Public art in Uganda: on the dialectics of social closure for monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, 1914-2014

Abstract

In this study, I argued that Public Art in Uganda created the legacy of Monuments under the influence of Kampala Capital City Authority as historical products that glorified power relations in the context of social closure. The dialectics of social closure for monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority raise the question of Inclusion and Exclusion situated within the broader context of social closure, in terms of their historicity, patronage, and collective memory. The study set out to re-examine the dialectics of social closure for monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, so as to have a better understanding of their narratives. The following objectives guided it. To examine the historicity of the monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority in the context of their dialectics of social closure, 1914-2014, secondly, to analyse social inclusion and exclusion in the patronage of monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, 1914-2014, thirdly, to evaluate the dialectics of inclusion and exclusion in light of the contentions in collective memory from monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, 1914-2014. I used a visual sociology research method to read the monuments in the context of Max Weber's theory of social closure in a modern spirit and in light of the Ugandan situation. Additionally, I used the discourse theory to comprehend social and political discourses surrounding public Art in Uganda. Prior to this study, contemporary debates on monuments in Uganda have not used social closure in the reading of those monuments. From the findings, the dialectics, of social closure convey the historicity of monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority in the context of their time, space, and place. In addition, from the analysis of social inclusion and exclusion in the patronage of monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, I observed that there are conflicting civic interests between the patron and the public. Furthermore, in light of contentions of collective memory from monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, the dialectics of inclusion and exclusion embody intangible cultural heritage value. The study provides a better understanding of the historicity of the monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority, how they should be in the context of their time, space, and place; and how the monuments in Kampala Capital City Authority contribute to the contemporary debate on inclusion and exclusion in Uganda Civil society. The monuments constitute an integral part of Ugandan Civil Society through which the public ascribes collective meanings. The study voices contemporary debates on dialectics of social closure for monuments in Uganda. However, as recommendations, contemporary debates on monuments in Uganda should make use of social closure in the reading of those monuments. The publicness of Monuments should also be a basis of the need for better knowledge of historical monuments in Uganda. Finally, Heritage Management Actions should be used as one of the ways of addressing Historical Monuments Matters, while at the same time ensuring their protection from erasures. Nevertheless, the following questions emerge from the study which should be addressed for further research: How should contested memorializations in Uganda be handled without compromising their contribution to the country's cultural heritage? How was cultural memory entwined into the fiber of Uganda's psycho-social experience through the ages? And How should the function of Public Art in Civil Society be adequately explored?