SPOTLIGHT ON THE USA!

Living as we do in the age of empiricism, it is not hard for people to quickly jump on to and trust their lives to a stack of data, statistics and supposed deductions by science. If science is a religion, it certainly has managed to convert the globe. Education systems, fiscal policies and governments are run on some scientific this or that. Look around you and you will fill this list faster than you thought.

To think that the biggest things we wager our lives on might be merely illusory and what we consider illusions might be the real deal; is extremely scary. What if all those statistics you have based on to make your career decisions, run your country or build an empire are just a lie, what then?

On the flip side, what if we were as good at reading transcendent phenomena as we are in dissecting mortal jamboree. Before your best weather channel was set up, someone rebuked a group of experts on how easily they could read the wind and skies; tell when it would rain but could not equally discern matters of eternal substance. That’s my challenge to those who do not wish to denounce their faith in, well you know what! What if the picture being too big for the quality of lens you are using; would you expand your vision?

At the close of last year, a heated Presidential race between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton was one of the biggest stories out there. Riveting eyeballs from all over the globe, there seemed to be battles not just for the oval, but wars of ideology, feminism, immigration, racism and pretty much every ism! Whoever cared to follow, knew who the mainstream media and the pattern of this age were backing. The prophets and evangelists of pop culture were scampering to endorse Hilary and denounce Trump for religious, chauvinistic and other reasons. We all know how that chapter ended, but was it just so another page or book would open into even something bigger? Why didn’t the election go as obviously as George Clooney and Barrack Obama predicted? Was there a Russian or supra Russian hand? Beyond living in denial, impeachment and twitter jazz; Obamacare and bla bla care, what does the Trump era mean for the eagle?

The Tsunami alert rate across the US seems to be heightening by the month. Is there a tectonic plate riot or is a school master swinging the whip? That shooting in Las Vegas, why was it not by a black “gang” member or a Muslim “terrorist”. Would the fact that the shooter was a middle-aged Caucasian “guy next door” mean the end of the American dream as we know it? Or are we still operating in the realm of coincidence and peradventure?

Allow me though to go to the spark that ignited this rhetoric. At the beginning of the year, Prophet Elvis Mbonye stood in a small East African country called Uganda, and in what some might call pre-cognition, listed several outcomes of the Oscars 2017. If you are not into movies, the Oscars is one of the biggest movie academy awards in the world. By this time, you know that I will not delve into a discussion on transcendence vs science. But why a Ugandan seeing something in the USA? Why the Oscars? Why would a portal open in the sky upon Malibu, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Wood and Bel Air when these are the places that have somewhat succeeded in pushing out the need for God? Why would the “pious God” who dwells in holy unapproachable light be interested in the affairs of the Caitlyn Jenners and Ryan Seacrests? The debate continues.

A few weeks back, a certain death rattled the internet. The pictures showed a very old man that I had never heard of. I scoured the ether to see what was so special about Hugh Hefner. I realized that I at least had stumbled on his brand name somewhere, the mansion is in a few motion pictures. But guess what, was this the man behind explicit publication and amorous expression? Did he fight through a legal system to make this lifestyle the future? Maybe the business is already entrenched, but I have learnt not to take lightly such signs as when lighting strikes the tip of the mountain.

Only yesterday, another unfamiliar name broke the internet. Another sex scandal bigger than the legend of Cosby. I have seen Miramax before, as I have Tristar, Sony, Columbia, Meltro Goldwin Meyer and Universal pictures but seldom do I know the names of movie producers and screen writers. A man so powerful to threaten the careers of Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow if they dared speak about what happened behind closed doors. What had happened in the dark for decades has been brought to light, dragging in names like Matt Daemon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lawrence. The trail of Harvey’s influence stretches to Obama’s check book, motion picture elitism and the whole entertainment industry as is known. Another one bites the dust but is there more than meets the eye?

As they ate and drunk, just as in the days of Noah; sudden calamity struck and the ark sashayed on the floods that were drowning the multitudes below. Today is not a day I talk about North Korea, but this and many telltale signs should awake the 7000 in America.

OF CHARLIE PUTH AND PERFECT PITCH

Let's Marvin Gaye and gerriron.

Part 1.

