A brotherly lesson by our leaders

The month of July ended on a very high and pleasant note. No, I am not talking about getting my salary early or even a salary increase. Well, still wish I could. I am also not talking about the Guma Guma concerts or that of Uganda’s self proclaimed ‘Ghetto president’ Bobi Wine. I never attended any so I am not qualified to write about them. To me the real high note worthy of commending was the historic four day State visit by Uganda’s president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to Rwanda. The significance of this visit was that it was the only feel good story in the regional media where the famine in Northern Kenya and Somalia continues to flash Africa’s perennial ‘Dark Continent’ tag. Before the visit, the conspiracy theorists and political speculators were all worked up with talk of alleged bitterness and tensions between Rwanda and Uganda and particularly between the leaders of the two countries. However, much as we are free to let our minds wander off even to the dark and negative spheres of our imagination, we need not lose focus on some fundamentals. One of the fundamental issues in my view is the fact that President Museveni and his host President Paul Kagame are brothers first and presidents second. The two worked and lived together long before they became leaders of their respective countries. This much was acknowledged in their speeches during the four day visit. The cultural link between the peoples of the two countries is so strong that they can understand each other even when speaking their different dialects! It was, therefore, not shocking that, on several occasions, President Museveni spoke a mixture of Kinyarwanda, Runyankore and Swahili. More importantly, the two leaders do not hold a monopoly on this brotherliness. It clearly extends to a whole new level bringing together the people of the two countries. Besides the cultural closeness between the peoples of Rwanda and Uganda, unfortunate political events further strengthened the brotherly bond. When the political regimes in Rwanda were hostile to a section of Rwandans, Uganda became home to thousands of Rwandan refugees. The Rwanda Patriotic Front organised itself and embarked on a mission not only to solve the problem of Tutsi refugees, but more importantly to rescue this country from the genocidal regimes that Museveni aptly referred to as ‘ideologically bankrupt.’ The prosperity and rapid development that Rwanda has witnessed since 1994 has seen the return of several refugees and also the influx of investors. Thousands of Ugandans have in turn moved to Rwanda for employment and investment opportunities. It is, therefore, very clear that Uganda and Rwanda are and will remain brothers no matter what. And of course brothers can have disagreements once in a while. What is important is that they can easily draw on the fact that they are brothers to resolve whatever issues that may arise. There was no better display of this than during the recent visit by president Museveni. They say a picture is worth a thousands words. Indeed it is and the one where President Museveni with his trademark hat was photographed standing leisurely next to his counterpart at the president’s farm on the shores of Lake Muhazi was worth a thousand words. Standing close to a herd of local breed cattle, in tall grass, holding their inkoni (sticks used for grazing cattle) the two looked perfectly like brothers than what we often see in the presidential portraits where handshakes and smiles are often formality. When both presidents took part in the monthly Umuganda cleaning exercise we were reminded of the African solidarity which has historically brought our people together. All this remains meaningful when the rest of us pick the lessons therein. As brothers and sisters we should nurture our relationships every now and then. I am sure if Kagame and Museveni were not busy with presidential duties they would visit each other more regularly and for longer periods. They have showed us what we need to do as brothers; visit each other, talk and share experiences once in a while. There is no excuse for continued mutual ignorance when are neighbours, brothers and sisters. And by the way, the famed photo of the two presidents quickly replaced the wallpaper on my computer! ssenyonga@gmail.com