Remnants of imperialism in Uganda
Jun 29, 2017
Ugandans deserve to sit at the lake even if to just watch the water wave
By Deo Tumusiime
Monday June 26, 2017 was supposed to be a great day as I hosted a long-time friend from South Africa at my house, but it got dampened the moment we stepped out to try and enjoy a good feel of our motherland.
Dampened not because of the unprecedented morning downpour, but pointers of imperialism still hovering over our country.
In fact, the heavy rain received signaled the universal love of God, as it saved us from the world class dust left behind after our road was graded a few weeks back.
Ah, and while we drove on our dust free road punctuated by mud and large amounts of standing water, the result of no drainage channels, the paved and tarmacked roads at Victoria Mall and the Imperial Resort Beach were more dreadful. They gave us this feel; that we'd rather drive on our dusty and muddy roads in freedom than the paved roads filled with a remorseful stench of imperialism.
@Victoria Mall: On arrival at Victoria Mall (and definitely Victoria is a name in praise of our colonialists), we were required to undergo mandatory security checks. Everyone was asked to come out of the car and highly obliged; we followed the orders of the security personnel manning the entrance. I was personally checked by a female security officer, who massaged my thighs to be sure I had no weapon on me. Once she was done, I jokingly asked her whether she didn't fear touching a man's thighs (and I know if it were the other way round, women activists would be up in arms). She responded to say that as a security officer, she didn't feel anything. Then I reminded her that being a security officer does not stop her from being a human being, to which she conceded saying "You are actually right".
Perhaps being checked by a female officer may not have been that important, after all, it supposedly passed without further incident; but once we entered the parking yard, it took a few minutes before our colleague could be allowed in, yet he was driving right behind me.
When he finally made it in, he was all boiling, visibly disturbed. I sought to find out what the matter was, and he unleashed his traumatic experience. While we the Black Ugandans were asked to come out of our cars for thorough checking, a White man came by and was simply ushered in with a smile without even stepping out of his car! These double standards spoke volumes of the effects of imperialism still here with us, to the extent that we Ugandans are still considered lesser human-and this really hurts.
@Imperial Resort beach: Once we were done with the sadness at Victoria, then we get to Imperial resort beach, all fenced up with very high walls. We had to go through metal cages to access the entrance (never mind that this could have been done for crowd control). Soon, a well build man surfaced from some corner to demand entry fees, 3000 Uganda Shillings each, meaning the four of us had to pay sh12,000. Next to us, a young man was thoroughly checked and his bottle of soda and bottle of water were confiscated. No drinks from outside are allowed, says the directive. Even when we were later told that those who buy fish are exempted from entrance charges, at sh28,000 for a medium fish, surely waiving entrance fees cannot still be considered a favor. How many Ugandans can afford this?
Well, we nonetheless managed to sort ourselves, ordering one over and above the proverbial fish that Jesus served multitudes, leading to a hefty bill in excesses of a Hundred Thousand, as a tiny bottle of soda also crazily cost us sh4,000. In a nutshell, Imperial Resort Beach is ideally not a hangout place for ordinary Ugandans but foreign visitors, who are happy to throw around some Dollars and Pounds.
As I sat by the waterside, watching the waves push away large volumes of water, I felt sorry for my country. We have allowed the love of money to define our life, fencing off the entire stretch of Lake Victoria by creating beach this, beach that, and in the process denying our own people the chance to enjoy the God-given resource.
Ugandans deserve to sit at the lake even if to just watch the water waves or bathe in the beach sand, and feel the cool breeze. There's a way this takes off stress by helping people to naturally connect with the universe. If this happens, you are likely to have a lesser stressed and productive population. These are attributes; the government must pay attention to, by creating an enabling environment for majority of our citizens to feel proud of being Ugandans. Use other avenues to collect revenue but DO NOT fence off a massive water body like Lake Victoria and make it a preserve for foreigners and the moneyed. I find this whole business absolutely immoral and un-Godly.
I believe some day even the forests, hills and mountains shall be fenced off, and we only read about them in magazines designed by the tourists, who are able to capture some pictures. One wonders what life will be like once we've all been closed off in these imperial cages.
If Uganda must claim Independence, we must give chance to our people to live free lives-if anything, free to enjoy unlimited access to the massive beauty of what God gave us freely for our survival. We must not be seen to protect the leisure interests of a small class in society and foreigners at the expense of Ugandan citizens.
The writer is a communications consultant