Fw: {UAH} AFRICANS IN DIASPORA: IS IT REALLY SLAVERY

This is an interesting topic for me Nicholas. I will not debate extensively about it but the practicality of making the things that you suggest happen is near zero. I will only give examples here because I basically live in Uganda but often travel to the 'diaspora'

So on one of my trips to the US we were having a conversation and someone living in there expressed how happy he was that finally he had triumphed and brought his children to live with him. I curiously asked, oh are they going to school and the answer was why would they.... They were doing the famous short course to join other Ugandans to care for the elderly. I am sure you know what I am talking about.

Someone expressed how they would never dream of bringing their children to do what he was doing- working with the elderly- but would rather send money back home so his children studied prestigious courses to increase their chances of coming where he is at a higher level and finally if they ever made it to where he is enrol them in school first so that they never do what he is doing. 

Arguments went back and forth until it degenerated to anger and finally it was not pleasant... Bottom line I think it is a cycle that no one wants to stop. And sometimes if you stayed at home and earned small you can build mizigo so sometimes I wonder whats the point of coming all the way and you still do what you can do if you stayed back home...

So my brother your idea is intelligent but its practicality is something that requires a whole mind pounding education change.. 

 

Esther Nakkazi 

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On Saturday, 11 June 2016, 19:50, Nicholas Ddumba Katumba <nicholas.dkatumba@gmail.com> wrote:

I have just seen a post from one of my friends about Ugandans living/working in the diaspora. Some of the people commenting on that post have raised issues like people have slavery mentality, they are into prostitution, thuggery and all sorts of things.

But is it really just about that? In earlier centuries, maybe 1700 or 1800, for I am not a good historian, Arabs and Europeans left their countries to come to Africa. Question is, did they come as slaves? I do not think so. Even today these people still do come, apparently as expats. Why don't we then also see Africans going to developed countries as having gone for economic reasons, learning opportunities, etc? Is it a question of perception? Maybe.

I think and feel what is failing us is our limited imaginations and ambitions. We have kept them so low. I will give you an example. Most of our people who live and work in the diaspora, when they come back home they only think about building two-roomed rented houses, a small fashion shop somewhere on Luwum Street, a restaurant and bar in Kabalagala and a three bed-roomed house for themselves. I have seen sky scrapers here seriously businesses here and housing estates. I think we should raise our ambitions and imaginations to levels of owning a 50 storeyed building somewhere in Uganda, beach front mega houses, etc.... These things are possible when we put our minds to them.

Our politicians themselves are not helping. these guys spend lots of tax payers' money traveling to these destinations but they never copy anything to replicate it at home! The government policy on dual citizenship is still another block! I am still wondering why a Ugandan returning home should pay visa fees!

So the mentality that Africans go to these countries as slaves, prostitutes should change to economic reasoning. Remember it all starts in the mind. Let us first change that mindset and the rest will fall in place.

Secondly, we should widen and raise our imagination and ambitions from the rented two-roomed houses to towers and malls and mega structures.

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