London town is burning ...
Aug 13, 2011
THE better-known traditional children’s song is: “London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Downâ€. But in the last week, with wild elements rioting through London’s various boroughs, burning and looting as they went, ‘London burning down’ is accurate enough.
By John Nagenda
THE better-known traditional children’s song is: “London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Downâ€. But in the last week, with wild elements rioting through London’s various boroughs, burning and looting as they went, ‘London burning down’ is accurate enough.
Were they copycat versions which followed, or did the rioters possess common leadership, long in the planning, ready to flare up when the moment was ripe? Either way, they followed the fatal shooting of a young Black, Mark Duggan, in Tottenham, a run-down part of London.
Starting off with a peaceful demonstration in Duggan’s neighbourhood, fiery events quickly followed, engulfing a dozen other districts, some financially better than others. Doubtless criminal hooligans, often gangs, opportunistically seized the chance to join in: for burning, looting and even fun. In some, but not all, cases, to start with, disadvantaged Blacks formed the bulk of the troublemakers: little surprise, for they made up the very bottom of their society, often with few chances of good jobs. Soon they were overtaken by Whites. From London, the troubles quickly sped to other cities, many of the affected areas, like Toxteth, famous in the lore of earlier uprisings: some things never change. Clearly Britain has much thinking ahead, discovering all the cause of these riots. Simplistic, populist, conclusions won’t help. (Premier Cameron blamed sick criminals born of bad parentage!)
The country, as always with those in grief, must be given time and space to grieve. Meantime, seeing how the media, including Auntie BBC, and the ubiquitous Donors, always jump to conclusions when these things happen in “developing†countries, it can prove impossible to hide a kind of glee when the tables are turned!
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What struck many of us in Uganda was the very different perspective given to these UK riots, compared to the reporting of our own variety (by such as BBC’s Wee Willie Ross), where the drone is always prefixed to “the heavily unpopular Movement†government of Uganda. Never mind how easily it wins at the ballot box! Should we follow example and blame the unpopularity of Her Majesty’s British Government for London Town’s burning down? Indeed we shall not: better to exhibit maturity.
You also ponder what would happen if it were proved that a Besigye think-alike had encouraged the start of the riots to by telling people to make Britain “ungovernableâ€, as Dr Besigye swore publicly to do in Uganda, upon his unceremonious dumping in the February elections. Would the person have been rewarded by a kiss on both cheeks, or might he have been lynched even before being arrested by the police? (Dressed in black, incidentally, as in Uganda, while chasing the rioters!)
Besigye, for his part, went to Masaka midweek, to attend prayers for those he said had been killed in his notorious Walks To Work. The prayers were approved by Police, with a time limit of six in the evening. He then decided to stage a procession to the grave of a child killed by a stray bullet in a previous riot. What potentially over-emotional disturbances might this have created, especially in the dark! The move was denied by Police, who, when the over-excited crowd proved intractable, used rubber bullets to disperse it.
Here’s a funny thing. In faraway and civilised Britain, people are demanding sterner measures to deal with rioters, including rubber bullets, water cannon, and the introduction of the armed forces: anything to effectively deal with the situation. Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated in Parliament that nothing was ruled out.
It is interesting (to return to him!) that Kizza Besigye sank to the pit level of using an innocent child’s accidental death to try and whip up a crowd. To him, any action, however undignified, is legitimate so long as it leaves him in the public eye. I put it down to his being without a proper job at his time of life. Could you, in your wildest mind, see his Nemesis, Yoweri Museveni, President, use a dead infant in this way? Impossible!
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Sometimes, if done with decorum, it might be allowed for hardworking Columnists to bring their little trumpet to their lips, and blow. Allow this one to do the same; indeed not about himself but two companies of which he is Chairman. Both were owned by two younger sons of the Marquess of Salisbury, Lords Valentine and Michael Cecil. The first was Afsat, which dealt in V-Sat communication by satellite. Born in Uganda, it spread to 27 African countries (mainly through the efforts of one Salim Suleman) before being sold, and then sold on, to giant South African Telecom.
It is now known as Iwayafrica, after acquiring Africaonline. This has enabled it to stay in V-Sat, but with terrestrial addition through the latter. I am trying in vain to think of another company which started here and grew so widely, rather than the other way round.
The second company was, and still is, Wilken Telecommunications Uganda. It has a nice niche in all telecommunications, including airports, banks, hotels and international organisations. Those infuriated by such self-advertising will now with near apoplexy have resumed their breakfasts. Your Columnist? After so long resisting this temptation to blow his trumpet, he is beaming with forbidden pleasure and pride! Reader, why not try some?
