The demise of University Life
Recently I had a very interesting conversation with my university going nieces. It turned out to be a very fascinating and revealing chat as I played out times of our lives at Makunika – forget about MUK, ours was always fondly referred to as Makunika probably adopted from the cables address of the university. As I happily relived the memories of those good old days, it was obvious that they did not even come minutely close to what we enjoyed as their marvel at my stories could hardly be suppressed. It is at that moment that I felt a little bit of sympathy for them. Where else will they ever get the opportunity to behave so stupidly and stand up to authorities without being locked up or sacked? I also asked myself what became of the good old university life, as it is known.
In or around the year 1996, a few residents of Northcote Hall got involved in an ugly incident where it is alleged that they sprinkled broken glass in dishes that were being prepared for the Afrostone dinner (a joint celebration of Africa and Livingstone Halls) later that evening. Now, without mincing words what they did (if true) is unacceptable and borders on attempted murder. It was not as comical as the biological attack on the Livingstone main gate or as hilarious as the chemical attack at the Afrostone dance later, this was a vicious act of inconsiderate rascals that had to be punished. Indeed, after that ugly incident there were calls, rightly in my opinion, for the University to take firm action against the perpetrators. What followed was an effort by the University authorities supported by the a few big shots in government to dismantle what was known as the ‘Northcote State Culture’. It would seem that in the heat of the apparent conflict and stand off between the university authorities and ‘Northcote State’ buoyed up by the public sympathy of those who would have been ‘targets ‘ of the broken glass, an idea was mooted to change the name of the hall which would in effect bring the whole concept, philosophy and practice of Northcote state to an end. I started with that little intro because I think it was the very genesis of the end of the various university cultures that were founded on the different halls of residence, although some people have argued that the introduction of private students who now outnumber government students 5 to 1 is responsible for this unfortunate turn of events. A drive through Makunika today and a brief chat with current students reveal a totally different place from the one we knew as home for 3, 4 or 5 years. The silence in each Hall of Residence is deafening making it impossible for a returning alumni to understand how we were able to spend a considerable amount of our time bleating out loud yells and long grunts of Mitchell Oyee, Lumumba Oyee etc.
Having studied for my High School Certificate at Makerere College School, I was at the university before I came to the university – if you get my drift. Therefore what I am about to share with you is an experience of over 7 years (2 for A level and 5 for my undergraduate course in Architecture). I have this terrible conviction that our behaviour at the university – which many people who did not understand campus life preferred to call hooliganism - was a reaction by many of us to what we suddenly found to be an abundance of freedoms; free accommodation, free food, rooms and toilets cleaned by workers and even an entitlement to collect ‘boom’ a government provided cash incentive to students to enable them attend university. Remember many of us at that time had come from fairly restrictive boarding schools where even coughing at an assembly being addressed by the headmaster would earn you a few lashes. These were the times when punishment for almost any trivial offence was rife and bullying by senior students was acceptable conduct in almost all Uganda’s schools. Only the hard-core boys dared to smoke or drink. Screaming or shouting indiscriminately would be punishable and being seen standing with a girl in what is perceived to be a wrong place would earn you a suspension, only to be met by an equally angry and punishing parent. Gaining admission to the university at that time was not only a prestigious triumph but also access to freedom. For many university students of those days, there was a sense of liberation of the mind and body. Some of us found these freedoms an opportunity to pursue those long cherished pleasures like smoking, drinking etc, others abused those freedoms by doing unmentionable things, but many of us just created and enjoyed fun with this newfound freedom. Although our time at the university came to be associated with occasional heckling, profanity, boozing, girl chasing, demonstrations and anti-establishment acts (the 1990 strike comes to mind) little did most people know that we did not live by these principles and that these were only the visible aspects of campus life to an outsider. Key beliefs of our lives were unity and solidarity, tolerance, patriotism and an insatiable desire to excel in whatever we did, sports, academics name it. We believed in working hard and playing hard in all spheres of life probably that is why a few misguided individuals thought that sprinkling broken glass in food that is about to be eaten by fellow students was part of the game. It is also important to note that there were those among us who were hardcore Christians (savedees), people who were so much attached to their books and those who either feared or failed to make a move for a girl (vegetarians) who did not participate (read enjoy) campus life as I explain it here and it would be unfair to bundle them with the rest of us who milked every moment of happiness during university days.
In order to instill discipline, unity and solidarity amongst students, freshers of the different halls (especially boys) were taken on a jogging stretch every morning for the first seven days of their fresher hood. Contrary to the misconceptions, these jogs were not forced although I now consider it risky for any one to have joined these runs willfully or not without having consulted a doctor first. It is during these jogging sessions (along the routes of the university campus) that as a fresher you were taught about the different halls, their culture and what they should be called (which I am afraid was often un pleasant because all other halls were known to be enemies). I participated in these runs throughout the 5 years of my stay at Makerere, they were neither violent nor compulsory but they were a lot of fun. One would probably want to know that as a first year, you were introduced to your culture first hand on the day you reported on campus. Again these were lovely joyous moments that involved you being taught the cries of celebration for the particular hall you were joining. I am afraid this was done at fee – some of you may call it extortion but I can assure you all students and parents paid willingly. This welcome was always followed up by a dance at the famous guild canteen (which is now no more) where people danced from dawn to dusk like they did not care. For many students who enjoyed campus life this was the beginning of freedom – to be able to say or do what you want without a fear of repercussions. Celebration of this freedom, unity and solidarity was concentrated on the respective cultural day, when the consumption of alcohol, singing of profanities, marching to a brass band and verbal attacks (not violent) on other halls of residence were encouraged.
