By Bamuturaki
Musinguzi, KAMPALA Uganda
On October 9, 2020,
Uganda will celebrate 58 years of independence from British rule. However, its
roads, streets, water bodies, monuments and landmarks still carry colonial
European names.
When they first arrived in Uganda,
British colonialists named water bodies and landmarks after their fellow
citizens in total disregard of the original indigenous names.
Lake Victoria, the world’s second
largest fresh water body that is shared by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, was
renamed after England’s Queen Victoria by the explorer John Speke, the first
Englishman to see it in 1858.
People living near the lake in Uganda
called it Nnalubaale in Luganda; it is known as Nyanza in some Bantu languages,
and the Dholuo name in Kenya is Namlolwe.
The explorer Henry Stanley, the first
European to see a lake in the Albertine rift, called it Lake Edward in 1888,
after Prince Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria.
In 1864, the explorers Samuel Baker and
Sass Flóra saw Lake Albert on the border of Uganda and the lake and
renamed it after the recently deceased Prince Albert, consort of Queen
Victoria.
The indigenous people called it
Mwitanzige (killer of locusts).
In many Ugandan towns, the roads, bear
names such as Speke Road, Ternan Avenue, Colville Street, Hesketh Bell Road,
Dewinton Road, Dundas Road, Coryndon Road, Dastur Street, Portal Avenue, Dastur
Street, William Street, Prince Charles Drive, Princess Ann Drive, and Philip
Drive.
To correct this colonial naming, more
than 5,300 change activists have signed a petition calling for the removal of
symbols, street names, monuments and other relics in Uganda that represent a
nefarious legacy of conquest, occupation, exploitation and impunity.
The petitioners say the continued
public display of colonial iconography is a slap in the face of the many brave
people who fought for the political independence of Africa from the 15th
century until the late 1960s.
“It is doubly painful for others that
continue to fight for the socio-economic independence of the African continent
from neo-imperial subjugation and the indignity and injustice that comes with
it. Colonial iconography not only offends fundamental rights and freedoms of
individuals and groups from cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, but reinforces
and celebrates a culture of colonial supremacy, domination and impunity. The
removal of these ominous vestiges is long over,” states the petition
dated June 25, 2020.
The petition is signed by, among
others, Apollo N. Makubuya (chief petitioner and former deputy prime minister
of Buganda Kingdom); Justice James Ogoola (chair of the Elders Forum of Uganda
and Emeritus Principal Judge); Lwanga Lunyigo (Professor of History and Special
Presidential Assistant); Stephen Adyeeri (Buliisa County Member of Parliament
and chair of the Bunyoro Parliamentary Caucus); and Medard Segona (Member of
Parliament Busiro East).
Makubuya handed over the document
titled “Petition to Decolonise and Rename Streets in Kampala and Other
Landmarks in Uganda” to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga on June 25,
in Kampala.
A tweet from the parliament on June 30,
said Speaker Kadaga would forward the petition to the prime minister for
government action.
“I am yet to receive a formal
communication from the prime minister. But some informal contact has been
made,” Makubuya told reporters.
The petitioners claim that they are
encouraged by the movement in many other parts of the world, especially the US
and the UK. “We have seen the positive actions of some governments, cities and
universities to acknowledge, review and redress a legacy of racism,
discrimination and a grim imperialist past.”
The petitioners call for the removal of
symbols of Brigadier General Trevor Ternan, Lord Frederick Lugard, Major
General Henry Colville, Commissioner Harry George Galt and the Kings African
Rifles who were notorious in their inhumane and degrading treatment of the
colonised people in the Uganda Protectorate.
They want the government to place the
iconography in the Uganda museum, with appropriate labelling, so that people
can learn about the true stories behind these figures. They are also calling on
the government to revisit the school curriculum on Uganda’s struggle against
colonial rule and the meaning of Independence to ensure that the history of the
country is taught in its entirety rather than that which glorifies the colonial
order and demeans those that resisted it.
“It would be remiss to suggest that
removing offending colonial iconography from public display means that
decolonisation has been achieved. However, we believe it would be an important
step in the continuing struggle against decolonisation of the mind and matter
in Uganda. We are aware that there are many concerns including on the
procedures and responsibility for renaming. We believe though that these are
surmountable,” the petitioners say.
“There has been a lot of support in a
relatively short period. We started the online petition on June 9. So in less
than a month we have 5,380 endorsements. That is a huge sign of support.
Perhaps unprecedented. Also government officials, from the speaker, Kampala
mayor and some ministers have expressed support. The local press has covered it
quite well. The story has attracted international interest and has been covered
by CNN, Al Jazeera, The Guardian in the UK, Irish
Times, Reuters, Chinese media as well as in South Africa,” Makubuya said.
“As expected there are a few sceptical voices, mostly on social media,” added Makubuya.
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