A silent triumph: Ugandan women 50 years on

One of the unacknowledged truths about the last 50 years – is the changed status of women in Uganda. As I write this, a story on the BBC is running about accusations in Egypt- about virginity tests by the army, and another on orthodox Jews in Israel- seeking the segregation of men and women. Like this young lady a security officer says, women in the country can do anything. It never used to be like this. My last dentist was a woman, pump attendants, taxi drivers – and political leaders all attest to it. But what does it all mean for this society 50 years after independence? Whatever it is, its worth celebrating. We shall return to this subject later on.

Uganda’s Golden Jubilee

Next year, Uganda turns 50. If you listen to the Ugandan elite who led the country into its self-governing era in the 60s and today, one would think Uganda and ” Ugandans” have always been around. Perhaps the anniversary of formal independence from the colonial power that created its boundaries, founded its political institutions and grounded its political culture is a good time to question “Ugandan-ess“. And there is the story of the inhabitants of Uganda as a country and their dreams of the promise of citizenship. For how can we love the thing we do not fully know, and how can we know it without questioning it. This page is for 2012- the year Uganda as we know it- turned 50.