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No-Holds-Barred
By Peter G. Mwesige |
Wanted: Ugandan Heroes
July 3, 2003
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Mr Gaetano Kaggwa, Uganda’s representative in the Big Brother Africa House in South Africa, who quickly shot to fame when he joined the other African contestants in the $100,000 competition, is no longer just a star. Ask the women who watch the live show, and the men too. Gaetano is the man; he is the talk of town. For the uninitiated, Big Brother Africa is a reality TV show that started in May. Twelve contestants from different African countries have been put in a closed off house where everything they do, from showering to snoring, is captured live on air. One contestant is evicted after voting by viewers in the participating countries every week. The last person in the house will walk off with $100,000. In one week alone, our major newspapers had 10 front page headlines about Gaetano’s exploits, not to mention the stories in the inside pages. “Ugandan Has Sex in Big Brother” (Sunday Vision); “Uganda’s Gaetano Wins Trip to Big Brother in London” (The New Vision); “Gae in UK Big Brother House” (The Monitor); “UK Papers Dare Gae Over Sex” (The New Vision); “British Papers Praise ‘Bed-Hot’ Gaetano” (The Monitor); “Gaetano Returns to S. Africa”(The Monitor); “Gaetano, Abby in Passionate Night” (Sunday Monitor); “Gaetano, Abby Do It Again” (Sunday Vision); “25 Million Hooked to Gaetano On TV” (The Monitor); “Gae Drops Abby” (The New Vision). For the week that he was in the UK, the British tabloids also carried screaming headlines about Gaetano. Of course part of the attraction of Gaetano’s story is sex. To use a cliché, sex sells, and Gaetano has given The New Vision and The Monitor an opportunity to tap into the Red Pepper’s niche. And the FM stations are having a field day with jokes on the passionate goings-on in the BBA house. But even before sex came into the picture, one could not fail to detect the patriotism that most viewers took to the show. Nigerians will send messages saying, “Bayo, you are doing us proud; we are all behind you,” while the Ugandans will send messages cheering on their own. Oh why, local newspapers are full of MTN sponsored ads appealing to us to support Uganda (Gaetano), and vote to evict other housemates. My sense of the zeal that Ugandans are showing for Gaetano’s quest to come back with the big bucks is that besides the welcome distraction that the show offers, we are a country badly in need of heroes and heroines. Now, I am not oblivious to our unsung heroes and heroines: the foot soldiers who put their lives on the line in defence of our country; the policemen (minus the corrupt ones of course) who keep law and order; the teachers who educate the nation’s future leaders; the health workers who give their all. Most of these people do their jobs in spite of the meagre rewards they get for it. But because many of them never get the opportunity to make headline news, we can easily forget about their contribution. Unfortunately, the people who make the headline news have been, for the most part, a big let down. In sports, we have the occasional victories by athelete Dorcas Inzikuru, or the Kobs. But the crowd pulling Cranes, the national soccer team, have brought only tears. So have the politicians. There was a time when President Yoweri Museveni was the promise of the future. He stood out as a mountain in the region, many saying that only South African hero Nelson Mandela stood higher. There was a time when Ugandans who travelled abroad listened proudly as their hosts talked about Mr Museveni as Uganda’s gift and saviour. In neighbouring Kenya, university students would cut classes to attend public speeches by the Ugandan president. Museveni’s inspirational speeches are now history. He rarely says anything new, and often looks bored with what he is saying (the last time I made such observations, my column was banned!). Museveni has joined the list of other African leaders who want to rule for life, and has become increasingly intolerant of dissent. Some will say he was always like that, but at least he had managed to cover up his thirst for power and contempt for opposition. Now the dragon has been unleashed. Many of those leading the opposition against Museveni also appear to fall short of hero status. Yes, they have been stifled by the state, but they could still do more to inspire us. Now, what inspiration do we get from reading that MP Ken Lukyamuzi, a Museveni critic, took off from a public rally he had organised in Nateete when he cited Police in the vicinity? And to imagine that the Police were chasing an errant driver! Thing is, we need heroes and heroines in the political field. We need somebody who can show real leadership and end the insurgency in northern Uganda, now spreading to the east. We need a leader who can stand up to and bite the corrupt officials who are emptying the national coffers. In the meantime, we pray that Gaetano comes back with the bucks! |
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
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