Exclusive UGWA Event: The Uganda National Media Archive at UWA

Event Information:

At this special event, members of UGWA are invited to come to UWA for a private viewing of all of this archival material, in both physical and digital formats. Richard will give an informal talk on the history of the discoveries and of the digitisation and research projects, and he will also talk about next steps for the work, both in Uganda and around the world. There will also be a Q&A. Come and see the first ever photograph taken in Uganda, listen to a never-before-heard speech of Idi Amin, and see films, and listen to records, that have only just been digitised.

This event will also include catering, where participants will have access to barbecue food and soft drinks. Remember to include any dietary requirements when prompted when registering your ticket!

About Prof. Richard Vokes:

Richard Vokes is Professor of Anthropology and International Development at UWA, and has been working in Uganda since 1997. In 2015, along with Winston Agaba and Malachi Kabaale, he discovered the lost archive of Idi Amin in a storeroom at the UBC in Kampala. The archive includes 85,000 photographs, 400+ sound reels, and 2000+ vinyl records. In 2021, Richard also tracked down the archives of the former Uganda Film Unit at a repository in London.

Since 2018, UWA has been leading a series of major projects to digitise, research, and exhibit, these archives, and in 2025 UWA-led a successful bid for UNESCO to officially list the ‘Uganda National Media Archive’. This is one of the first times that UNESCO has recognised an archive in East Africa as being of significance for the whole of humanity.

How to get to the John Glover Meeting Room (room 119):

For those unsure of how to get to UWA's Crawley campus, there are a few easy methods of arriving here.

If you are arriving via public transport, there are multiple buses from Elizabeth Quay Bus Station which will take you directly to UWA. The most common buses to take are the 950 and the 995 buses; or alternatively, you can take the Purple Cat bus - the latter of which is a longer journey to the campus, but is free. The timetables for these buses can be viewed through clicking on each name of each bus. I would also advise using Transperth's JourneyPlanner, so you can customise your public transport journey to your schedule.

if you are arriving via car, there are parking spaces available at UWA. However, these are limited, so we recommend arriving a little earlier than usual to secure yourself a spot. The parking map for UWA is as follows:

The sections coloured in bright yellow on this map represent parking spaces for visitors. The John Glover room is within the Geography & Geology building (circled in green on the map). This makes parking bays 1 and 5 the closest ones to the meeting room - but don't worry if you can't find a parking spot in these on the day, as the others are just a short walk away.

If you are unfamiliar with the UWA campus and are worried about not being able to find the building, we recommend (a) printing out a paper map to help you whilst on campus; or (b) opening the interactive UWA map on your phone. This interactive map can be accessed by clicking here.

The John Glover Meeting Room is on the first floor of the building. A more comprehensive step-by-step guide for accessing the room via both the stairs and elevator can be found through downloading the guide by clicking here.

Looking forward to seeing you there!