We'll get to that in a bit but hear me out. You do not have to believe this part of the post. I have done and do a few things but I do not think I am yet as invested as I was in the only four years that I did formal music training at Ntare Sch school. Now, I've tried soccer, basketball, lawn and table tennis and volleyball. From very obvious dribble attempts, mosquito weight to late challenges I was a good student of, "if you miss the ball, don't miss the leg". Super telle had more realistic weight than the real ball when hit by Ndahagire Angel... Kinda like Roberto Carlos. Butter fingers and mountaineering height made sure that though I was a good shooter in the D (why is it called that?) I always avoided layups. Most guys on the baco were like Norman Blick and Ring Acuil Banggol. 

Aside from the esoteric slang they spewed, every time I marked one, he shouted "mismatch" and dunked miles above my head like I didn't exist. My biggest trick is I'd put my hand under the ball if you tried to dribble show off. I thought it was clever but the umps cried fowl. I still carry the volley ball when I try to set and my Barcelona service is not as fast as Izara Ambrose's. I tried cricket for a day and all my bowl attempts were stones. I think Carbon Davis is a witch. The one time I tried rugby, Zeno Othieno Owora broke all my joints and then I noticed Ken Ken Mwebembezi and Karanganwa Michael with their chubby cheeks and one pack could format and reboot my dental formula in one scrum gone bad. I tried athletics and Kakeeto Martin doubled me before the second round and I was discontinued. So lame (the rules) ikr!

But I was a beast in the treble clef. I was a constant fixture in the story of Ntare school MDD from 2002 to 2005 in which years we made national rounds for the first time and I don't know if they've managed an appearance since. These were the years of Ganzi Muhanguzi Isharaza and the epic Tonix Allan.

Till I see you again.

Part 2

So as I was saying. It was more fun to harmonize 16 bars in two inversions without worrying about consecutive fifths and overlapping notes. How cool is transcribing an aural tape with pin point accuracy of all the intervals and cadences. Forget about boring valences, nothing beats being able to decode hundreds of pages of a Mozart or Haydn score and being able to recite all the developments in classical, romantic and baroque periods. (Too bad I couldn't use such skill to recite Napoleon Bonaparte and Mansa Musa).

But those skeleton sticks with short feet are not everyone's cup of tea. Sijui quiver, crotchet, minim (I think this was Oidu Simon Peter's name)! The Julliards and Berkley of this world are set up to train people in the weird language called music but training is one thing and genius another. Look at Messi and Bendtner or Antonio Valencia then you'll get the point.

Maybe it's true for everybody but I can effortlessly memorize any melodic EP in perfect sequence with one listen. It is second nature to replay hundreds of thousands of songs from as far back as 1994 but I don't even know what the valency of carbon monoxide is. I think my prowess though was even far from relative pitch. The one time I won an award for conducting a choir, we sang off key. I knew the time signatures alright but I confused the harmonies. In my early years of worship leading, I always transposed a semitone higher than the keyboard; it is possible I still mix tenor and alto notes. Anyhow, my voice broke, Uganda happened, we all chased other dreams. (still glad I didn't have to do maths and chemistry though!) Shurrupz to ma pips Joshua Storm and Muhumuza Trevor Peter. You kept the music thing going. 

Yet when we talk of Charlie Puth, we mean 1 in 10,000 people alive. We mean Mariah Carley, Stevie Wonder, Freddy Mercury and Beethoven.

We don't talk anymore

Part 3.

My coitus with music has been largely limited to expression of faith and that's my chosen monogamy. Yet having picked a few syllables in the dialect, every so often I eavesdrop on warrup. So this boy was trained by his mother a music teacher to play piano at 4 years, he broke his first teeth on the middle C (maybe playing "pressure on the G string" ) and the rest is his story. He turned weirdo when he would come home saying, "mummy, the wind is blowing in F sharp". This earned him a free bed in a psychiatric procedure.

From classical training, to jazz gigs, you tube frenzy; he landed on the Ellen show with a more seasoned friend who had enlisted him to cover Adele. Years down the road, the friend is auditioning for an 100K USD recording contract at the voice, while Charlie is churning out multi platinum hits and scoring sound tracks for the biggest movie franchises.

