As we arrived at the three-in-one home of Emmanuel Ssemwanga, located in Janda Namugongo, we were welcomed by his Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), which shows his strong love for vintage everything.
One section of his house houses more than 10,000 pieces of timeless memorabilia, which defined the childhoods and memories of people across different generations. As one enters Ssemwanga’s house and views the large collection of antiques of Brims Heritage Centre, one is shocked to see dozens of different memorabilia that evoke nostalgia about the transformations technology has undergone over time.
From the rotary dial phones that he uses to give you the vivid experience of what receiving a phone call felt like up to the 1980s and early 90s, to a phonograph, a collection of phones – from the famous Nokia 100 to a Sony Ericsson GA 628 and landline phones – a vast collection of black and white TV sets, cameras, radios (sound solo radio, odometer radios), real-to-reel recorders, VCRs, CD players, cassettes, fax machines, typewriters, kerosene flat box, telescopes, and portable cassette players, this is a wonderland.
Ssemwanga’s collection makes one appreciate the quick transformation of technology over time, giving one a nostalgic feeling of how good the old days were. With modern technology having fused most of Ssemwanga’s collection into one or three gadgets, it is interesting to see how life was slower and more organic just a couple of decades ago.
Before we interviewed him, Ssemwanga played a vinyl record of Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s I’m Burning Up on his phonograph; he then dug into his story of how he has been an antiques collector for the past 20 years “I started collecting as a young person, because, growing up, my mother called me nsomba byuma [a big rat that carries away anything]; when I went to school or went to do different errands around home in Mityana, I would come back with a few things in my pocket ranging from metals and different collectables, but I didn’t know this kind of trait would flow me into my adult life,” Ssemwanga said.
He started organising his collection in 2005 when he lost his dad and kept his father’s wooden National Panasonic radio, bought in 1962.
“I kept my late father’s National Panasonic radio in my house and whenever friends visited me, they were always baffled by the radio’s design. I explained to them this is something that I hold dear because it was the first radio my father bought and it reminded me of Uganda’s independence. This inquisitiveness that my friends had made me want to start looking for other unique items and put them together so that this generation and future generations can appreciate where we have come from, over time,” he said.
Despite not having a big space where he can exhibit the different items he has collected from, Ssemwanga uses his T3 Volkswagen van as a mobile exhibition station, which he uses to showcase his unique collection, giving people a glimpse of what the past looked like; a past where affluent Ugandan homes were characterized by that oversized gramophone cabinet, with a rotary dial phone taking pride of place on top of it.
Ssemwanga said he buys most of his collectables from the Katwe second-hand market, where most of these items are readily available and sold at giveaway prices. Interestingly, Ssemwanga did not study any course related to conservation or preservation; he studied Business Administration at university and his hobby is driven by passion.
AUTHENTICITY OF THE ANTIQUE ITEM HE BUYS
While talking about the authenticity of the different items his Brims Heritage Centre collects, Ssemwanga said unlike today where the market is flooded with a lot of fake items, the things that were made back then were always original; for example, “if I buy a classic Panasonic TV, it’s actually a Panasonic TV which shows that in the early days a brand was a brand unlike today where a lot of brands have been duplicated”.
“It’s very difficult for one to buy a radio of the 1980s and find out that it’s a duplicate; since most of them were made by legitimate manufacturers and, notably, whenever we collect an item from a person or family, we make it a point to find out the history of the item and the connection one has with it to ensure that the item collected has been got from its legitimate owner,” he added.
WHAT STANDS OUT
Ssemwanga said most of the items he collects have a rich history, which astonishes people, but one of his most prized collectables is a Kodak Brownie camera that dates back to World War Two. “I bought this video camera from a scrap collector in Kalerwe market.
The camera used to use dials to record videos, but due to the poor handling the camera experienced, it doesn’t work, but it’s still a priceless possession,” he said.
Ssemwanga said there are items that people view in his collection, which bring about countless memories. He recalls one person who was shocked to see a kerosene flat box, which evoked fond memories he had about his grandfather and how he used to use it.
In an increasingly fast-paced and more stressful world today, people like Ssemwanga and his collection need to be protected jealously. One step into his space and one feels like one just stepped into a time machine.
And for those who have lived with and used some of these items, it is a beautiful stroll down memory lane; things a solid museum could be made of.
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