion that doesn’t turn you off. He has a weekly show on Voice of Kigezi, which brings his shaking voice to millions of Ugandans. Recently the radio station took him to some of these areas, and people were amazed to see the energetic body behind the voice they knew. “Based on what they heard, they thought I was about to die!” laughs Karwemera. You can’t imagine Karwemera without his bicycle, his bag made of skins and his colonial-tribal attire. This is a funny paradox: a fighter for the local culture is the man who always dresses in British shorts, long socks and a hat. On the other hand, what else? Should he move around in skins? Aren’t those “African” clothes of ours imports from West Africa? There is another strange thing about Karwemera, he means what he says. In this culture of inspired words, huge plans put

on paper and little action taken, Festo makes a refreshing exception. When I first heard him talking about a local museum he was to establish I didn’t take him seriously. I had been in Uganda for too long. Sure. It would be great. One day.

Some months later I was invited to the finished site opposite Little Ritz in Kabale, and blown away! Karwemera managed to recreate the traditional homestead to the last detail.

The artefacts are not placed on white walls with glass over them, they are positioned within the homestead, just where they should be. The most ingenious thing is probably the rat protector - a little piece of a broken pot placed on a rope on which the skins were hung. The fumigator used to get rid of fleas is interesting as well. However, arrows, a spear, a beautiful knife and a strong shield will remind you that it was humans who were the most annoying pest those days.

Bakiga were a warrior people. They slept on a raised bed under which they kept favourite goats. They had a unique umbrella, hinting that Ugandans were once upon a time waterproof. They worshipped spirits and ancestors in shrines - one of which spirit is a part of the museum as well (scaring away many locals!).

The homestead of the Bakiga would be up to an acre, for a man with six wives; each with her own hut. Omugurusi of course needed to compromise, so he made his replica slightly smaller to squeeze it into one of the rooms of his property. He knew what he wanted to recreate, after all he was born in such a home in Kaarubanda village. Ironically it was his father, a chief, who played quite a role in stopping the people from building such grass-thatched structures. Because they were hard to clean, in the 1930s the government banned them and proposed huts with mud walls instead.

Together with two craftsmen, the late Ngwino and Maguru, Omugurusi completed the whole setup in 2002. Then in 2003, disappointed with the number of visitors, he looked for somebody to run and promote the museum for him - and chose me! An honour indeed!

At www.edirisa.org/heart you can find a lot about our work, and more about the museum - which has in the meantime become a colourful hostel, a Lake Bunyonyi information centre and a restaurant as well. The Home of Edirisa. We are open every day, and our number is 0752 558 558.