Hardly anybody talks about his beat boxing. In the wake of Pentatonix and the several capella acts out there, you know that beat boxing is not that easy. But this beast of vocal producer belts out over four layers of vocal arrangements in one breath to entertain ladies at a bar. It's so good that the likes of Ariana Grande use his vocal twist clap as an intro to their hits and he doesn't care for credit.

Attention.

Part 4

He didn't get me until the buzz about voice notes . There are Sia, Ed Sheeran, Clean Bandit and Adele in the hierarchy of contemporary songwriting. But this kid moves around with an iPhone arranging progressions for instruments he can't play in real life. No wonder as a kid, he once played a one hour mass from memory when the organist boycotted ash Wednesday. I always wondered how lady Gaga could write poker face, just dance and Alejandro under ten minutes in a world of one hit wonders.
It reminds me of the first time I saw Prophet Elvis Mbonye. Mind you, I had been around pentecostal charismatic circles for a good decade or so, so Brother Jero and the gimmicks of the penitent had nothing on me. I knew that in Africa, we believed that the dark forces could pull a few rabbits out of the hat but we preferred a cold snack on Sunday morning in a lifeless pew. Some prefer the old hymnal procession and others the loud kiwempe three chord antecedent and consequent choruses. For some, it is the old black clap clap frenzy and for others the rock over produced Australian vibe with a projector and in accents they can't repeat.

Being the keen observer, I saw a genuineness I had never encountered, I saw originality and authenticity incarnate. He seemed not to audition for anything or smile for that fish eye shot. He walked like a man on a pilgrimage skirting through a slight detour on a foreign island. Then he started picking names, birthdays and phone numbers and I was like wt*?! But there was no fear or condemnation and such creepy feelings around jaja stuffs. Then he seemed to love everyone, and then..... Okay this might not end. Point is, wonders never cease and my idea of church was rearranged like a Wandegeya rolex.

So back to Charlie, guy drops a salt shaker on the table and says that the resultant sound is between A and B#. Like whas goinon? I took a seat. These days I seat faster than someone wearing a pair of torn trousers. In fact, I carry some seats in my wallet in case I meet that one person who dwarfs the status quo and shows me something I thought inhumanly possible.
END

WHY RUKUNGIRI IS NOT JUST A FOOTNOTE IN UGANDAN POLITICS

Today is the first time I have seen Rukungiri top the twitter trends but it comes as no surprise in times like these.

It probably has the most exotic sounding name of all Ugandan districts and I am not even sure what the proper accent for pronouncing it is yet. As part of the original Kigezi or rather Rukiga geography, Rukungiri is a land of mixed farmers herded on hilly slopes of arable land.

Though the weather is not much different from that in Kabale, the people in Rukungiri particularly in Rujumbura speak more of the Nkore language rather than Rukiga. There is a debate on whether they are Bahororo or were ruled by the Bahororo hence the mix up.

The history is littered with chiefdom, resistances, expansionism and connection with the greater Rwanda and Ituri people. The real economic cash cow remained with Kanungu in the form of Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National parks. That in my opinion is perhaps why the town does not seem to change much in decades. There is not much going on in terms of development.

But this often forgotten district has stamped its mark on Ugandan politics,perhaps owing to the resilient nature of its people. Aside from key army generals from this place, there is a trail of fodder on the President's own links to the district. In the late 90's there was a club of political elites from the district which disbanded with the advent of opposition politics.

In 1996, I witnessed first hand how a young boy from our school fell from a rally truck and broke his leg under the ensuing traffic of a political motorcade. In 2001, we were restrained indoors as we heard the shootout of police near the district stadium during another rally. Today, another young man died in no different circumstances. Someone's son, someone I might know; millennial Ugandan blood irrigating the soil in ideological differences way above his pay grade.

The stark difference between municipality and "district" appreciation of politics and consensus has meant that even if Rukungiri is the place where the FDC leader hails from, cohesion has been far from reality. The municipality has however remained a vocal hub of opposition politics if its representation is anything to go by. The script of Ugandan politics is a confusing tapestry, some actors take on jester roles and others are worse off- mere props. Sometimes, it is hard to tell who is fooling who? Sometimes, nobody knows who is playing for what team or what the marching orders are. Marxism and the Communism offshoot have been a forlorn relic of the cold war. The cycle to nirvana is seldom completed and the idea of a lumpen proletariat one that did not formidably survive Bonarparte. Occasionally, some buds flirt with the warm rays before the inevitable nip.

