KEYNOTE SPEECH BY HON. PEACE REGIS MUTUUZO, MINISTER OF STATE FOR GENDER AND CULTURE AT THE CREATIVES STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP AT MOTIV BUGOLOBI ON FRIDAY, 22nd AUGUST 2025

Harness creativity and cultural influence through art, music, fashion, poetry, and digital media in driving Uganda's tourism appeal to transform Uganda into a preferred tourism destination.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honor to stand before you at this very significant retreat, where we bring together leaders from both the public and private sectors to shape the future of our nation. This year’s theme, “Creating Voice for Tourism, Inspiring Ambassadors for Ugandan Heritage,” could not be more timely.

This theme highlights the transformative role of Ugandan artists, cultural practitioners, and creative entrepreneurs in shaping not only our national identity but also Uganda’s image on the global stage. It calls upon the creative sector to go beyond entertainment—to become storytellers, pioneers of culture, and catalysts for sustainable tourism. Our creatives are ambassadors who bring Ugandan heritage to life, making it visible, marketable, and deeply meaningful in the global tourism space.

Culture, in its broadest sense, is the totality of a people and their way of life. It embodies our values, beliefs, languages, customs, traditions, knowledge systems, and artistic expressions passed down through generations. Culture is our collective memory, our identity, and our foundation as a people.

But here lies the challenge: for centuries, we have passed on our culture orally. The question is, will our children and grandchildren know as much as we do? Already, many struggle with their mother tongues, some never learning them from parents or grandparents. We must act now—to document, digitalize, teach, and preserve our cultural values, norms, and languages so they endure for future generations.

Uganda is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, home to 65 indigenous communities, each with a unique heritage and traditions. Yet, while politics sometimes divides us, the creative sector reminds us how much we need each other. Our diversity is not a weakness—it is our strength, the very foundation upon which Uganda’s creativity and innovation thrive.

Our heritage encompasses both tangible and intangible treasures—from the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to traditional dances, folklore, crafts, music, and indigenous practices. However, these face real threats from urbanization, modernization, globalization, and—most critically—lack of investment and documentation.

That is why the government is acting deliberately. Within our budget, we plan to establish 19 cultural centers across the sub-regions. These will give young artists access to studios, spaces to create and record, and protection from exploitation. We must preserve our heritage and, at the same time, empower our people to turn creativity into livelihoods.

Through the Uganda National Culture Policy (revised in 2025) and in line with Vision 2040, we are integrating culture and the creative industry into our national development agenda. In the National Development Plan IV, we are formulating a National Strategy for the Creative Economy to provide direction for film, music, visual arts, crafts, fashion, and other creative sub-sectors.

We have also embarked on initiatives that provide both capital and capacity for cultural entrepreneurship. With the Uganda Development Bank and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, we launched a Creative Industry Financing Window to support enterprises in art and culture. Through the GROW World Bank Finance Program, the G-Joint Program, the Youth Livelihood Program, and the Women Entrepreneurship Program, we are financing community-based cultural enterprises—reaching even the creative youth in villages, whose talents deserve to be identified, nurtured, and transformed into opportunities for employment and national pride.

We are providing skills training, facilitating cultural exchanges, documenting indigenous knowledge, and building a national database of creative practitioners. These efforts, combined with partnerships with global institutions, will ensure that cultural and creative industries become key contributors to employment, income generation, and tourism development.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us be clear: tourism and culture are inseparable. While Uganda’s wildlife and landscapes attract visitors, it is our stories, our music, our food, our dances, and our way of life that truly captivate them.

Allow me to share one example. A Ugandan woman with just one spare room marketed her home on TikTok. Today, she earns 18 million shillings every month from international visitors who stay with her. That one room generates more than if she had rented her entire house locally. Imagine how much more Uganda can earn if we harness digital platforms like TikTok and social media to market our homes, our experiences, and our unique way of life.

And I must say, Ugandans have a natural gift—we are excellent storytellers and, yes, sweet-talkers. If we applied that charm to tourism marketing, no visitor could resist us! I recall a visit to Egypt where even a taxi driver turned into a marketer. He spoke passionately about papyrus, perfumes, and giant fruits. Out of curiosity, I spent $100 chasing after what I thought was a rare 30-kilogram fruit. Only to discover it was jackfruit (fenne)—the very fruit we throw away here at home! That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of storytelling. Imagine what Uganda could achieve if we harnessed that same spirit.

Our music, fashion, dance, film, literature, and digital media are already gaining international recognition. It is time to integrate them fully into our tourism promotion strategy. By amplifying Ugandan voices and showcasing our cultural wealth, we not only attract visitors but also foster national pride, create jobs, and preserve our diverse heritage for generations to come.

This brings me to a central point: the role of the private sector. The CEOs and business leaders in this room and beyond hold immense potential to shape Uganda’s creative and cultural landscape. With your partnership, we can unlock investment, build infrastructure, and grow industries that place Uganda firmly on the global cultural and tourism map.

Ladies and gentlemen, Uganda’s culture is not just our heritage—it is our future. Let us preserve it, invest in it, and celebrate it as the heartbeat of our identity and the soul of our tourism.