{UAH} The Ambitious Struggle in Kampala
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Friends, your book on working and living in a country like Dubai is now available in several bookstores in Kampala. Through my eyes as a journalist have told the stories of many immigrants mostly Ugandans working as guards, maids, sex workers, bankers and journalists in Dubai. Aristoc, Mukono Book shop already have it on their shelves at Shs18,000. You can also get a copy by calling 0784 689 395 Refer to the previous detailed summary below.
Yasin
Dear Friends,
Yasin
Dear Friends,
Dubai is the modern epitome of cosmopolitanism. Its 21st century panoply of economic opportunities reinforces the inviting veneer of its cosmopolitanism, which, at least, appears on the surface to be as enlightened as one would expect in a community that thrives on a monumental scale of innovation and enterprise. Dubai's promise of lifelong prosperity and economic justice has attracted many citizens from all over the world – especially from underdeveloped countries such as Uganda. Success comes easily for some but also frustratingly slow for others. Sadly, many also must give up their dreams, as they realize that even in a desert oasis of so much economic promise the quest for tolerance, affirmation, and respect is, indeed, a universally challenging task.
My new book published by Florida Academic Press (FAP) and entitled The Ambitious Struggle: An African Journalists journey to hope and Identity in a Land of migrants. represents a long journey and, to be honest, the book changed and morphed as the story developed and time continued to march on during the writing process. Initially, I planned to write the book focusing heavily on the deep presence of racism and discrimination that confounds and complicates the struggles of immigrants who come to Dubai looking for economic security and freedom. However, as the book took shape, I also learned more about myself, recalling my roots in my home country of Uganda and their still evolving impact upon my life as an immigrant who came to Dubai and eventually established an active career as a journalist. Thus, even as I am still a relatively young man, I realized that the whole spectrum of my formative life experiences endowed a unique, genuine sense of cosmopolitanism that prepared me for the successes as well as the disappointments in the process of creating a productive, happy, and healthy life in Dubai. Furthermore, my experiences abroad have reinforced and strengthened the most essential aspects of my identity – family, the Muslim religion, and Ugandan roots, which are extensively chronicled in the book.
EKindle/ Ebook
The book comprises many stories – all true, all real and all authentic – taken from a span of more than thirty years, covering my earliest memories and including most recent events, such as the death of my mother and the birth of my latest child in 2012. The only changes were in names of some professional colleagues, friends, and social acquaintances – out of respect for privacy and discretion.
The book also includes many anecdotes about my work as a journalist in Dubai. Many readers might be unfamiliar with how the media operate in one of the world's most progressive and economically developed nations. There are many similarities to mainstream media in other parts of the world but there also are some unique elements which emphasize just how precarious, fragile, and delicate the media's professional commitments and ethics are amid the omnipresent shadows of press censorship and the opaque nature of official spokespersons who aggressively protect Dubai's intricately constructed status quo. These tensions are most frequently observed in the day-to-day coverage of crime, business, public meetings and other routine events that constitute the bread-and-butter of local media throughout the world. Some of the most illuminating insights come from stories about immigrants, signaling themes that easily could apply to similar stories in virtually any other part of the world. In summary, the book explores many topics – how the coverage of crime and police matters, public health concerns (e.g., HIV and AIDS), racism and racial profiling, governmental accountability, corporate responsibility in accidents, and other reporting beats proceeds against a backdrop of tensions that pit an enlightened cosmopolitanism against the strict cultural, social, and religious mores closely associated with the region.
Book Basics
The book comprises six sections and epilogue covering my lifetime. The first section discusses my childhood years, while the second chronicles my challenges as an immigrant in Dubai looking to establish a secure career. The third section is focused on my work as a journalist while the fourth and fifth sections explore the implications of Dubai's cosmopolitan emphasis and the racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination many immigrants face. In these two sections, I integrate my observations as a journalist in Dubai and as a young man in Uganda. Likewise, I follow the same approach in the sixth section, which compares the culture and process of governing in Dubai and Uganda. The epilogue returns the narrative to my family roots, as I chronicle my mother's terminal illness.
The sections are:
My Roots
The Road Map to Dubai
Reporting from Dubai
The New Society
The Color of My Skin
Kings, Presidents and Rulers
Epilogue
TESTIMONIALS
"Kakande's gripping and very personal account of a life lived between Uganda and Dubai is a must read. Charting a path taken by many before him, he evocatively describes the dramatic transition from East Africa to the skyscraper cities of the United Arab Emirates." --Christopher M. Davidson, author of "After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies"
"Yasin Kakande offers an entertaining read providing insights into how the news media operates in the United Arab Emirates. Kakande, for instance, describes how public relations executives often act as de factocensorship arms for powerful government officials. The journalist pulls back the veil on the difficulties of practicing journalism in an environment where secrets are often preferred to
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