‘Nostalgia’ of the EAC we want…

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As I sit at my desk my mind is churning furiously and while I have this vision I am not certain what it is all about. My life’s experiences are harsh yet I am convinced that I still have a lot to learn.  I hear many voices discussing great plans for the future and while I sense the urgency; the commitment, I am uncertain and undecided of what is really passing through my mind.

You see, it appears as though tomorrow will never come and the days and nights are like the same all year round. Yet these thoughts pervade my mind. What are they?

Though uncertain I have this conviction that I smell change; change that will bring maturity in the political arena in Kenya; change that will make president Museveni of Uganda embrace democracy and stop regarding term limits as ‘sheer nonsense.’ Change that will make President Paul Kagame of Rwanda grant the media its own freedom, change that will propel Burundi to appreciate the importance of media operatives thus working towards the ideal of an integrated nation. Finally, I wish to see Tanzanian nationals of all station in life, inculcate a fresh mode of thinking that repels the view that the EAC is meant to rob their country of its resources. It’s a change that you and I believe is possible.  

a supporter of museveni holding a placard

Imagine a world devoid of political killings; where the incumbency is willing to concede competitive elections after a defeat. Imagine a situation where a caring government stabilizes the cost of living for the benefit of the proletariat; where inflation does not exceed a 5% limit; where rebels are non existent and the opposition works in tandem with Government policies and where ‘corruption’ only exists in the dictionary. Imagine an East Africa where there are equal rights for everyone. Desires abound but what is your take? Do you subscribe to the belief that a person’s name should be aligned to a tribe or must more evidence be demanded? Why do we have community groupings in Kenya? Why do we have the LRA in Uganda and why do we have the FNL rebels in Burundi?

It’s all about power, of course. I sometimes wonder if it is necessary to kill while seizing power.  

It brings to mind a proverb held dear by my grandmother, ‘Mbasi nandu’ which translates ‘bus is people,’ a proverb that is sound within the context of the situation in Kenya. Translated, it means ‘Where there is a country there are citizens and where there are citizens there is diversity. Diversity makes us a strong nation.

The little I know about Tanzania is that it is proliferated with a multiplicity of tribes that speak one language, Swahili. Although many hold diverse opinions of the Swahili nation in East Africa it must be noted that nationhood is an acceptable variable, referred to in Swahili as ‘utaifa’ and aspired for in that country.

East Africa has the best national anthems in the entire continent; there are many.  From ‘God Bless Africa and its own people’ of the United Republic of Tanzania by Enoch Sontonga of South African to ‘Oh God of creation, bless our land and nation,’ out of the Republic of Kenya, we proudly hail such renowned literacy.

 Then there are, ‘Beautiful Uganda…. Oh Uganda may God uphold thee, we lay our future in thy hands’ out of the Republic of Uganda, penned by Prof. George Wilberforce Kakoma, ‘Rwanda nziza’ Kinyarwanda for ‘Beautiful Rwanda’ out of the Republic of Rwanda and ‘Bwacu Burundi, Burundi buhire shinga icumu mu mashinga’ Kirundi for ‘our Burundi, gentle country, take your place in the concert of nations’ by Catholic Priest, Jean Baptiste Ntahokaja, their works are all enticing.

When one ponders on such talent and then is shocked into reality with news such as, ‘Government bars campaign group from releasing report about political violence,’ you feel disenchanted and pray when such behaviours are a thing of the past.

East Africa belongs to all of us and together we can do more to realize the potential of the region towards attainment of the regional integration, existing ever since the colonial period.

The time has now come to engender positive thoughts about our region while moving progressively forward to our eventual goals. Today, I feel honoured in the noble field of journalism; feeling a sense of victory when our labour begins to bear fruit. As my now deceased mother advocated, ‘leadership comes with responsibility,’ indeed, words of wisdom to ponder on as we realize that the world presents us with opportunities that only we could transform to glorious reality.

The time has long past for religious and political leaders to unite for the progression and development of East Africa.

Critics have examined the anomaly and quite recently journalists have written on the issue of disenfranchisement where journalists from the western media are used as correspondents despite the availability of competent talent here in yet Africa. Those foreign journalists are out of touch with our reality resulting in biased stories about Africa. 

Like Martin Luther King, I also have a dream where I visualize a world where that treats Africa as the modern country it is instead of the unfavourable cold, dark, continent it is touted to be. I also wish that everyone enjoys equal opportunities irrespective of place of birth. 

I, therefore, call upon Excellencies Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, General Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Pierre Nkurunziza and Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania to initiate the process for national and regional cohesiveness while embarking on goal oriented strategies in their resolutions.