Economically, Rukungiri is probably one of the districts that suffers most from the stratification and micro-decentralization. If as is; to scratch from the dregs of a transparent glass; it cannot be faulted for being apolitical.

Re-thinking Government Intervention in Regulation of Religious Activities in Uganda

Over the past couple of weeks there has been growing talk on the Government’s intention of passing a law to further regulate certain religious and spiritual establishments. Something else I have seen was the supposed move by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to ban adverts of religious and or spiritual emphases. I am yet to read the actual policy documents and possible minutes of these developments and should add that I am not particularly comfortable basing on media reports for accurate information on what is on ground.

That said, I surmise that it is not entirely premature for all concerned to introspect on how we contribute to such conversations and if our involvement or indifference absolves us from inevitable consequences if ideological divides are crystallized into law. My contribution to this discussion is limited to two aspects: The Constitutionality of such moves and the narrow spectrum of Ecclesiastical Polity. For our present purposes, I do not intend to be too technically specific but will try to point us to sources of detailed discussions of relevant aspects. I also will not be generous enough to offer technical definitions and detailed context of some of the perspectives I present. I also labour to avoid an academic approach to this conversation so that despite our varied vocations we may benefit from the conversation.

CONSTITUTIONALITY

Uganda is considered a constitutional democracy. This simply means that the people of Uganda have power of self-government, have consolidated a baseline of their wishes in a document called a Constitution and through majority participation (universal suffrage / referenda) or representative participation (through institutions like Parliament) interact with the relevant frameworks of how they wish to be governed.

Uganda is governed under the Constitution of 1995 and some of the relevant clauses in that document are those declaring Uganda a secular state and as such must not adopt a state religion. The others relate to religious freedom, freedom of association, right to information and freedom of speech. The Constitution is also clear that any other law passed or in place is valid only as far as it is consistent with the people’s wishes enshrined in the Constitution.

What does it meant to be a secular state or not to adopt a state religion? That is a fair question to ask since most of the policy outlay is seldom explicit with clear language on possible intention or conflict. The actual test of such Constitutional guarantees is usually broad and far reaching enough to comfort the citizens on why they chose to be governed that way in the first place. For a law to be consistent with the spirit of our Article 7 (secular State), it must satisfy four tests: (i) It must not be seen to establish religion. (ii) It must not serve a religious purpose. (iii) It must not endorse a specific religion. (iv) It must not show that Government is being entangled with religion. (I have discussed these tests in a previous “academic” paper on a different subject: available at  https://cepa.or.ug/analysis-of-cultural-and-constitutional-responses-to-comprehensive-sexuality-education-in-uganda/ )

Evidently the world has classic examples of religious states such as Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia etcetera and they are not necessarily failing states just because of their religious inclination (depending on the parameters in question). However, when a people decide to take a secular path, laws passed must serve a secular purpose and more importantly be consistent with the cardinal wishes of such people especially those which are expressly evidenced in the Constitution (grund norm). A more meticulous examination of existing regulation would reveal that without prejudice to presumptions of innocence and the burden of proving specific bits and pieces, most if not all possible indiscretions are properly covered by penal laws, corporate structure and tax laws. That is not to say that killing in the name of God is not to be prohibited. Certainly, there is no place in civilisation for jihads, crusades (strictu senso) and forms of mutilation shrouded in religious practice. We cannot ignore the fact that some of the worst atrocities committed in recent history have resulted from states using public trust machinery to castigate religious components albeit too harshly. A sledge hammer to kill a fly approach usually boarders on violating clear Constitutional principles and may lead to a costly process when citizens choose to challenge it at whatever stage. Public accountability best practices would demand that all boxes are ticked before policy decisions are made or implemented.

