Benjamin Rukwengye
Many Ugandans born before the 2000s grew up to Apartheid South Africa’s music, courtesy of Lucky Dube, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Mariam Makeba, Pat Shange, Chico, et al.
My favourite song from that period, "Something Inside So Strong" by the British-born Labi Siffre, is one that I only got introduced to when I was at university. I was listening to it when my boda boda guy suddenly said: "The road is closed. We can’t continue. "I looked up. We were approaching Parliament’s main gate, on our way to the Sheraton.
I knew why the road was closed and the irony of it wasn’t lost on me. Even more pronounced as Siffre’s strong yet mellow voice rang into my ears...
“The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The further you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me, you can decide
To turn your face away
No matter ‘cause there’s,
Something inside so strong...”
I told him: “Turn. Let us use Dewinton Road.”
Only for us to find it barricaded as well. No access to the people’s House.
In a functional democracy, it is, perhaps, supposed to be the most important organ of government. Yet it is garrisoned and the representatives stashed away from the people. Siffre continued...
“The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time, you squander wealth that’s mine My light will shine so brightly it will blind you
Because there’s Something inside so strong...”
Eventually, we took a circuitous route and got to our destination. But I wasn’t listening to Siffre anymore because my boda guy had replaced him. He was incensed. He complained about "these thieves who are now blocking roads.”
I told him it was because people had threatened to march to Parliament and that is why it is heavily guarded, to deter any attacks.
“If they are not thieves, what are they scared of? "He asked. I had no answer to the question, especially because I found that I agreed with him. From the looks of it, Parliament has gone rogue.
They have taken power and run away with it, leaving those who entrusted it to them holding an empty bag. Otherwise, who are they representing now, if they have blocked themselves off from the people that they are supposed to be answerable to? His diatribe didn’t stop. He went on about taxes, the cost of living, the bad roads, and how they get harassed by law enforcers.
“Uganda annoys me!" He exclaimed. I figured it wasn’t my job to help him make sense of things since we both suffer in the same country on most days. We eventually got to our destination and all I said was: “Well, that is Uganda for you”.
You could tell from listening to him, the frustration of showing up every day, knowing that those in whom you have put your trust are most likely going to fail you, but somehow hoping that they won't. The restraint it takes to listen to those who live off your sweat, talking down at you. But he does it because like Siffre would urge...
“Brothers and sisters
When they insist we’re just not good enough
Well we know better
Just look ‘em in his eyes and say
We’re gonna do it anyway”
As I sat in the waiting area, browsing through social media, I saw that Parliament is planning to host regional sittings that will cost an estimated Shs20 billion. I wondered where – if at all – he sees himself and his aspirations in the grand and often empty pronouncements that his leaders constantly make.
Do his leaders consider his plight and aspirations when they wake up and show up to their workstations every day? Or is it that he goes about doing his bit of living because he must, until his creator calls him home; while they do theirs to arrange and hasten the day that his creator’s call will come through?
Whichever it is, you sense that your average Ugandan wakes up and tells themselves, 'I will continue to show up because there’s,
“Something inside so strong, strong
I know that I can make it
Though you’re doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone, oh no
There’s something inside so strong”
Mr Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds.
X: @Rukwengye
