idle notes

Why is the world messed up? Why cant we actually achieve world peace?

I sometimes think its a cruel joke or meant to be sarcastic when be for beauty pageant finalists to be coached to give that answer when asked what they would want for the world.

Word peace.

Achievable? Doubt it.

Like every relationship in life, there's always someone out to cause discord, out to make everyones life a problem. 

Is world peace achievable?  the world might be a too big place... Is peace achievable in your family?? total peace and not the "makings" or the illusion of peace?

Shot gun weddings: An eminent return maybe?

I have heard and grown up on shot gun wedding stories, a practise that called people to be morally upstanding and correct in their relations with each other and to treat marriage with sacredness.

Today, this practice is more or less unheard of. It is unheard of for your parents to ask your suitor what his intentions are mainly because your suitor changes faster than the wind changes its direction. Sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage has become so common place that people are a resorting to emotional blackmail to get married.

The things that once scared young people into marriage (mainly pregnancy) have stopped being issues when one engages in sex outside marriage. You would think that the advent of diseases such as HIV would cause people to think carefully about engaging in sexual activities but this is not the case.

Instead, as a result of indications by some, that you can avoid contracting the disease and other STDS, people have become less afraid of attaining countless partners. It has been said by many people that they are more afraid of getting pregnant than getting HIV because you can hide the disease but you cannot hide your pregnancy.

Marriage was meant to be a celebration of the unity between man and woman, a structure within which a family could be created and maintained. Today, marriage is at most a "lucky acqusition" and more a piece of paper than anything else.

For all the brutality and finality of the short gun wedding, this might be a way to right some wrongs. If your father and brothers stood up for you, your husband would not even think of taking on young innocent girls, the practice of "sugar daddy's" would be some what curtailed which would in turn reduce on the spread of HIV/AIDS and STDs.

Western traits that will take some time to catch on.

I find it interesting that when you walk up to someone and start up a conversation, be it at a party or official meet, you probably wont know the person's name unless they are introduced by a third party or you read their tag, should they be wearing one.

Its an akward situation most of us find ourselves in more than once every so often. You meet this interesting person and you talk for hours after which you realise you do not know their names or what they do with their lives.

I suspect it is because we have been brought up to suspect everyone who shows the slightest interest in us, especailly when we cannot see them making a positive contribution to ourlives in anyway.

The communal tradition of sharing "riches" also tends to limit one's enthusiasm in declaring to all who listen what field they work in and where. People tend to take this as an invitation to score some shillings off you and in a bid to deflect clearly unwanted request, you play around with providing exact information.

Europens and Americans on the other hand will probably tell you their life history in one go. What their name is in full, where they work, possibly where they live, how much they earn and what their family does/own.

The African in you bulks at this information overload and the shrewder part of you questions how to make a quick shilling off the unsuspection guillible European. It is no wonder that people say women like hanging with Europeans instead of the natives.

If the African would reveal how much he had, you would not be so "underminding" of his spending capacity..... think about it.

Only in Uganda and to some people

Would it matter what your name is
where you went to school
who you know
who they know
where they work
what car they drive
what you drink
which watch you have
if your phone has WAP

Do the Math...

I got this email today.

Dear Almni,

As a Ugandan, am getting ashamed to say I am!!!, becoz this takes away a healthy chunk of that guilt.

I am utterly buffled, dismayed and disturbed at the lax with which people in "authority" use power in backward regions of the Earth. You would expect a "learned" man like Ekudu to fathom that Nutriton, Relaxation and Income are key factors that influence learning.
Tons of students at Makerere earn money doing secretarial work in the dorms, store their fruits and vegetables in those fridges and avoid all wrong intention...arround the Uni (due to idle minds)...by watching t.v to cool off the hard day's work.

The ban on T.Vs, Fridges and Computers in residence halls is not only ignorant, it's devoid of reason and empathy. While Ekudu, and probably most of his decision-making posse might have grown up in the pot, radio and typewriter era, times have changed and they need to realize that too.

So umeme wants sh 58million for electricity, are you telling me the Ugandan government (small "g") can't come up with that amount, yet it can splash over Sh 20 million on Landcruisers for Ministers and members of parliament (small "p")? And what happened to all that money from the timber snatched from Congo?

While the western world is making all universities wireless, Uganda is making it a crime to own a computer? Psssst!

Murphy

Fight Ignorance, please pass this on.



Makerere bans TVs, fridges
ALEX NSUBUGA & RICHARD WANAMBWA
KAMPALA

MAKERERE University has banned the use of fridges, television sets and computers in all students' halls of residence. The move, it has emerged is meant to cut down on the huge power bills Makerere is facing.
The Dean of Students, Mr John Ekudu, wrote to all university hall wardens on September 12 instructing them to effect the ban. The students are back at the university but it's not clear whether the university authorities are going to force them to return the TVs and computers home.
The university has had a blackout for the last three weeks after Umeme disconnected the power due to non payment of Shs 58 million. When contacted yesterday, Mr Ekudu bluntly said electronic equipment are not allowed at the university. "Whoever has been to Makerere knows the rules, so we are trying to implement those rules," he said by telephone.
He said the decision originated from the university council. He said the council was concerned that the university was spending most of its budget on electricity. "The expenditure on power is high that's why I was told to inform the wardens to implement the rules," he said adding that the university authorities will meet and see how best to enforce the directive. The directive has however attracted an outcry from students who say the university authorities are attempting to deny them their fundamental rights.

