Strategies to shake Queen’s hand
Nov 19, 2007
WHEN it was announced on radio that the Queen of England was coming to Uganda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting this year, I started looking for the easiest way to shake her hand again and tell her that the last time I did it, I was just 13. That was 53 years ago!
WHEN it was announced on radio that the Queen of England was coming to Uganda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting this year, I started looking for the easiest way to shake her hand again and tell her that the last time I did it, I was just 13. That was 53 years ago!
One of my strategies was to stand for Mayor of Entebbe, but unfortunately, things did not go my way.
My hope was reduced to tears. Up to now, I don’t know why people did not elect me as their mayor because I am widely travelled, exposed and until then, I believed, that was a good score for a good leader.
Though I was just 13, 1954 will always be my turning point. I got selected to represent Bunyoro during the Queen’s visit. I was a cab in Duhaga junior school.
Over 2,000 children were selected from different parts of Uganda and all of us were supposed to welcome the Queen at Entebbe State House. Days before her arrival, we pitched camp at Entebbe Pier to go through a series of drills on how to greet, talk and even eat.
Our teachers, the late Yokaana Mukasa, Yuniya Majara and Erika Nyakoojo, taught us how to sing. One of one of the songs that thrilled people was Alindabira ku Faidora.
On the day to welcome our guest, the teachers selected 24 children. That day I knew than the number 13 is not as unlucky as the world takes it to be. I fell in that position. We then went through more drills of smiling and walking. Not an easy course, but we got used to it.
The D-Day came with our hair well- trimmed and combed. The boys dressed in khaki, while the girls were in blue dresses.
The march from the pier to State House, with a military band in tow, took us through Entebbe town. We reached at 9:00am, but had to wait till 11:00am. She came to our line and shook my hand with a sweet “Helloâ€. I responded: “Good morning, Your Majestyâ€, with practised meticulous precision.
But the tough drills we had gone through had not prepared us well for the hunger and fatigue. Many children collapsed as they waited for the gloved hand.
We were given sodas, popcorns and biscuits, which had ‘scouts’ written on them. This was the souvenir I carried home to prove to my friends that I had actually seen the queen.
She was dressed in a dark-blue dress with a marching hat and glittering jewelry.
She planted a Mahogany tree from Budongo Forest. The tree still stands at State House up to now.
That evening, we had a jamboree at the pier. We ate a lot of meat and rice, a rare delicacy then. We talked about it for months to come.
I am now frantically organising the old people to see if we can be included on the programme to meet the queen.
Narrated by Kigongo Ssebalamu
One of my strategies was to stand for Mayor of Entebbe, but unfortunately, things did not go my way.
My hope was reduced to tears. Up to now, I don’t know why people did not elect me as their mayor because I am widely travelled, exposed and until then, I believed, that was a good score for a good leader.
Though I was just 13, 1954 will always be my turning point. I got selected to represent Bunyoro during the Queen’s visit. I was a cab in Duhaga junior school.
Over 2,000 children were selected from different parts of Uganda and all of us were supposed to welcome the Queen at Entebbe State House. Days before her arrival, we pitched camp at Entebbe Pier to go through a series of drills on how to greet, talk and even eat.
Our teachers, the late Yokaana Mukasa, Yuniya Majara and Erika Nyakoojo, taught us how to sing. One of one of the songs that thrilled people was Alindabira ku Faidora.
On the day to welcome our guest, the teachers selected 24 children. That day I knew than the number 13 is not as unlucky as the world takes it to be. I fell in that position. We then went through more drills of smiling and walking. Not an easy course, but we got used to it.
The D-Day came with our hair well- trimmed and combed. The boys dressed in khaki, while the girls were in blue dresses.
The march from the pier to State House, with a military band in tow, took us through Entebbe town. We reached at 9:00am, but had to wait till 11:00am. She came to our line and shook my hand with a sweet “Helloâ€. I responded: “Good morning, Your Majestyâ€, with practised meticulous precision.
But the tough drills we had gone through had not prepared us well for the hunger and fatigue. Many children collapsed as they waited for the gloved hand.
We were given sodas, popcorns and biscuits, which had ‘scouts’ written on them. This was the souvenir I carried home to prove to my friends that I had actually seen the queen.
She was dressed in a dark-blue dress with a marching hat and glittering jewelry.
She planted a Mahogany tree from Budongo Forest. The tree still stands at State House up to now.
That evening, we had a jamboree at the pier. We ate a lot of meat and rice, a rare delicacy then. We talked about it for months to come.
I am now frantically organising the old people to see if we can be included on the programme to meet the queen.
Narrated by Kigongo Ssebalamu