Notwithstanding what may seem to be our questionable moral conduct, we excelled academically and there were never known cases of examinations mal-practices or cheating. If academic excellence and standing up to what we perceived to be unjust and unfair decisions by authorities were among the true values that defined us, another key principle of our lives was the way we went about defending our halls and enthusiasm with which we participated in our ‘cultural days’. I have no single cause that I feel a duty to defend like the ‘culture of a rat’ at Makerere University. I am sure that there are many people Lumumbists and Boxers that will tell you about the need to keep the culture of Gongom and Gongomess. I still find people today, almost 15 years, after leaving the university that impeccably believe in their culture as goats. I know of members of the Northcote State Revolutionary Command Council (NSSRCC) who have gone on to make very valiant contributions in the sectors they are employed and to Uganda at large. I remember one time as student leader in Mitchell Hall, we received a letter on the occasion of one of the Blocks in Complex (I think it was BB) being gutted by fire. The letter from the NSSRCC conveyed the apology of the leaders of Northcote state, apparently ‘one of their junior officers had misfired their guns and shells landed on the wrong target’ such was the fun that we used to enjoy these cultures. I also remember one of the student leaders threatening to wrap himself with the flag of the republic of Uganda and setting himself ablaze to show how angry students were when government abolished ‘boom’ in 1990. Such was the level of unity and solidarity among students of those days.
All over the world, university students seem to have various ways of relieving tension, Makerere is not different. That there would be periodic excesses is to be expected, however when such excesses occur authorities have to be clear if they want to identify a few students (the ring leaders) for punishment or whether the entire hall (in this case University) with its long and rich traditions. Unfortunately due to the policy and limited space then, not every one who applied to join MAKUNIKA could be admitted to the Ivory Tower. Many of our friends who had actually got better marks than those who join this institution today were shunted off to diploma schools like Nakawa, Kyambogo etc. Our use of terms like ‘Michael West’ in reference to our peers who did not make it to the ‘Hill’ and our constant battles and torrent of abuse during sports events did not endear us to many and there will be those who developed a natural antipathy and resentment to everything Makerere stands for. They will claim that I am trying to sanitise the actions of spoilt brats.
In or around the year 1996, a few residents of Northcote Hall got involved in an ugly incident where it is alleged that they sprinkled broken glass in dishes that were being prepared for the Afrostone dinner (a joint celebration of Africa and Livingstone Halls) later that evening. Now, without mincing words what they did (if true) is unacceptable and borders on attempted murder. It was not as comical as the biological attack on the Livingstone main gate or as hilarious as the chemical attack at the Afrostone dance later, this was a vicious act of inconsiderate rascals that had to be punished. Indeed, after that ugly incident there were calls, rightly in my opinion, for the University to take firm action against the perpetrators. What followed was an effort by the University authorities supported by the a few big shots in government to dismantle what was known as the ‘Northcote State Culture’. It would seem that in the heat of the apparent conflict and stand off between the university authorities and ‘Northcote State’ buoyed up by the public sympathy of those who would have been ‘targets ‘ of the broken glass, an idea was mooted to change the name of the hall which would in effect bring the whole concept, philosophy and practice of Northcote state to an end. I started with that little intro because I think it was the very genesis of the end of the various university cultures that were founded on the different halls of residence, although some people have argued that the introduction of private students who now outnumber government students 5 to 1 is responsible for this unfortunate turn of events. A drive through Makunika today and a brief chat with current students reveal a totally different place from the one we knew as home for 3, 4 or 5 years. The silence in each Hall of Residence is deafening making it impossible for a returning alumni to understand how we were able to spend a considerable amount of our time bleating out loud yells and long grunts of Mitchell Oyee, Lumumba Oyee etc.
