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Hello world! posted on March 9, 2010 - 4:58pm
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Two Bad Choices posted on December 14, 2009 - 2:06pm
“The most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressor”, warned Steve Biko, “ is the mind of the oppressed”. This legend of the South African anti-apartheid struggle spoke during the widespread African student protests against the then Boer-imposed education system, which produced a particular form of anti-Apartheid agitation spearheaded by Biko’s Black Consciousness Movement, focusing on African pride, and not limited to the wider demands for equal democratic rights. Despite a prevalence of religious schools, Uganda’s governance continues to suffer from high levels of distinctly presumably unchristian conduct in public affairs.
Memorandum To: All Capital Radio Limited Presenters Cc: Caroline Mukidi Wandera, Derick Nkajja, Jared Mokobo, George Manyali, Patricia Okoed Bukumunhe, Gloria Nakiyimba Date: 29th September 2009 Re: BUGANDA CONTENT Following a meeting with the Broadcasting Council today concerning certain forms of on air content on Beat FM that can be deemed inciting and may have potential to inflame public sentiments, we are required to make key adjustments to our content broadcast on both Capital Radio and Beat FM. All content relating to Buganda-the Buganda Kingdom and the institution of the Kabaka-will not be aired on both stations, unless as positive stories run in the New Vision or Bukedde newspapers covered in our press review. The stories which are positive are those that enhance the relationship between the Central Government and the Buganda Kingdom and do not incite the public into violence.
How “Madwomen” Get Pregnant posted on September 25, 2009 - 7:25pm
The September 2009 Buganda riots attracted a lot of sound and fury from citizens and commentators. However, amidst the heated debates, there was one Ugandan with an apparently very different concern. In a letter to a newspaper, one Rogers Muzigiti from Kasese wanted to know who was responsible for the pregnancy of a mentally ill woman who wanders the town. As it was her third pregnancy, he felt it was high time that the man responsible be identified and held accountable. Unaccountable pregnancies among mentally and physically disabled and destitute women are actually quite a common African phenomenon.
SPECIAL REQUEST: BOOK REVIEW posted on July 21, 2009 - 8:46pm
Uganda’s Revolution; 1979-1986: How I saw it. Author Pecos Kutesa (Col) Fountain Publishers “Who is the enemy in a civil war?” is the question that Pecos Kutesa poses early on in his entertaining book about his role in what he terms Uganda’s “Revolution”. As a personal recollection of the experiences of an able and courageous fighting soldier, replete with historical photos, this book bears remarkable resemblance in tone and wry humour to President Museveni’s “Sowing The Mustard Seed”, and covering much of the same terrain. The one difference is that one feels this is a much more open account, as Kutesa is not burdened with running the country at the same time. He just wants to tell his story. Nevertheless, both are selective in their approach. For a start, both talk about mere war, but claim “revolution”. What did happen in Uganda between 1979 and 1986?
The Price of Success posted on May 22, 2009 - 12:51pm
It said that while trying to subdue to indigenous tribes of western Europe, the Generals of the conquering Roman army were often confounded by the resilience of the natives on the battlefield. As a response, they developed the tactic of declaring truces and then sending lavish gifts across the lines to some of the native commanders, while leaving out others. This would sometimes lead to in-fighting among the natives as mutual suspicion developed, which the Romans would then militarily exploit. The dust kicked up during the controversy over whether or not Buganda should accept the promised 2 billion shillings (of which a down-payment of 350 million was immediately wired) from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, is just beginning to settle. Inside and outside and outside Buganda, there was a strong division of opinion. One kingdom got more than the others that got something. Most got nothing at all. Maybe history was being repeated. This was understandable.
Which Doctor? Part I posted on March 29, 2009 - 8:38pm
The notorious American-European explorer Henry Morton Stanley took a very creative approach to his work. He used to traverse the African interior of the late 1860s accompanied by hundreds of porters carrying his luggage. Among the items was a set of large electric batteries which at the time represented the height of European electronic technology. When meeting with African chiefs in Congo, he would have the batteries placed on the ground behind him, and run wires from them under the back of his jacket and down the sleeve of his right arm where they would terminate in his palm. As each chief approached and shook Stanley’s hand, they would receive a mild electric shock. He had another kakodyo (“little trick”), of holding spent bullets in his hand while he got one of his white companions to fire a pistol loaded with blanks at him. He would then slowly bend down and pretend to pick the spent bullets from the ground, and display them to the assembled crowd.
Apology, Part II posted on February 13, 2009 - 11:05am
Hello visitors! Please ignore the spam offering to enlarge certain parts of the human anatomy (especially if you don’t have that particular bit!). On the other hand, if you do want to invesigate further, please do not let me stop you. Seriously, sorry for the spam, we are trying to delete it, and to find a permanent solution to it. In the meantime, accept our apology for the intrusion, and POST YOUR OWN COMMENTS!! We would like to know what you think of the issues raised on this blog. See also the “mother website” to this: www.serumagacentre.org.ug Regards, Kalundi Serumaga
This blog is supposed to be about art, but……… posted on February 5, 2009 - 11:01am
TO THE EDITOR OF THE (UK-BASED) “ECONOMIST” MAGAZINE: Dear Sir, With regard to The Economist’s fascinating end-of-year editorial apology, I fear that there remains one oversight from 2008 that should be added to the list of mea culpas. The author of your 24th July article (“A grumpy kingdom“), sought to describe and dissect the ongoing land legislation wrangles within Uganda. Unfortunately, he missed the real issue, which is about how 2008 may well mark the point at which the states Europe founded in Africa went into terminal decline, having failed as vehicles for progress and civic viability, and as evidenced by the common thread of identity politics running through the discontent in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya as well as Uganda during that year. Instead, the writer wrongly depicts a scenario in Uganda of what he sees as grievance politics being “nurtured” by non-viable ethnic polities of a seemingly bygone era, such as the “ghostly realm” of the Kingdom of Buganda.
Take The Long Way Home posted on December 10, 2008 - 12:19pm
There are times when a moment of silence can seem louder than actual noise. The current silence of those who were previously the vigorous advocates of imposing the Western neo-liberal economic doctrines of “donate, privatise and sell” on Uganda, is one such moment. What little commentary they have managed to make sounds like the “confused noise made by the ram after the butcher’s knife has sunk past the windpipe” to borrow a quote from Uganda’s most famous poet, Okot p’Bitek. At one public dialogue on the crisis held on 28th November, Dr Emmanuel Mutebile (Governor, Bank of Uganda) declared: “I repeat that the immediate impact of the financial turmoil in the western world is almost zero with the single exception of the impact of the exchange rate…”.