Kasubi Hill, in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, is the resting place of four kings of Buganda – a centuries-old monarchy still central to the lives of the Baganda people. Their tombs are built from vegetal materials that demand constant upkeep and leave the structures vulnerable, as became clear in March 2010 when a fire destroyed much of the tomb complex. Directed by the Ethiopian-American filmmaker Sosena Solomon, and featuring the prime minister of the Buganda Kingdom and the architects and artisans involved in the restoration, the film documents both the careful work of reconstruction and the tombs’ indispensable role in Baganda society.
In doing so, Solomon’s film captures how these grand structures embody the spirituality and values of the Baganda people. The film is part of the short documentary series Africa’s Cultural Landmarks, produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund. Inside the remarkable, endangered mud castles of West Africa The dry-stacked stones of Zimbabwe are a medieval engineering wonder Yorùbá spirituality inspires surreal sculptures in this sacred grove What the ‘Louvre of the desert’ reveals about the human story Explore the wondrous Ethiopian churches that are carved into the Earth Steep climbs lead to sacred spaces carved high into the cliffs of Ethiopia West Africa was once an architectural laboratory.
Is it time for a revival? Why is this Kenyan artefact in storage at a German museum? On the road with the Kenyan national cycling team
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