Mengo leaders, dump adamancy and listen to ideas from online forums

Mengo leaders, dump adamancy and listen to ideas from online forums

who needs malingering in political activity if he can get all cultural members to accomplish what in many cases politicians can’t accomplish cover?

BY DR. EDWARD KAYONDO  

The issue with African leaders that includes those in the Kingdom is that when you bring ideas that one are competing with what they already have or two that they dont see any financial gain from in the immediate future those ideas will be dead on arrival or you will be labeled as challenging leadership.. That’s why cultural issues only exist as long as the numbers of those who practice them are enough to sustain them.

Failure of Buganda to address this issue first as I explained before puts all other Buganda future existence and plans in jeopardy because its all about numbers and unlike what the Kingdom would like to depict those who care about the issues of Buganda are decreasing in number especially because very few gain from the Kingdom as it is.

I agree and we can get more than one example about ideas that sprouted from people and found their ways up the Kingdom but for sure there was some pillar within the Kingdom that worked hard on them too.

But back to the cultural definition, and back to the Kanzu, when the King started putting it on it became part of our culture. Where the King goes masses follow, so if you want an idea to be big and have the full participation of all the people as a unit the gwanga mujje has to originate from the center of the kingdom.

Baganda are not short of ideas, those who are at the center of the kingdom however have their personal battles to fight and the royals as we know them also have different strategies as its survival for the fittest and scrambling for financial candies .

In such a state nothing unifying can come out of the Kingdom. We also write about Buganda because we care its not complaining as such because our survival doesn’t depend on the existence of the Kingdom which takes us back to the issue of pride. Mengos full participation at any stage gives any project the legitimacy it needs and participation of all the people of Buganda.

Not so sure what Buganda development has done for ll these years, I can also point out that Buganda has a prime piece of land within the City that’s the Lubiri but for years now i am not sure what has transpired, just as an example.

It would have been good if the Kingdom is open to ideas because so many good ideas have been floating on these forums. However the mentality of the Lukiko and our King know it all complicates everything and unless they decide nothing will be done.

The main issue is that as Buganda tries to maintain its Culture and strength its leaders want to keep everything as it was longtime ago, the mentality that cultures dont change is what eventually leads to the eventual extinction of the same. I always ask my fellow baganda how the White Kanzu became the Buganda traditional male wear and they dont want to discuss it because way back that wasnt part of our culture, but we all know how it crept in but that doesn’t matter any more because now it is.

What is next for Buganda however good the ideas we table on these forums has its roots in the Lukiko and the Kabaka. If they so choose to open up this debate and are willing and open enough to work with the people openly and publicly on the ideas presented with a propbable chance of votiong for these changes in some way, then we all will feel part of it these changes and will work towards that.

We all know the constitution prohibits the cultural leaders from participating in political issues, but who needs a political party if you can get your cultural members to accomplish what in many cases politicians should cover?

Lets say you have quarrels about markets in the city, Buganda has land, opens up several markets baganda markets, opens up several mini Bulange offices, Buys more Bus zabaganda, set up a construction company, get into real estates, banking etc- eventually becoming one of the largest employers of people in Buganda all within the constitution, who do you think will be the strongest political force?

But as I have asked before on this forum in the current Buganda Kingdom omukopi afunilawa? Your ideas will never get to the top and there is no financial gain so what you have as a mukopi is just pride in being omuganda, and some time the force behind that pride carries you only as far as their financial greed.

So in brief what is next for Buganda to me is the Lukiko and the King to find ways of engaging the Baganda, and its willingness to change some cultural practices that are unfitting in this current world, changes that must come from the King him self.

With this kind of engagement not only will our culture be preserved but the pride of the Baganda will have justification and participation will; increase and ideas will flow in endlessly.

Awangale Ssabasajja, magulu nyondo chu chu, lukoma nantawetwa. . . .

This article first was first published at Ugandan at heart blog