Today, Uganda celebrates 45 years of independence. An article in Uganda’s Daily Monitor asks the question, “Are you better off than you were under the Mzungu (white man) 45 years ago?” According to the article, millions of dollars will be spent on the celebrations. President Museveni will “arrive in regal style”, and a “military brigade will be on hand to protect him from his own people”.
The article goes on to say that “There will be the predictable speech,” and, “Select statistics will be dispensed. The gloomy ones will be skipped to save time.” The article then goes on to describe the attitude of an old illiterate peasant towards politicians: “They are all thieves, but the Englishmen were better… What does independence mean if one has no food or medicine?”
Uganda, like many other countries which have achieved independence in the past 50 years, has struggled through times of mismanagement and civil conflict. Some countries, such as India, have emerged from the post-independence malaise and managed to experience considerable economic growth and improvements in governance. Here’s hoping that conditions improve quickly for the people of Uganda. Happy Independence Day!