ECCLESIASTICAL POLITY

This is just a fancy term to refer to how religious setups are governed. Obviously, it covers all historical debates on religious governance, the possibilities and in there somewhere, the regrets and benefits we can credit for millennia of co-existence. Religious teaching is generous on perspectives of honouring leadership and that is just as well. On the flip side, there is risk of forming an abhorrent sort of unholy alliance. Sometimes the line between some sort of affirmative action and political convenience is blurred so much so that several elements / assets of government may be deployed for benefit that may be inconsistent with fundamentals of the given religious outfit itself and legitimate Constitutional expectations that people might have of their political representatives. To coin a term, I might say that we at times condone a type of “religious corruption”.

Having for a fair number of years taught a university class titled “Law, Christian and Political Thought” and inevitably marinated thousands of ancient texts and graded a few opinions, I request to earn the right to have a favourite topic and character. This is none other than Richard Hooker aka the Angelic Doctor. As a lawyer, politician, lawmaker, writer and theologian who lived at the heart of the advanced puritan reformation in ancient Europe and at a time of glaring conflicts between church and state, he had one or two nuggets to both parties in their respective spaces of expertise. He popularly posited that even for those who wished to use scripture to inform their governance, there was a difference amongst natural law, social law, political law and religious law (Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie). It should not take too much intellectual investment for us to understand why rocks do not grow flowers, fish do not fly, why we rarely tame lions or why we should not cut all trees; why we do not all drive on the left or right side of the road as a matter of discretion, why we are not all presidents and why even spiritually we manifest different results and expressions. There is expected to be an inalienable stratification of different forms of divine order and sometimes the challenges we face relate to how we properly appropriate them.

When religious leaders run to state machinery to regulate expressions or emphases they consider different from theirs, or if the state coffers are relieved to facilitate religious causes outside proper Constitutional quotas and processes one of two parties might have some clarification to make. Then again, it takes two to tango. 

By Matsiko Godwin Muhwezi

Corporate Lawyer & Lecturer

*first published on matsikogdwin.blospot.com ©

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WHEN LOVE WALKS

What is wrong with the Great Lakes Region?

Kenya

If as they say, the country's economy is run by a few families with roots in the forefathers who through the likes of MAU MAU grabbed the the spoils of a fleeing queen, where does that leave the rest of the wanainchi? Who owns, the universities, the airports, the food industries and transport business? Vision 2020 may well be underway but we may have entrenched the dominance of dynasty if the likes of Bush, Clinton and a host of other senators in the US are to go by. What is more exciting, Obama visiting or Lupita winning? ICC failed to witch hunt or prosecute whichever way you look at it but the blood of those fallen cries out and maybe the loss lies where it falls. Is the Turkana a forgotten brother or is the Somali border the banished sister? In  Karen and Gigiri we microwave our burgers as Kibera stares pitifully. Where the lot and loot is determined by stereotypes of tribe and origin, who should answer for the taxes of the masses.

The show must go on

Tanzania

It is a Magufuli all affair and we may as well pack up and go to roost. steady democracy they say and the West is happy but who makes the rules. Is it fine that we use a language which might not get us beyond the confines of our borders or even makes us abandon our native languages and cultures? Who will save us from the roots of Mao Tse Tung and these Communist clutches? We are the polite (not slow) neighbours who happen to be the well behaved brother. The albino craze and the island mysticism might very well upstage Diamond Platinum's act. Who owns that Tanzanite, and why can't my ambitions tip the Kilmanjaro ranges?

The show must go on.

Burundi

The thing is, our story is too long but breaking it down for you might not do justice either. You call us the poorest country but it might be because you do not understand us. We have fought our way to this mountain and we are not sure why you bind us to pieces of paper with fine print. Brothers fight and that only make them stronger. You are judging too much but maybe when we have better internet you will see that we are not as oppressed as you might think.

But the show must go on.

DRC

The big fat brother with more money that he has use for. We probably have ten countries in one and twice as many governments. What matters is whether you are in Kinshasa or Kisangani. God forbid you find yourself in Ituri. we are the kings of lingala RIP Papa Wemba, we have the gold and mention it. Lumumba turns where he lies and Mobutu wonders why riches could not buy him immortality but it is Kabila's baby we have so let us enjoy that if we can.

The show must go on

Rwanda

The land of a thousand hills and a million possibilities. We may soon export snow but certainly you will not fault us for not trying. Have you read those self made something something? Yes that is us. Be advised that the walls on this page have ears and the arm of the king is never too short. It was 1959 and 1994 but we have the Belgians to blame. This is not a Hollywood blonde affair, we are pretty faces with a strong, very strong will. Denial is not an option but we rather let bygones be bygones and from the inside looking out...Never again

But the show must go on.

