On New Year’s Day, while attending a service at Entebbe Baptist Church, I listened to a lady of Kenyan descent by the name of Prisca Ogwang, who is married to a Ugandan man, speak of the beauty of Uganda and how much Ugandans should love and market their country right from a young age.
According to Prisca Ogwang, Ugandans do not have love for their country; they do not know how beautiful and blessed their country is; they complain about everything to the extent that even when it rains, it is the problem of the government.
“I landed at Entebbe airport, and it had rained a lot.I expressed my shock at how much it had rained, and someone at the immigration desk was quick to blame the government for the poor tarmac at the terminals and claimed that is why it rains a lot,” said Ogwang.
However, having traveled through most of East Africa’s countries, particularly Kenya and Tanzania, she was quick to praise the citizens of those countries for their love of their countries.
She went on to say that people in those countries would never make negative remarks about their country, something she observed Ugandans do frequently, and that no matter who they are telling it to, from boda-boda riders to high-ranking officials, no one in those countries would ever demonize their country.
Ogwang called upon parents to teach children from a young age about patriotism and promised to start training the young stars at Sunday school about how good and beautiful Uganda is, so that they grow up with the spirit of nationalism and do not spread negative talk about their country.
I was left in admiration of this lady, who in spite of coming from another country is able to speak of Uganda with such love and praise—a spirit that we should all embrace as Ugandans for the good and love of our country, Uganda.
CNN recently named Uganda one of the best places in the world to visit; as Ugandans, let us love our country and promote it.The best way to do that is by speaking of the good our country offers and its leadership.
The author is a primary school teacher in Wakiso District.
