THE POWER OF COMMUNIAL MENTALITY, UNITY AND SENSE OF BELONGING IN UGANDA

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
Dishma-Inc.
P.O. Box 8885,
Kampala-Uganda
Tel. +256392614655/+256752542504
dishma.imhs@gmail.com
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com

Living together and sharing resources has been the backbone of African existence and survival until capitalism took its toll in the second half of 1980s in Uganda under the government of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Unity was looked at as a strategy for easy administration –which NRM government resorted to enforced by article 269 of the constitution of the republic of Uganda –prohibiting political party activities in Uganda in favor of a unity government.

Sense of belonging among Ugandans can be thought to be natural, but under certain circumstances, develops conflicts between adopting new citizenship and sense of belonging. It is by nature strong and hard to eliminate –entirely.

There was 62% (yes) for communal mentality; 25% (some how); 12% not at all; and other factors 1% tendency of respondents sharing the same opinion and slight differences where they existed. In groups of 3, 4, and 5 –there was a high likelihood of people nursing the same goals and ambitions. They formed norms as groups to which they got pressured and socialized to abide. Broken nature of families is a feature common in most modern day families in Uganda.

There was a tendency of people working in groups and living together to have the same goals, perception, interests and needs. Overtime, their interaction creates specific norms of relationship.

No wonder, different groups of respondents met tended to give similar responses, or when they differed dominant ones attempted to demand common responses –which were moderated to require independent reasoning but with same common responses and fewer variations.

With 27% (yes) for unity; 44% (no); 22% (sometimes); and 7% don’t know rating on unity, the nation cannot not help itself any more after the introduction and spread of capitalism in Uganda. Several efforts to artificially force unity only led to violence and gross human rights violations. The natural groupings and shared goals had been eroded in favor of individualism.

Cultures, which have helped promote and strengthen national unity, have been capitulated and weakened to make the institution of presidency most supreme –which unveils own culture of work –the culture of corruption, marginalization and denial of Ugandans what is by any means theirs.

Attempts by the government of the ruling national resistance movement to weaken cultural institutions further through its divide and rule tool were harshly met by people resistance on September 11, 2009 in which over 30 unarmed civilians were gruesomely killed by stage security agencies.

In conclusion, there is no way government can enforce unity, fight sectarian and efforts to promote patriotism –without looking at issues like the divisive patterns in the social structure of people of the same history and heritage.

The earlier basis of economic governance (mixed economic mind) was still the most favorite route as a ladder to national unity, solidarity and greater sense of belonging (patriotism). Otherwise, the current social governing tool remains unity in disunity –a situation that can never be harmonized.