A little good news

 

 

But for every nasty, negative thing that happens, there are several others, unseen and often unsung, which makes us sit back and, yes, there is hope in our world. For all it might mean, here is a little good news about Uganda.

 

It was the title of a 2000 movie about a young boy trying to make the world a better place by asking everybody to help somebody else. Many of us thought it was soppy and ignored, but it looks like something just like that is happening in this country. 

 

Ugandans are not known to be helpful to others, unless they are foreigners. They will rob you if you were involved in an accident, and one time somebody hit an accident victim on the head so he could take his jacket and television set, too.

 

Last month somebody posted on the Sanyu Radio facebook page about receiving mobile money from a strange number, and call pleading with him to send it back. He wanted to know what he should do, keep it, or send it back?

 

Now people on that page usually just talk about sex, how to get it, from whom, and how to do it. But mostly they abuse each other in very flowery terms.

 

So it was something of a surprise, almost a shock, that within 10 minutes of that post there were 20 comments and only two advised that he should keep the money. All the others beseeched him to send it back, that the sender could be in some trouble and the same could happen to him.

 

I do not know if that guy eventually sent the money back, but a big up to members of the Sanyu page. Those guys may not sound educated, even a little daft at times, but they got their hearts right.

 

 

Of course, I am biased, seeing I was part of the team that put this up. But it was really heartening to see thousands of people turn up for the fifth edition of the region’s largest wedding exhibition.

 

And it was even more heartening that those exhibitors keep coming back year after year. 

 

Ugandans are notoriously suspicious of advertising, not really understanding the concept and benefits of it. We are largely a nation of traders and dealers, doing day-to-day business, so I would understand why advertising does not make much sense to many of us.

 

But to those 100 plus exhibitors that showed up and for three days explained their wares and services to the public, you folks really rock. 

 

And with six fashion shows in three days, it is Kampala’s largest annual fashion event. It has had its challenges in the past, but we almost pulled it off this time.

 

We would have too, except for continued interference from a supervisor and the Silk Events guys who insisted on doing what they wanted, not what we wanted. But eventually they cooperated and all is well that ends well. See you again next year, folks.

 

Did anybody ever think this would happen? Nobody in Uganda’s football history has ever resigned, or willingly given up the mantle of heading the country’s soccer governing body. 

 

Mostly they have been fired by the Government, and at one time soccer lovers had to go to court to force the FUFA President out of office. What is it about soccer, anyway?

 

For a fraternity that likes calling each other names like ‘potato growers’, and is largely uneducated, this can only be good news. Maybe now they can all go back to doing what they should be doing, develop the game and take us to the World Cup.

 

Street lights

That is right, street lights. They happened to Kiwatule Road, and also Kisaasi Road. Those roads leading out of Ntinda are now well-lit, at least most of the time they are. Street lights are an important part of urban culture and several generations of Ugandans have grown up without that. Lots of things happen around street lights, so maybe now the young generation will have a chance to grow a real urban culture. Big up KCCA.

 

 

This is the title of a 1983 song by Canadian country music singer Anne Murray. In it she hopes for a day where there were no robberies in town; that nobody staged a riot downtown, nobody fired a shot in anger and that nobody had to die in vain.

 

A day where newspapers would be only one page, because ‘Not much to print today/cannot find nothing bad to say’. A little good news to you all.