Do we celebrate the International Day for Tolerance in Uganda?

 

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Tolerance is observed on November 16 each year to help people understand the importance of tolerance worldwide. The day is used to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and to help them understand the negative effects of intolerance.

 

Building tolerance and trust in diverse communities is not done overnight, but takes time and commitment. It requires access to education. Intolerance is often rooted in ignorance and fear: of the unknown, and of the "other", such as other cultures, religions and nations. 

 

Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride: notions taught and learned at an early age. Therefore if we are to nurture tolerance in Uganda, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating children about tolerance, human rights and fundamental freedoms. 

 

However, education does not end in school; adults -- firstly as individuals capable of committing acts of intolerance, but more importantly in their capacity as parents, law-makers and law-enforcement officials --also need to be considered a priority target of our educational efforts.

 

The International Day for Tolerance is a time for people to learn about respecting and recognizing the rights and beliefs of others. It is also a time of reflection and debate on the negative effects of intolerance. 

 

Live discussions and debates take place across the world on this day, focusing on how various forms of injustice, oppression, racism and unfair discrimination have a negative impact on society.

 

Many educators use the theme of this day to help students in classrooms or in lecture theatres understand issues centered on tolerance, human rights and non-violence. Human rights activists also use this day as an opportunity to speak out on human rights laws, especially with regard to banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination against minorities. 

 

However, as the rest of the World celebrates this day, Uganda is yet to adequately embrace issues of tolerance. In this modern day and era, we are still using our religious, cultural and political values to judge and discriminate or isolate others. 

 

The other word for tolerance is acceptance which many Ugandans of different shades have failed to embrace. Dominant cultures and political affiliations are often intolerant and oppressive to smaller minority cultures and political associations.

 

In Uganda, we can use this day as an annual occasion for tolerance education as well as for wider social and political reflection and debate on local and global problems of intolerance and learn from the best practices from other parts of the World. We can also use it as a moment to take stock of the progress made during the past years and to propose fresh policies to close remaining gaps in respecting the different cultural and political diversities.