Proudly Ugandan

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. ~ Maya Angelou

I love Maya Angelou, I love everything about her, but mostly I love her for this quote. You see they recently signed the anti-Pornography bill that among other things prohibits us from wearing minis. This kind of takes me back to when I was growing up and my mum told us stories of the Amin regime. HE also banned the mini skirt and they only wore maxis that they called "Amin nvaako" loosely translated as "Amin Leave me alone". I used to laugh at those stories as I tried to picture how ridiculously Idle that dude must have been, and now it has become my reality. You see, the other day a lady was brutally undressed because she was wearing a mini skirt, and no one came to her rescue. Not even the police that pledges to serve and protect. The president went to the bush and fought for our freedom, only for it to be recalled and taken away by the same people who claim to be reserving it. 

Another bill was passed. The Anti- Homosexuality bill. It has gotten so much uproar that I can't even dissect it any further.  My thing is this, all this talk and opinions about the bills, and yet again we fail to see the reality of our situation. We are bothered about the minis and yet we forget the children suffering at the mulago cancer ward, the millions of women suffering from domestic violence, the millions of people dying from HIV/ AIDS, the poor people in northern Uganda that are still struggling to get their lives back. When did we become this petty? All we know how to do is complain, and be sarcastic asking the government to help us "tusaba gavumenti etuyambe". When will we wake up and realize the government is not going to help us? The government is too busy buying Ipad's for the MP's and giving them allowances for training on how to use them. While you ramble and whine about the mini- skirt bill, the President is being endorsed for the 5th Term, and yet see where our priorities lie. 

How shallow are we as Ugandan's that we can't even see how deep the ramifications of our grumbling and doing nothing are affecting our society. All we know to do is make the loudest noise and then move along to the next scandal, and don't we just love Uganda? there is always the next scandal.  There are homeless street kids, pot holes everywhere you turn, dying mothers in labor because they had no transport to the nearest health center, and when they got to the health center, there was no doctor or there were no drugs and the list goes on and on, but we are bothered about wearing minis.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that USAID will not solve our problems any more than the government will. No one is going to solve those problems, for us but us. SO instead of complaining about what the government hasn't done, or is doing wrong, Get off your lazy self-centered asses and  do something about it. Ask yourself what have you done to help your neighborhood orphanage, or health center. Better yet, what is your role as a Ugandan to see that you make it the country you would love to live in. Instead of telling us how embarrassed you are to be Ugandan, Mind you being embarrassed wont make you American any more than it will make you white. Embarrassed or not, you are still African, Ugandan, and you cant change that the blood flowing through your veins is Ugandan, Your roots are Ugandan. If your idea of changing the world is saying "I am embarrassed to be Ugandan "then I weep for you, your children, and your children's children". Get up, do something about it, words without action are meaningless, If you are not going to do something about it then SHUT UP. Yes I said it. Instead of giving us your opinion of Uganda, tell us about what you have done or are doing to make Uganda/Africa better for your future children. I am proud to be Ugandan, regardless of all the flaws it has, it's the only place I call home.

P.S Shout out to +Kemiyondo Coutinho , +evelyn karungi , +Nina Ainembabazi  and the few youth that have tried to make a difference in society. They have expressed their opinions through actions that aim to change society for the better. Your work though small, goes a long way in showing that there is still hope. All is not lost.

For God and My country

Wondering what they have done? follow the links below

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kawuna-you-re-it

http://support.keepachildalive.org/site/TR?type=fr_tribute_fund&fr_id=1070&pxfid=1930&action=reply&parentid=7180&return=rlst&bpg=post&bpg=post&pg=fund

http://hugstronger.org/undergrad-doing-good-nina-ainembabazi/

Till next time,
Diane Kateeba