South Sudan

We were excited to cut the oil pipe umbilical but perhaps spent far too long resting on our laurels. The dust will soon settle but our uncles and parents are yet to agree on who takes over the estate because there was never a clear will. It has become a machine gun preacher crusade and we still tower the skies and dwarf the hoops. Melanin is not all there is so you cannot trust the uptown jealous big brother to say nice things about us.

The show must go on.

Uganda

Undoubtedly the comedy capital of the world, right here everything sells. We epitomize the forgive and forget adage. Today it is Aine, tomorrow it is Tubonge, the next it is save Carol, then Cancer machine, then Nyanzi, then Lokodo, then....depends on what social media decides is important for the day. Gripped in the war heroes Roman empire, as Roman Reigns would say, you are unfortunate not to know someone who knows someone who knows someone who was in Luwero in 1986. Might I add that if you feel like not paying taxes, just become an MP because then you can make the rules and forbid heavens that you eat a small toad. Run in battles, black Monday blues and house arrests we may probably have the most active Police force there is. If you touch the leopard's something something, you better have a very high high tree to climb because unless you have an affidavit, the leopard does not have a something something even if everyone can see the something something, you need proof that there was ever a something something. With potholes in Kololo and Bwaise alike, what actually happens in Kaberamaido (random thought, I cannot trace any more districts on the map before I get the day's paper because chances are one more might have been created). Who actually paid the price for everyone being on VPN for a week? We might never know. The hustle capital of Africa is right here where the party never sleeps. 

Because the show must go on.
In the East African Commodity.

Tears of the Eiffel Tower

If it is about tall,chizzeled jaw, hollow bellyied romantic size zero runway queens we get it. If it is about the classy rhetoric and sharp suits that too. If it is about the Riviera, the concord; Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane we would still relate. This is no such thing, not the tourist rate or the bizzare prostitution laws being passed in the land of Marie Antoniette.

 

It is a gruelling attack on civilians, I choose not to say innocent because few ever merit that description however easily it is littered. Whether it is immigration, politics, religion or sheer wantonness the hyenas jump on the carcass of the lion they have trailed. Regardless, it was no combat, and the world woke up to horrific stats of the blasted stadium; not by rowdy racist fans or infuriated losers. Tortched concerts and racketed restaurants. A sad day anywhere.

 

We for the most part just take away the statistics and keep updating our tally but that is a child, father, mother or loved one to someone. It could not get worse. A selfish confession, the first people that came to mind were, Ozil, Giroud, Kocielny and Wenger. I hoped and prayed they were fine. I think I have beat that horse senseless!

 

It is an attack against humanity, like any other murder in Soweto, Burundi, South Sudan, Iraq, Syria and not just because of age old allies or because Obama thinks so. All blood runs red and it helps that the value of one's life is never weighed on the GDP of one's flag. That is myopic in every sense of the word but true it is time to mourn and not point fingers.

 

 

The world was silent when Rwanda was bleeding, Gulu wailed lipless for decades on end while we cheesed and burgered; the silence remains  in so many forlon battle fields but this the camera gets in 3D and so we care. Where did Libya go? are we the happier? Will we ever know what goes on in Syria? What became of Afhagnistan and the families that wail at night for snatched cuddles and children that could have been? When you see crocodile turn and toss in their graves, it is for things like these, for their tears that we have monopolised. When we have blacks shot in American surburbs by Police, does it become an attack against humanity? What of the Mexicans dying in scores because they cannot get accross the border to never never land. How many boats the waves blast in the Mediterranean we have lost count but how relevant is that?

 I digress however, France we care, and so we change our profiles for thy sake, may  you remember us too. When we seek to visit your well lit streets may you not shut your borders. When we seek aid for insects and reptiles, hear thee our call. France, may your visa be as common place as a blister in the hand of a tropical labourer. May we find your language easier to grasp and passable in exams knowing well we might never use it beyond Cher mon amis!

 

France we stand for humanity, may you be found human too; not in just frailty but also in heart.

 

$TOH