Karooro got it wrong!
Nov 14, 2007
EDITOR—I respond to your ‘literary and socio-political analyst’ Karooro Okurut’s article, “No tribe is too big to need others in Uganda†published on Tuesday.
EDITOR—I respond to your ‘literary and socio-political analyst’ Karooro Okurut’s article, “No tribe is too big to need others in Uganda†published on Tuesday.
I find it odd that a person of Karooro’s calibre can stoop so low as to evoke the tribal sentiments we Baganda have been hearing for decades. It is only when the Baganda raise an issue that such sentiments come out. It seems to be a ploy to silence them. The example of “Mbwazirime†that she uses is actually “Mbwazirume†which her ancestors may have misheard! Banana cultivars have names in Buganda. This just happens to be one of them, and it is still around in Buganda.
Therefore, it could not have the origin that she attributes to it. I do understand her state of mind when she thinks of Baganda providing employment to her ancestors at that time. It seems to be human.
Even in a village in Buganda, many people will have prejudice against those who are a bit better off than them.
Things have come full circle though—it is the Banyankole who are employing Baganda now. I wonder what our descendants will be saying against the Banyankole in 50 years’ time. I hope we shall have outgrown Karooro’s kind of thinking. For now, let us address the issues that are bothering Baganda without trying to shut them up with wrong analyses!
Panta Kasoma
panta_kasoma@yahoo.com
I find it odd that a person of Karooro’s calibre can stoop so low as to evoke the tribal sentiments we Baganda have been hearing for decades. It is only when the Baganda raise an issue that such sentiments come out. It seems to be a ploy to silence them. The example of “Mbwazirime†that she uses is actually “Mbwazirume†which her ancestors may have misheard! Banana cultivars have names in Buganda. This just happens to be one of them, and it is still around in Buganda.
Therefore, it could not have the origin that she attributes to it. I do understand her state of mind when she thinks of Baganda providing employment to her ancestors at that time. It seems to be human.
Even in a village in Buganda, many people will have prejudice against those who are a bit better off than them.
Things have come full circle though—it is the Banyankole who are employing Baganda now. I wonder what our descendants will be saying against the Banyankole in 50 years’ time. I hope we shall have outgrown Karooro’s kind of thinking. For now, let us address the issues that are bothering Baganda without trying to shut them up with wrong analyses!
Panta Kasoma
panta_kasoma@yahoo.com