Our Programme Areas

The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda has three interlinked programmes through which we work to achieve our mission: ‘Culture in Development’, ‘Promoting Cultural Heritage’ and ‘Managing Diversity’.

The “Culture in Development” programme provides the foundation for all our work as it supplies evidence to illustrate the value of culture in development work and enables us to better understand the cultural context within which we operate.

The second programme “Promoting Cultural heritage” specifically focuses on i) supporting local initiatives to promote, especially supporting 21 community museums throughout the country ii) heritage education linked to community museums to engage young people in protecting and promoting cultural heritage, iii)policy advocacy for a conducive operating environment for heritage development and protection.

The third strand of our programme work is “Managing Diversity”. In a country with 65 ethnic groups, 45 recognized languages, and diverse religious and political affiliation, it is necessary to recognize, appreciate and engage with difference. Through the ‘Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme’ (PKP), CCFU along with 6 partners, carries out research and advocacy to highlight the relevance of pluralism in the local context and develop civil society strategies to promote a pluralistic society.

At CCFU, we define culture as a constantly changing set of values, identities, traditions and aspirations that govern the way we relate as individuals, communities and nations. It is central to our well–being and to defining the ideal society we seek. We believe that the positive aspects of culture can be harnessed to bring about social and economic transformation. The Foundation therefore acts as a catalyst to promote an understanding of development, as seen through “cultural lenses”.

Culture in Development:

“Culture in development” refers to the selective (positive aspects of culture / modern concepts) and voluntary integration of diverse cultural resources (values, principles, beliefs, bodies of knowledge and skills) into development thinking and practice. It entails analyzing the interface between “traditional” and “modern” thought, negotiating and compromising in order to define development that results in meaningful social, political and economic transformation. ‘Culture in development’ assumes a willingness to understand and appreciate the “rights of the other” to define and defend their worldview and thus entails respect and tolerance; seeking engagement rather than dominance.

To demonstrate our belief that development can only be sustained if culture is fully taken into account, we highlight local initiatives that illustrate experiences where cultural resources have been used to address development challenges: More

Cultural Heritage:

Cultural heritage is an important aspect of our identity as it represents our history, evolution and aspirations. In Uganda, a beautiful collage of cultural diversity can be found across the 65 ethnic groups that present unique cultures reflected in diverse traditional institutions, languages, indigenous knowledge and skills, the creative and performing arts, crafts, dress and food. The country’s natural, cultural and historical landscapes and archaeological sites present yet another dimension to our cultural heritage. In this programme we focus on supporting initiatives to preserve aspects of Uganda’s rich cultural heritage, tangible and intangible. The Foundation in collaboration with various partners advocates for a favourable policy environment to protect, develop and promote our heritage, nationally and internationally. More

Managing Diversity:
At the Foundation we perceive cultural diversity as a source of wealth which provides opportunities to understand and address development issues from various perspectives. Ideally, diversity should be a source of strength rather than a threat, however for a long time in Uganda’s history, diversity, particularly ethnicity and religious diversity, has been used as a tool to manipulate allegiances to meet political ends, leading to the current common perception that diversity represents exclusion or inclusion, to the detriment of the collective good. More