It’s the galz night out
Oct 24, 2008
It is one Friday night, September 1963. Esteri, a married woman and mother of three puts on her dancing shoes, round mini skirt and layers her face with make up. Picking up her clutch bag, she tells her husband that she will be coming home late. She is going out with the girls
By Rosette Nagimesi
It is one Friday night, September 1963. Esteri, a married woman and mother of three puts on her dancing shoes, round mini skirt and layers her face with make up. Picking up her clutch bag, she tells her husband that she will be coming home late. She is going out with the girls.
Come on, snap out of the reverie. It did not happen and never would have happened. At least not here in Uganda. It was just abominable for a married woman to go partying in the night. It almost certainly would have broken up the marriage had she done so, moreover without the company of her husband.
Hallelujah, the times have changed. For many of today’s husbands, it does not make you any less of a good wife if you just ‘get your liberation on’ and hit the town with your girlfriends.
While the theme of the night is ‘party, party and more party’, the only rule is to stay away from the boys and discourage them if they hang around too long. Nothing personal, it’s just that this night, out of a zillion others, has been set aside for fun, laughter and gossip, with a little joint problem- solving thrown in for good measure. It’s hard to do these things effectively when boys are around. So, dressed up, looking as fine as possible, girls step out and revel in their independence.
It goes without saying that for this freedom and independence to have any meaning, you need to have your own money and a plan on how the night’s going to start and end. As regards the plan, you can either decide to make it up as you go along or plan the start and end venues (and times) for your evening.
Beautiful, excited ladies on their own stand out like a beacon for all sorts of people. For this reason, there are a few things to remember as you have fun;
Don’t accept drinks from strangers and then quarrel when they follow you around all night. They aren’t following you, they are following their investment.
“I learnt not to let strangers buy me drinks when one called me a slut because I’d refused to go home with him,†Carol, 22, says. “He’d asked to buy me and my friends drinks and I said yes,†she continues. We, girls have a bad reputation for liking free things so some men think they can use this ‘weakness’ against us.
Some uncouth people think that when their drink offer is accepted, all their other warped ideas have also been agreed to. That’s why it is not a good idea to accept drinks from strangers. Perhaps the best thing to do is to accept his drink only if you’re sure you can afford to buy him his next one. That way, you’re even.
It’s not very wise to leave your drink unattended. There’s been talk of people who go around spiking unsuspecting girls’ drinks. An unconscious or drugged person can easily be led out by a total stranger pretending to be her friend.
It is also important not to go out with girlfriends you don’t trust to take care of you if you get too high. Too often, we see drunken girls being pawed by less drunk acquaintances and even total strangers, just coz there’s no one looking out for them. Go with friends you trust to either slow you down so you don’t get drunk, or carry you home when you do.
Finally, have a pre-planned way to go home. It’s not generally advisable to leave the party in some stranger’s car. It could go either way. He could drop you home and wish you a good night or we could all read about your disappearance, in the papers, the next day. So be careful when you go out to party and make sure to have a great time!
It is one Friday night, September 1963. Esteri, a married woman and mother of three puts on her dancing shoes, round mini skirt and layers her face with make up. Picking up her clutch bag, she tells her husband that she will be coming home late. She is going out with the girls.
Come on, snap out of the reverie. It did not happen and never would have happened. At least not here in Uganda. It was just abominable for a married woman to go partying in the night. It almost certainly would have broken up the marriage had she done so, moreover without the company of her husband.
Hallelujah, the times have changed. For many of today’s husbands, it does not make you any less of a good wife if you just ‘get your liberation on’ and hit the town with your girlfriends.
While the theme of the night is ‘party, party and more party’, the only rule is to stay away from the boys and discourage them if they hang around too long. Nothing personal, it’s just that this night, out of a zillion others, has been set aside for fun, laughter and gossip, with a little joint problem- solving thrown in for good measure. It’s hard to do these things effectively when boys are around. So, dressed up, looking as fine as possible, girls step out and revel in their independence.
It goes without saying that for this freedom and independence to have any meaning, you need to have your own money and a plan on how the night’s going to start and end. As regards the plan, you can either decide to make it up as you go along or plan the start and end venues (and times) for your evening.
Beautiful, excited ladies on their own stand out like a beacon for all sorts of people. For this reason, there are a few things to remember as you have fun;
Don’t accept drinks from strangers and then quarrel when they follow you around all night. They aren’t following you, they are following their investment.
“I learnt not to let strangers buy me drinks when one called me a slut because I’d refused to go home with him,†Carol, 22, says. “He’d asked to buy me and my friends drinks and I said yes,†she continues. We, girls have a bad reputation for liking free things so some men think they can use this ‘weakness’ against us.
Some uncouth people think that when their drink offer is accepted, all their other warped ideas have also been agreed to. That’s why it is not a good idea to accept drinks from strangers. Perhaps the best thing to do is to accept his drink only if you’re sure you can afford to buy him his next one. That way, you’re even.
It’s not very wise to leave your drink unattended. There’s been talk of people who go around spiking unsuspecting girls’ drinks. An unconscious or drugged person can easily be led out by a total stranger pretending to be her friend.
It is also important not to go out with girlfriends you don’t trust to take care of you if you get too high. Too often, we see drunken girls being pawed by less drunk acquaintances and even total strangers, just coz there’s no one looking out for them. Go with friends you trust to either slow you down so you don’t get drunk, or carry you home when you do.
Finally, have a pre-planned way to go home. It’s not generally advisable to leave the party in some stranger’s car. It could go either way. He could drop you home and wish you a good night or we could all read about your disappearance, in the papers, the next day. So be careful when you go out to party and make sure to have a great time!