Top five African world heritage sites in danger

Tombs of Buganda Kings, Uganda

Located on Kasubi Hill in Kampala, Uganda, Kasubi Tombs are the burial site of four kings of the ancient Buganda Kingdom. The site, which serves as a major spiritual and political shrine, also houses several other graves of members of the royal family. It was named a World Heritage Site in December 2001, the same year it was declared “one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa”.

In March 2010, some of the buildings at the site were destroyed by a fire, whose cause is yet to be known. Consequently, the tombs were included in the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The site, which covers around 26 hectares, has since been reconstructed by the Buganda Kingdom with the help of the national government.

This list should serve as a caution to Africans, especially the leaders, to take the necessary actions to ensure these iconic sites are well-looked-after. Individual African governments must eliminate threats to these irreplaceable inheritances and hasten the pace of repairing those that are already damaged.