Across Uganda, traditional medicine has long played a vital role in everyday healthcare. For generations, communities have relied on medicinal plants, local healers, and knowledge passed down through families to treat illness and maintain wellbeing.
Closely connected to culture, nature, and community life, this knowledge forms an important part of Uganda’s heritage. Today, however, it faces growing challenges as natural habitats decline, knowledge holders age, and younger generations become increasingly disconnected from traditional practices.
In response, researchers and cultural institutions have launched the Traditional Medicine in Transition Mobile Exhibition, an initiative designed to document, preserve, and share knowledge about medicinal plants and healing traditions. The exhibition forms part of the broader Traditional Medicine in Transition research project, a collaboration between Ugandan and Swiss institutions that explores how traditional medical knowledge can continue to thrive in a changing world.
The mobile exhibition was officially launched on 27 February 2026 at the Uganda National Museum by Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. Two days earlier, a second exhibition was launched at Igongo Cultural Centre by Caroline Weckerle, who leads the international research project behind the initiative.
These launches marked the beginning of a nationwide journey. Unlike conventional museum displays that remain in one location, the mobile exhibition is designed to travel to communities, schools, and cultural centers across Uganda. Its aim is to ensure that people who rarely have access to museums can still engage with exhibitions and learn about their cultural heritage.
The Traditional Medicine in Transition project began in 2023 as an international research initiative examining how knowledge about medicinal plants is shared and preserved. Researchers from fields including ethnobotany, epidemiology, spirituality, and cultural studies work together to understand how traditional medicine continues to influence healthcare today.
In Uganda, traditional medicine remains an essential resource, particularly in rural areas where access to modern medical facilities may be limited. However, the survival of this knowledge is increasingly threatened. Many medicinal plants grow in forests and natural habitats that are under pressure from environmental change. At the same time, healing knowledge is often transmitted orally within families, making it vulnerable to loss when elders pass away without passing it on.
To address these challenges, the project focuses on documenting medicinal plant knowledge, encouraging sustainable use of natural resources, and creating new ways for communities to learn about traditional medicine.
Museums play a central role in this effort. The Uganda National Museum and the Igongo Cultural Centre work closely with researchers to develop exhibitions and organize community engagement activities. Through photographs, videos, artefacts, and stories from traditional healers, the exhibitions present traditional medicine as a living and evolving system rather than a relic of the past.
The mobile exhibition expands this approach by taking museum experiences directly to communities. Portable displays and audiovisual materials allow the exhibition to be set up in schools, cultural spaces, and community centers. In doing so, it reaches rural populations, students who have never visited a museum, and communities that participated in the research.
The project is led by the University of Zurich and implemented in collaboration with Ugandan partners including Makerere University, Bishop Stuart University, Kampala International University, the Uganda National Museum, and the Igongo Cultural Centre. It is supported by international funders such as the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
As the exhibition travels across Uganda, it creates spaces for dialogue between researchers, traditional healers, students, and communities. Visitors are encouraged not only to learn but also to share their own knowledge and experiences.
Ultimately, the Traditional Medicine in Transition Mobile Exhibition highlights an important idea: knowledge does not belong only in books or museums. It lives within communities, and by returning that knowledge to the people, the project helps ensure that Uganda’s rich heritage of traditional medicine continues to inspire future generations.