What is Good for The Goose is Good for The Gander
by My thoughts on some of the negative attitudes we Ugandans have that may hinder our development and enjoyment of life in our own country.
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President Museveni once said that Ugandans do not need to take leave because our nation is very poor and therefore we need to work harder. However, at another later time the Uganda’s current Minister of Trade and Tourism said that Ugandans need to take some time off their work to enjoy the beauty of their country instead of working twenty four seven.
Sometimes I wonder which of the two gentlemen we Ugandans should take seriously or should we just find a balance between the two opinions. I do agree with the President, though, that we need extremely hard to overcome our poverty but I do not agree that because we are poor we do not need vacation. A lot of Ugandans do not work as hard as they could but very few Ugandans go on tours of their own country. Therefore the honorable minister was right in saying that we need to take time to enjoy the beauty of our own country.
Very few Ugandans, though, seem to be eager or can afford to visit the popular tourist sites in Uganda like game parks. Chances are that if you visited some of the tourists destinations in our country like Mweya Safari Lodge in the Queen Elizabeth National Game Park or one of the resort Islands like Bulago Island on Lake Victoria, you are likely to find mostly foreigners especially Bazungu (whites).
About five years ago I was out for a Christian Businessmen’s fellowship back downtown Kampala where I struck a conversation with a group of friends and the topic of internal tourism came up as I was asked about my field trips in the east and north of Uganda. One man said that he felt so embarrassed one time while he hosted a group of overseas friends to a dinner during which they shared their experiences of places they had been to in and around Uganda. He realized that he guests seemed to know more about the popular tourist destinations in Uganda and East Africa than he knew, for he could hardly follow nor contribute to the conversation on some the attractions the visitors discussed.
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