Propaganda but good.

September 11. Hmmmm...u know, i was wondering why everyone was going september 11th speaking about. Had almost forgotten why this day was so "important".

Where as i sympathise with the families affected by september 11th, on some other level i think its pure propaganda that i dont know if i want to associate with.

Everyother day no, make that every single day, some African is dying as a result of war or disease or famine. More than one African, Asian or watever. Does it get as much air time? No..reason? it aint "terrorism" and it didnt happen in the US of A.

We all know HIV/AIDS is a serious issue but we usually hear about it around December 1st (thats world AIDS day, just incase u didnt know). Other issues like the Environment or blood donation or those associated ailments like TB and malaria we hear about in passing...u know why? they arent "that important". Most people take these things as "9-5 jobs" once i step out of PSI, Mulago, Y.E.A. H, UNASO, TASO or what ever, it doesnt matter any more.

I think it "doesnt matter anymore" because in the first place, our societies are structured in such a way that we do not think about the bigger picture which is why i think Behavour Change Communication Strategies have not been as effective as people/statistics would have us believe.

I mean, when u attend these "rallies" what do people see? Bebe cool jumping all over the place, Bobi wine declaring faithfullness to his wife and watever.Bebe Cool and Bobi wine are great crowd pullers but what message does the audience pick up?

Bebe cool and bobi wine are cool with blingage and women!!

An african believes he has made it when it he has land, some money for malwa and a load of women and not neccessarily at the same time. Now if our muscians in trying to be "international" pick up and promote things like "promiscuity" in the guise of "entertainment", really, why would a man in kabarole listen to you talk abt ABC?

Had these things been happening inthe USA or Europe, gosh we wld never hear the last of them. I mean, who actually knows just how bad HIV/AIDS is in America or Europe??? Usually these things read like " Action Aid, with the help of the American Association of Africanhelpers visited Uganda, acountry ravished by Aids. This coutry has a pervalance of ... and has suffered for over 20 yrs"...

Sometimes its almost like colonailism all over again.. U know kinda like how the English went over to help the "Savages" in America..u know, "lets help those less fortunate"...

And dont even get me started on stereotyping. Its a tie in to decide which race is worse to be (my gramma is a bit warped, forgive me). i actually saw this in an airport..

Walking through security check points, passengers were asked to remove laptops, place bags at security entry points before walking through the secuirty "door",(no idea what its actually called). This man, possibly of arabian decent (u cant tell the talibans from non-talibans,can ya?) walks through, removes his laptop, empties his pants, removes his shoes,runs his hands threw his hair (ok, last part is embelishment,but sure u see the point) and walks through, looking like he was awaiting an ambush anytime simply because of his skin colour.

I mean really, the poor African starts questioning if they too should do that? But u know, as Dave Chappelle says, we r kinda safe. We wldnt make good hostages, no one wants to save the blackie unless it looks good for "world peace"

im rumbling...lost my point somewhere, so me beg to leave now.

Teaching Ugandans to survive..: are we adept at acquiring and using learned skills?

In the recent past, the Government of Uganda has adopted various means to ensure that literacy rates are increased and that at least four children per family get to attain Primary school level education. Secondary school level education will soon be available to many more when Universal Secondary Education (USE) is fully instituted.


The education system exists so we can acquire basic reading and writing skills at elementary levels after which, with the advancement in age and learning levels, we can horn our other skills and talents and eventually adopt sustainable means of earning a living and contribute to the development of community and people in general.


This concept in theory is good but in practice, rarely will you see Ugandans stepping out of the norm to adopt other sustainable means of earning livings. Almost every other learned Ugandan is employed by government, law firms, finance companies/corporations, telecommunications companies, Media, Hospice and NGO’s. Very few have their own companies that provide unique services.


This is possibly because, among other reasons, Ugandans suffer “copycat syndrome”. Everyone thinks the next business idea will make them rich without effectively considering the possibility that business ideas do not work unless you make them particular to your person. For example, in Wandegeya, a small trading centre on the outskirts of Kampala whose main clients are from Makerere University, there exist over 5 restaurants/take-a-ways in a space of 75 feet on the side closest to Bombo road, a total of 10 exist on that side a lone. If every 3 steps lead you to an establishment selling the same commodities, the chances of making a profit lessen when a potential client doesn’t enter your establishment.


Privatisation of the economy served its purpose to certain extents, more businesses were generated, infrastructure has grown and generally, there are more opportunities to build oneself and the nation but we are still stuck with the same problems we had prior to the event.


We have the skills but do not use these skills to better ourselves. The mentality is “Everyone has to eat where they work” which roughly translated means you must milk all your opportunities for all their worth and rely on donor money to somehow correct the mistakes our corruption creates. So we cripple ourselves waiting on handouts from our government and other governments and our employers waiting for the next project to be able to scheme off the surface which inevitably downplays any skills we have developed.


The openings and opportunities to learn and better skills are numerous, information is readily available but only a few use it. It is no wonder that in Uganda today very few can actually think past setting up restaurants, which do not provide any unique cuisine, mobile phone accessories, public telephone stands and getting involved in transportation.


We have become adept at expertly looking at the present without accurately planning for further than tomorrow. In the event that our government collapsed, very few of us would have the means to survive, total chaos would ensure and we would be totally clueless because we have relied on one source, one skill for so long.