Several months ago, we thought we were about to see light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel. Then our high optimism was deflated by the emergence of the D variant of the virus. Again, optimism is rising since more than 70% of the eligible people in the developed countries have now been vaccinated. Unfortunately, the fact that the level of vaccination in the developing countries is still extremely low, thus providing a breeding ground for new variants of the virus which may be resistant to the present vaccines.

What do we in the West know about Islam? Perhaps more than we did before 9/11 but not much. Now the US and NATO have withdrawn from Afghanistan we are again reminded how little we understand about Islamic fundamentalism and how its adherents justify their beliefs, not least their use of violence.

Wednesday, September 15, was the International Day of Democracy. It was established through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.

To say that Ugandan politics is always colorful is an understatement. If you want to know how colorful it was and why and how one man, President Museveni has ruled Uganda for over 35 years, or if you are baffled by the current spate of machete wielding killings in Southwestern Uganda, you will not wonder or be baffled anymore  after you have read the book titled UGANDA, The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy, Ascent and Descent of “Museveni” by the late Boniface Okello.

Guinea has been in the news lately because of a military coup which took place two weeks ago. When I saw the breaking news on Al Jazeera about that daring event, I remembered a popular 1960s Ghanaian highlife tune by ET Mensah whose lyrics extol Ghana, Guinea, and Mali as “the nucleus of the great union” namely, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) founded in 1963, and the African Union founded in 1999.

Professor Ali Mani was a bigger than life personality. The campus was yet to fully recover from all the ramifications of his momentous visit and controversial lecture. When, bump, it went. It came so suddenly it left most people struggling for breath.

The deputy Vice Chancellor attempted a violent takeover of the university. This was beyond imagination. It was outrageous. The problem was most people had no idea what had hit them. 

This has been a trying year.  We must contend not only with the many challenges of the coronavirus pandemic but also the loss of many people who have touched our lives. One of these was Mr. Bill Milligan who left us on June 29, 2021, to join his ancestors in Pagak, the proverbial land of no return.  His departure left us with mixed emotions. On the one hand, we are sad that he is no longer with us. On the other hand, we are glad that he is no longer facing life’s difficult challenges which naturally come with advancing age.

After eighteen months of the pandemic’s new normal, I often hear people complain about the restrictions of their freedom and violation of their human rights. Road rage shooting and increased murder rates are common in parts of the USA. Sexual assaults and teenage pregnancies in countries like Uganda are rising astronomically. Such complaints and talks  got me thinking about the good old days. Were the old days as good as people say they were? This note and the other articles will address this question.