The Uganda Museums and Monuments Department is set to immortalize some of Uganda’s unsung heroes in an animated series.
The series titled “Super Heroes of Uganda” will be launched on October 6 ahead of the Independence Day celebrations at the Uganda Museum in Kampala.
Through this, the government will be seeking to celebrate and showcase Uganda’s rich cultural heritage through a captivating collection of books and animated movies.
Among the stories to be animated include Barefootballers, The Return of Princess Nakayima, Kibuuka god of war, and Ndahura the Silverbacks, among others.
According to Jackline Besigye Nyiracyiza, the assistant commissioner of Uganda Museum and Monuments, the animations shall be uploaded on TravelTube, a digital platform for the global market.
Shel said that the Superheroes of Uganda series is a testament to the power of storytelling and cultural preservation and promotion.
“We want to engage the public most especially youths through visuals because most of them love to see animations. Youths want to see things in cinemas where they use 3D, and so TravelTube is trying to tap into that public. The public is not only interested in going to the museum but seeing the museum in other spaces,” Nyiracyiza said.
Elijah Watendo, from TravelTube the producers and distributors of the superheroes, said he was inspired by the “Kibuuka” story which was narrated to him by a Uganda museum guide on his first visit to the museum.
Watendo added that TravelTune is bringing museums to the schools through 3D virtual reality metaverse and corporation.
He further promised to digitalize all monuments so that when people move next to that monument, their smartphones will automatically give them the details of those monuments.
The State Minister for Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Martin Mugarra, welcomed the initiative as it tells the Ugandan story.
“This is a very good opportunity to sell the Ugandan story out there and I think you can see it from the story for “The Return of Princess Nakayima”. The reason why the museum is also important in the department is to give the actual story,” Mugarra said.
He said the animations will help tell the real African story.
“There are so many things that Europeans didn’t discover when they were here, so now it’s the right time to tell our story to the audience out there not the colonial kind of narrative that has been going on here.”
The “Superheroes of Uganda” series is an extraordinary endeavor that melds ancient legends with contemporary storytelling, presenting a dynamic fusion of folklore and modern heroism.
This project seeks to empower Ugandans by giving voice to their unique stories, cultural nuances, and historical narratives, while also fostering a sense of national pride and inspiring audiences to embrace their inner superhero.
The animated movies will be available for streaming on TravelTube, with a special release scheduled for October 9 in honor of Independence Day.