The government has recorded 1,396 interviews with people connected to the National Resistance Army’s liberation struggle and is urging more veterans and witnesses to contribute to planned museums.
The government has recorded 1,396 interviews with people connected to Uganda’s National Resistance Army (NRA) liberation struggle as part of efforts to preserve historical accounts for future generations.
Sarah Bananuka, the Presidential Advisor on NRA Archives, has called on veterans, former officials and other witnesses to share their experiences before the accounts are lost, saying their testimonies are important to building a comprehensive record of the struggle.
Addressing Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) leaders in Kyankwanzi, Bananuka said the collected accounts would be preserved, with planned NRA museums in Nakaseke and Mbale expected to provide repositories for the interviews and other historical records.
“We seek to document and preserve the experiences of those who participated in the struggle. Their stories will be safeguarded for future generations,” she said.
The initiative seeks to document the experiences of people who participated in or witnessed the struggle, including fighters who operated in the bush before the NRA captured power in January 1986.
The NRA, led by Yoweri Museveni, waged a five-year guerrilla war against the government of President Milton Obote and later that of General Tito Okello after the 1985 military coup. The NRA took Kampala in January 1986, ushering in the National Resistance Movement government.
Bananuka said preserving testimonies and historical records would help younger generations understand the events and experiences that shaped the country’s political history.
The archives are also intended to support historical research, reconciliation and accountability by documenting personal experiences alongside other records of the liberation struggle.
She urged veterans and other contributors to come forward, noting that individual accounts could help fill gaps in the historical record.
The planned museums in Nakaseke and Mbale are expected to provide spaces for preserving and presenting the interviews and other materials relating to the NRA’s history.
The initiative’s success will depend partly on collecting a broad range of accounts and preserving supporting records so that future generations can study the period from multiple perspectives.