Makerere University has unveiled a new monument to mark its 100 years of existence.
The monument that stands adjacent to the School of Social Sciences was officially unveiled Thursday by President Yoweri Museveni who presided over the celebrations to climax the university’s centennial activities.
The ‘Mak at 100 monument’ as its name goes is a composition of different features – the base, scrolls, and a bird – each of them symbolic.
According to Ssematimba Joseph, who developed the concept for the monument, the base is a decagon with each of the ten sides representing the milestones that Makerere has registered in each of the ten decades since 1922 when it opened.
“The towering feature on which the bird is seated is like ancient scrolls. Since time immemorial, writing was done on scrolls and later on paper. This is like the base on which knowledge is recorded and shared,” Sematimba, a prominent sculptor told Plugged on Friday.
“On those scrolls, we have images representing Makerere’s openness to gender sensitivity as well as the growing research and innovation. You will see the image of graduates – a man and a woman.”
Each scroll shows graduands’ caps flying in the air and transforming into birds. The birds then evolve into a crested crane which then takes off.
Ssematimba told Plugged that this is symbolic of the nurturing that a student gets from Makerere. The concept is a continuation of another sculpture at the Makerere University main library which shows a crane hatching a kid, the kid has been equipped with the knowledge, and is able to fly on his own.
“There is a connection between those two monuments.”
The overarching message in the ‘Mak at 100 monument’ is that Makerere is a fountain of knowledge – a student is equipped with knowledge to stand on his/her own and is able to fly anywhere in this country. The team used the Crested Crane in particular as it is the Uganda national symbol.
“A couple of concepts were presented and this particular one won the docket. It took like 1 month to vet the concepts and another 2 months to construct it,” says Ssematimba who also conceptualized the two monuments, one at the Frank Kalimuzo building and that at the Yusuf Kironde Lule building at Makerere. He is also behind the Eclipse monument in Biharwe, Mbarara.
Makerere started in 1922 as a technical institute with only 14 female students. After the government approved a private sponsorship policy in 1991, enrollment shot up by 260 percent in the following 10 years. Today, the student population stands at 35,000.
The milestones represented in the 10-sided base
1922 – 1931 Uganda Technical College is established to offer courses in carpentry, medical care, building, mechanics, arts and agriculture. It is later renamed Makerere College.
1932 – 1941 Other courses including education are introduced. Makerere College becomes centre for higher education in East Africa.
1942 – 1951 Makerere begins to offer post-secondary education. It gets affiliated to the University College of London and is granted university status.
1952 – 1961 During the independence struggle, Makerere’s scholars get actively involved in the politics. The first degree of University of London is conferred.
1962 – 1971 University of East Africa is established in 1963. Makerere is established as a national university in 1970.
1972 – 1981 Professors and students are persecuted and many flee to exile.
1982 – 1991 Structural adjustment programmes starve the university of government funding.
1992 – 2001 Private sponsorship of students lead to sharp increase in student enrolment.
2002 – 2011 Rehabilitation of old buildings and construction of new ones. University embarks on ambitious research initiatives including first African electric car – The Kiira EV.
2012 – 2022 Makerere becomes collegiate with 10 colleges. Graduate training, research and innovations are emphasized.