Having studied for my High School Certificate at Makerere College School, I was at the university before I came to the university – if you get my drift. Therefore what I am about to share with you is an experience of over 7 years (2 for A level and 5 for my undergraduate course in Architecture). I have this terrible conviction that our behaviour at the university – which many people who did not understand campus life preferred to call hooliganism - was a reaction by many of us to what we suddenly found to be an abundance of freedoms; free accommodation, free food, rooms and toilets cleaned by workers and even an entitlement to collect ‘boom’ a government provided cash incentive to students to enable them attend university. Remember many of us at that time had come from fairly restrictive boarding schools where even coughing at an assembly being addressed by the headmaster would earn you a few lashes. These were the times when punishment for almost any trivial offence was rife and bullying by senior students was acceptable conduct in almost all Uganda’s schools. Only the hard-core boys dared to smoke or drink. Screaming or shouting indiscriminately would be punishable and being seen standing with a girl in what is perceived to be a wrong place would earn you a suspension, only to be met by an equally angry and punishing parent. Gaining admission to the university at that time was not only a prestigious triumph but also access to freedom. For many university students of those days, there was a sense of liberation of the mind and body. Some of us found these freedoms an opportunity to pursue those long cherished pleasures like smoking, drinking etc, others abused those freedoms by doing unmentionable things, but many of us just created and enjoyed fun with this newfound freedom. Although our time at the university came to be associated with occasional heckling, profanity, boozing, girl chasing, demonstrations and anti-establishment acts (the 1990 strike comes to mind) little did most people know that we did not live by these principles and that these were only the visible aspects of campus life to an outsider. Key beliefs of our lives were unity and solidarity, tolerance, patriotism and an insatiable desire to excel in whatever we did, sports, academics name it. We believed in working hard and playing hard in all spheres of life probably that is why a few misguided individuals thought that sprinkling broken glass in food that is about to be eaten by fellow students was part of the game. It is also important to note that there were those among us who were hardcore Christians (savedees), people who were so much attached to their books and those who either feared or failed to make a move for a girl (vegetarians) who did not participate (read enjoy) campus life as I explain it here and it would be unfair to bundle them with the rest of us who milked every moment of happiness during university days.
In order to instill discipline, unity and solidarity amongst students, freshers of the different halls (especially boys) were taken on a jogging stretch every morning for the first seven days of their fresher hood. Contrary to the misconceptions, these jogs were not forced although I now consider it risky for any one to have joined these runs willfully or not without having consulted a doctor first. It is during these jogging sessions (along the routes of the university campus) that as a fresher you were taught about the different halls, their culture and what they should be called (which I am afraid was often un pleasant because all other halls were known to be enemies). I participated in these runs throughout the 5 years of my stay at Makerere, they were neither violent nor compulsory but they were a lot of fun. One would probably want to know that as a first year, you were introduced to your culture first hand on the day you reported on campus. Again these were lovely joyous moments that involved you being taught the cries of celebration for the particular hall you were joining. I am afraid this was done at fee – some of you may call it extortion but I can assure you all students and parents paid willingly. This welcome was always followed up by a dance at the famous guild canteen (which is now no more) where people danced from dawn to dusk like they did not care. For many students who enjoyed campus life this was the beginning of freedom – to be able to say or do what you want without a fear of repercussions. Celebration of this freedom, unity and solidarity was concentrated on the respective cultural day, when the consumption of alcohol, singing of profanities, marching to a brass band and verbal attacks (not violent) on other halls of residence were encouraged.
Notwithstanding what may seem to be our questionable moral conduct, we excelled academically and there were never known cases of examinations mal-practices or cheating. If academic excellence and standing up to what we perceived to be unjust and unfair decisions by authorities were among the true values that defined us, another key principle of our lives was the way we went about defending our halls and enthusiasm with which we participated in our ‘cultural days’. I have no single cause that I feel a duty to defend like the ‘culture of a rat’ at Makerere University. I am sure that there are many people Lumumbists and Boxers that will tell you about the need to keep the culture of Gongom and Gongomess. I still find people today, almost 15 years, after leaving the university that impeccably believe in their culture as goats. I know of members of the Northcote State Revolutionary Command Council (NSSRCC) who have gone on to make very valiant contributions in the sectors they are employed and to Uganda at large. I remember one time as student leader in Mitchell Hall, we received a letter on the occasion of one of the Blocks in Complex (I think it was BB) being gutted by fire. The letter from the NSSRCC conveyed the apology of the leaders of Northcote state, apparently ‘one of their junior officers had misfired their guns and shells landed on the wrong target’ such was the fun that we used to enjoy these cultures. I also remember one of the student leaders threatening to wrap himself with the flag of the republic of Uganda and setting himself ablaze to show how angry students were when government abolished ‘boom’ in 1990. Such was the level of unity and solidarity among students of those days.
All over the world, university students seem to have various ways of relieving tension, Makerere is not different. That there would be periodic excesses is to be expected, however when such excesses occur authorities have to be clear if they want to identify a few students (the ring leaders) for punishment or whether the entire hall (in this case University) with its long and rich traditions. Unfortunately due to the policy and limited space then, not every one who applied to join MAKUNIKA could be admitted to the Ivory Tower. Many of our friends who had actually got better marks than those who join this institution today were shunted off to diploma schools like Nakawa, Kyambogo etc. Our use of terms like ‘Michael West’ in reference to our peers who did not make it to the ‘Hill’ and our constant battles and torrent of abuse during sports events did not endear us to many and there will be those who developed a natural antipathy and resentment to everything Makerere stands for. They will claim that I am trying to sanitise the actions of spoilt brats.
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