With the recent discovery of the online community of the undeniable infrastructural progress that Rwanda has made has come unavoidable comparison with our own not-so-steady progress. Many like I have wondered how they’ve done it, while others argue that Rwanda too like Uganda still has a long way to go despite the strides that they’ve taken. Which is true. Although one might wonder why while they make a clear effort to cover this long way, are we seemingly taking the back seat and even some steps backwards?

This debate still goes on and might even never end. There’s one thing we all agree on though. Rwanda has invested a lot in telling their good stories. “They just really invest in PR,” many have said. As a way forward, it had been suggested and even recommended by some Rwandans as something they’ve admittedly done, that Uganda go an extra mile to tell her good stories. That we promote our own country. Report on every little success and even blow out of proportion the least achievements.

Whereas I of all people see the importance of this way forward and have myself done my small part in telling Uganda’s good story, I worry that if not supplemented with the realization that Uganda has a lot more work to do than talk about the already existing victories, we’re headed no where and that steady, or any progress for that matter might remain a myth.

While at the University I quickly realized that whereas you might register a really high GPA in one semester, you must work as hard or even harder in the subsequent semesters to score a certain CGPA with which you’ll be able to graduate with a recognizable degree class and that should you slack, that one semester’s good GPA might not help you at the end.

I think that we (Ugandans) must:
First recognize that we’ve slacked for so long and must make an effort if we’re to ‘graduate.’

Then quit with immediate effect, comparing our glaring weaknesses to other countries’ failures. While many other students might have a trailing CGPA or course units which they’ve not passed, a University student will be a fool to front as a reason why they failed to graduate, that some other people didn’t graduate either.

Finally, a University student knows that it is not only one semesters’ good grades that will determine whether they graduate but the continued progress in every semester. So as we strive to tell all our good stories, may we not dwell on those alone while sweeping under the rug the bad ones. May we instead acknowledge our errors, then work towards turning them into successes. Otherwise we risk becoming the same orators of the 1986 story that we’ve all had enough of.

For God and My Country 🙂