Tanzanian tour operator, Kiroyera Tours has called for the urgent rehabilitation of famous Bukoba Kiroyera museum to perverse the ancient artefacts presently housed in Samaritarian a’s house.
The Samaritarian has offered to house the artefacts to preserve the ancient artefacts, the heritage, history and culture of the Haya tribe pending when befitting infrastructure would be constructed.
Mary Kalikawe, C.E.O for, Kiroyera Tours made the call recently to tourism stakeholders in the region, and appealed to them to find a suitable place to keep the artefacts safe for the good use.
Mary Kalikawe, who is also Chairperson for Association of Women in Tourism Tanzania(AWOTTA), said that she has been given an ultimatum of three days to museum attendant to vacate the house, as a Tanzanian working in Botswana has come for a big rehabilitation and when completed, will be for family uses.
“So, I am turning to you my brothers and sisters to move together to rescue our history which holds us together”, said Kalikawe.
She informed that all belongings have been moved to a car park which was also going to be unroofed for a new roofing, that she was obliged to remove the museum attendant to another place.
Reacting as to why she has not acted swiftly to have a proper place, instead of waiting until forced to vacate, she said she has been in a mutual understanding with the house owner, and that it was an emergence case that he wanted fast rehabilitation for the family uses, so nobody bears blames.
She was advised by some stakeholders that she communicates with Bishop Methodius Kilaini, an Apostolic administrator of Bukoba Catholic Diocese and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, North West Diocese’s leadership as they would have extra rooms in their premises.
Luckily, the Bukoba District Executive Director, Hamidi Njovu, has promised to give out one of the rooms in a school with extra rooms, but that is a temporary shelter adding that all stakeholders are requested to contribute in cash and materials to build a new and permanent museum house.
That Worthwile museum mixes a collection of tribal real and photographed items, such as drums, handbags and other crafted items on display.
The museum which was allocated at Nyamukazi area ashore Lake Victoria, was frequented by primary and secondary school students, with a record of 480 yearly on average, and an average of five international students in a year, mostly from Austria, Australia, England, Germany, Holland, and Canada, while the African countries are Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Locals as well as international figures such as ambassadors visited this interesting site which was officially inaugurated in 2004 by Sweden and Denmark ambassadors to Tanzania.
The museum also had professional pictures by a Swede, Dick Person of flora and fauna, and he installed an international power system, to make it an interesting site to visit.
At the time we went to Press, it has been known that Hamid Njovu, Bukoba District Commissioner, has allocated a temporary accommodation at one of the schools where the room was not in use, but according to Mary Kalikawe, stakeholders’ financial contributions are highly needed to build the permanent museum house.
By Mutayoba Arbogast