THE better-known traditional children’s song is: “London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Downâ€. But in the last week, with wild elements rioting through London’s various boroughs, burning and looting as they went, ‘London burning down’ is accurate enough.
Were they copycat versions which followed, or did the rioters possess common leadership, long in the planning, ready to flare up when the moment was ripe? Either way, they followed the fatal shooting of a young Black, Mark Duggan, in Tottenham, a run-down part of London.
Starting off with a peaceful demonstration in Duggan’s neighbourhood, fiery events quickly followed, engulfing a dozen other districts, some financially better than others. Doubtless criminal hooligans, often gangs, opportunistically seized the chance to join in: for burning, looting and even fun. In some, but not all, cases, to start with, disadvantaged Blacks formed the bulk of the troublemakers: little surprise, for they made up the very bottom of their society, often with few chances of good jobs. Soon they were overtaken by Whites. From London, the troubles quickly sped to other cities, many of the affected areas, like Toxteth, famous in the lore of earlier uprisings: some things never change. Clearly Britain has much thinking ahead, discovering all the cause of these riots. Simplistic, populist, conclusions won’t help. (Premier Cameron blamed sick criminals born of bad parentage!)
The country, as always with those in grief, must be given time and space to grieve. Meantime, seeing how the media, including Auntie BBC, and the ubiquitous Donors, always jump to conclusions when these things happen in “developing†countries, it can prove impossible to hide a kind of glee when the tables are turned!
***************
What struck many of us in Uganda was the very different perspective given to these UK riots, compared to the reporting of our own variety (by such as BBC’s Wee Willie Ross), where the drone is always prefixed to “the heavily unpopular Movement†government of Uganda. Never mind how easily it wins at the ballot box! Should we follow example and blame the unpopularity of Her Majesty’s British Government for London Town’s burning down? Indeed we shall not: better to exhibit maturity.
You also ponder what would happen if it were proved that a Besigye think-alike had encouraged the start of the riots to by telling people to make Britain “ungovernableâ€, as Dr Besigye swore publicly to do in Uganda, upon his unceremonious dumping in the February elections. Would the person have been rewarded by a kiss on both cheeks, or might he have been lynched even before being arrested by the police? (Dressed in black, incidentally, as in Uganda, while chasing the rioters!)
Besigye, for his part, went to Masaka midweek, to attend prayers for those he said had been killed in his notorious Walks To Work. The prayers were approved by Police, with a time limit of six in the evening. He then decided to stage a procession to the grave of a child killed by a stray bullet in a previous riot. What potentially over-emotional disturbances might this have created, especially in the dark! The move was denied by Police, who, when the over-excited crowd proved intractable, used rubber bullets to disperse it.
Here’s a funny thing. In faraway and civilised Britain, people are demanding sterner measures to deal with rioters, including rubber bullets, water cannon, and the introduction of the armed forces: anything to effectively deal with the situation. Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated in Parliament that nothing was ruled out.
It is interesting (to return to him!) that Kizza Besigye sank to the pit level of using an innocent child’s accidental death to try and whip up a crowd. To him, any action, however undignified, is legitimate so long as it leaves him in the public eye. I put it down to his being without a proper job at his time of life. Could you, in your wildest mind, see his Nemesis, Yoweri Museveni, President, use a dead infant in this way? Impossible!
**************
Sometimes, if done with decorum, it might be allowed for hardworking Columnists to bring their little trumpet to their lips, and blow. Allow this one to do the same; indeed not about himself but two companies of which he is Chairman. Both were owned by two younger sons of the Marquess of Salisbury, Lords Valentine and Michael Cecil. The first was Afsat, which dealt in V-Sat communication by satellite. Born in Uganda, it spread to 27 African countries (mainly through the efforts of one Salim Suleman) before being sold, and then sold on, to giant South African Telecom.
It is now known as Iwayafrica, after acquiring Africaonline. This has enabled it to stay in V-Sat, but with terrestrial addition through the latter. I am trying in vain to think of another company which started here and grew so widely, rather than the other way round.
The second company was, and still is, Wilken Telecommunications Uganda. It has a nice niche in all telecommunications, including airports, banks, hotels and international organisations. Those infuriated by such self-advertising will now with near apoplexy have resumed their breakfasts. Your Columnist? After so long resisting this temptation to blow his trumpet, he is beaming with forbidden pleasure and pride! Reader, why not try some?