MICHAEL WOIRA: Give us a break White man, we can manage our affairs better

I once again have a weighty humble request. As you read this letter, I want you to listen to all I am saying in this piece of writing with love and give it the maximum attention that it requires, a sort of love that demands that you listen, comprehend and make decisions after reading this script that I have written not only out of anger but with all the madness. Did you hear that? You may have missed it. I repeat: I want you to listen with love. Well, at least try my white colonialists.

We don’t talk much about the urgency of patriotism and love these days, especially within the public sphere. Much of our discourse these days is about revenge, mineral theft, funding useless opposition parties, name calling, hate, and divisiveness. I have yet to hear it from our political pundits. I don’t mean the Hollywood type of love, but the scary kind, the kind that risks not being reciprocated, the kind that refuses to flee in the face of danger.

On many occasions when we talk about colonialism and colonialists, It is no longer closely associated with the term “colonization,” which involves the settlement abroad of people from a mother country, as in the case of the ancient Greek colonies or the Americas. Colonialism has now come to be identified with rule over peoples of different race inhabiting lands separated by salt water from the imperial center; more particularly, it signifies direct political control by European states or states settled by Europeans, as the United States or Australia, over peoples of other races, notably over Asians and Africans.

Many of African opposition parties still cling to the notes of the colonial masters because of their own benefits, most of the opposition parties have been funded by super powers who were once great oppressors of our countries, People who made us slaves in our own country and even donated to us what belonged to us originally like the famous Kabaka’s land in the 1900 Buganda agreement. Infact that very white man writes that he gave us independence on our own land wow.

Some things we cannot go more into details but we should always think African and avoid involving the white man in all we do. For the fact here in Uganda nothing happens and the opposition doesn’t call for the white man’s intervention, I have observed this for some time and during election periods the opposition only believes reports read by the whites and neglect reports by African Election observers, but why? Because they think whites are very perfect.

I keep watching our excited non patriotic African opposition populist politicians on foreign media calling for a white man’s intervention in the issues of Uganda and I keep wondering what happened to us the black people. Just appearing in front of a foreign media camera makes someone excited to an extent of requesting the white man to come and cause havoc in our country

For too long blacks have not had the opportunity or power to express their points of view because Mr. Whiteman is always invited by his comrades to come and destabilize the good peace, I remember what happened in Libya and of course what happened in Iraq, just a few weeks ago one of our excited politician stood firm in front of the cameras and said that his plan is to have power changed by all means even if its is the Libya, Sudan and Algeria way.

But I say this, for too long, the voices of the Africans have not been heard, our world views have been diminished, annulled, or considered invalid. We have been told that our perceptions are always incorrect, that most things are well with our society, and that our concerns and complaints are not supported. Remember that insincerity was not invented by the white man, but it was certainly perfected by him.

Chinua Achebe, in one of his famous book, Things Fall Apart, He stated it clearly that his highly acclaimed book was born out of his righteous anger at the distorted portrayal of Africans in European writings. He wanted to show that Africans were definitely not primitives; that, even before the white people came, Africans were members of a thriving society that had its own laws and government and lived in peace and harmony.

Many noble African leaders and thinkers like Julius Nyerere, Miriam Makeba, Flora Nwapa , Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe took it upon themselves to show the world that their people are not second-class beings and that Africa can solve its own political issues without a white man’s involvement because Africa doesn’t and has never involved itself in the political issues of the white man.

I happened to read some letter that was written by the Hon Eliot l. Engel, the chairman Committee on foreign affairs in reference to the affairs in Uganda and I just laughed off his concerns because I wonder how these people with the oldest democracy are so rigid in that they cannot read the signs and know that whatever happens in Uganda is based on our constitution. They are being lied to by the likes of Robert Amsterdam the usual dealers who have based all their energies on painting a bad picture of Africa.
Anyway, African leaders should not be saddened by possible cuts in foreign aid, instead, they should actively seek to create the enabling environment necessary to boost local economies, attract foreign investment, negotiate transfer of technology, encourage private sector growth, competitiveness, and increase regional integration and this will keep us moving. Africa holds its Keys to development.

Michael Woira
Patriotic Ugandan