The Kitole stool, conceived and recognised by the German Design Council during the ein&zwanzig - world’s finest design competition in 2021, stands as an artistic statement about unity among Uganda’s diverse tribal communities. Huema approached this piece with a poetic sensibility, creating a functional sculpture that serves as both furniture and a repository of collective memory, inviting users to reflect on shared experiences that might otherwise fade with time.

The stool’s most distinctive feature is its innovative use of papyrus as the primary material. This choice connects the piece to a rich historical legacy stretching back to ancient Egypt, where papyrus harvested from the Nile’s banks revolutionized human communication. 

The ancient Egyptians discovered that papyrus contained natural chemical compounds that made it naturally resistant to pest damage, allowing their mathematical treatises, architectural plans, and cultural records to survive through millennia. These same properties that preserved humanity’s earliest written knowledge now protect this contemporary piece of functional art.

Working in collaboration with James Musasizi, Huema Design has transformed this historically significant material into a contemporary furniture piece that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design. 

While the stool’s papyrus construction requires it to be used indoors to ensure its longevity, this limitation becomes part of its intimate nature, making it particularly suited for domestic spaces where people gather and connect.

The Kitole project represents a bold exploration of papyrus’s potential in modern furniture design while simultaneously serving as a metaphor for social cohesion. By reimagining an ancient material in a contemporary context, the stool creates a bridge between Uganda’s traditional craftsmanship and its modern design aspirations, embodying the power of collective creativity and cultural unity