James Nkuubi
3 June 2011
opinion
Tomorrow, all roads will lead to Namboole Stadium, the battlefield of the Uganda Cranes against Guinea Bissau Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. This goes beyond football, for such days are some of the many that we no longer have as Ugandans to be united . What were originally national functions of pride such as the October 9 Independence Day are erroneously taken to be about the NRM and not the nation of Uganda. The nationhood project has been largely abandoned and we remain a conglomerate of tribes in a geographical location called Uganda.
Even the little we had gained as ‘Ugandans’ has been frustrated by recent moves to ring-fence leadership positions in particular districts for the so-called ‘indigenous Ugandans’ to fill them.
The trend is now moving to decentralisation based on ethnicity where districts are awarded to satisfy a particular group of people without considering the likely future repercussions of such entities based on tribes. Consequently, we are slowly emphasising tribalism instead of Ugandanism. Having failed in realising the national project of nationhood, we have fallen to tribal pride; further inculcating the divisionism. Ultimately, we are now relegated to only feeling and behaving as Ugandans when the Cranes is playing against a ‘common enemy’-Guinea Bissau, and of course in times of sorrow such as the July, 2010 terrorist bombings of Kampala.
Tomorrow, Namboole will bring together Ugandans of all walks of life.
The so-called ‘dregs and unwashed’ of this country, too shall have a chance to sit and cheer with the so-called ‘affluent washed’ clout of the society. Do not mind the simple fact that some of the so-called ‘washed’ are busy siphoning off the country’s resources in the most possible way to the detriment of the ‘dregs.’ In the general public stands we shall not distinguish the ‘hellish gangs’ of Besigye and the ‘clean crowds’ of Museveni!
All these people, Ugandans, shall be united in cheer. We shall hug each other, laugh together and probably have a chance to walk back home on foot in jubilation. Only this time we shall not be arrested for walking as the Police officers shall be waving to us also cheering, ‘Uganda Oyeee!’ We shall hoot and shout but our number plates will not appear in the newspapers summoning us to surrender ourselves to the Police! No! This time, it will not be a crime.
Possibly, even the commander cracking down on the hooters shall be hooting in jubilation.
This time, we shall be united for a common cause, with our bandanas and vuvuzelas; we shall adorn our Uganda Cranes jerseys and shall repeatedly sing our national anthem with pride. But, the match shall end and our Ugandanism shall disappear into the night like the moon.
The ‘dregs’ shall retire into the slums of Bwaise, Kiwunya and Kalerwe. It will dawn on them that there are some Ugandans more equal than them anyway who will have driven off into the well-lit, well guarded silent, quiet nights of the affluent parts of the city. But all of us shall be satisfied that yes, today we were Ugandans.
But again, a powerful wish shall remain that if only our new government can prioritise nation building amidst increasing inequality and manipulation of ethnicity to achieve political ends, June 4 would be a daily phenomenon. If only politicians can stop using our diversities to divide us rather than help us celebrate them-for after 40 years of independence, project nationhood remains incomplete.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Read More:
The Cranes Unite Unwashed Dregs And Clean Crowds