Do I get offended if my Culture is insulted, you bet I am

Diplomacy has never been my strongest attribute, my passion and enthusiasm normally take over and sometimes before I know it, I have both feet wading through the murky waters of a very controversial subject. On the other hand, there have been plenty of times when I have struggled but successfully managed to keep my sentiments to myself especially if I am aware that my opinion may not be culturally welcome. I never say what I would like to say, I hold back out of respect for the others. While reading a brief profile of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs online, I learnt that he was never diplomatic, he just said it how it appeared to him. Most times he was right. In a professional environment, where we are all expected to behave or perform in the same way, that may be a great attitude. I however doubt if the same should be adopted when it comes to cultural matters. For starters, most if not all of us, had no hand in choosing the cultures we find ourselves in. We adopted these cultures and believed in them as a result of growing up in them. Uganda is a very interesting country with a diverse array of cultures and although they may be close to each other (especially within the major distinct groups of the Bantu and Nilotics) they are totally different in many ways. As a result of this, many of us especially those living in urban settings regularly interact with people from different cultures. I believe most of us live with the responsibility of continually trying not to offend others by avoiding making rude jokes, gestures or stereotypes. The Baganda have their own culture, language and lifestyle. This ‘Ganda Culture’ has been developed over centuries of struggles and trials. I am one of those people who find themselves in this culture, I did not choose to be there. As a Muganda, I was brought up to respect, adore and fear the Kabaka, because the strength and unity of this culture is founded on this one person. We praise him in our anthem and perform some rituals in his presence and absence. Granted some of them are out of sync with the modern world and most Baganda agree that those contravening the law or against the norms of modern society should be dropped. This should not in any way be interpreted to mean that we want our culture totally obliterated. We pledge our support to the Kabaka and his name is praised in our Anthem because we strongly believe in him as a unifying factor. Our forefathers fought, bled and died to defend the Kabaka and this kingdom. We honour his birth, death and ascension to the throne because those are important days to us as Baganda. We don’t force any body else to do so. We are proud of our heritage and the institution led by the Kabaka, that is why even after more than 20 years of abolition, most of the Baganda still have the same adoration for the Kabaka and the kingdom. If I wish to prostrate before him, sing the Buganda Anthem, cite my pledge, and practice the Ganda Culture within the boundaries of Buganda, I should be allowed to do so without intimidation or harassment, as long as I am not breaking any laws of the Republic of Uganda. If that offends anybody, I am sorry, but that is being rude and lack of tolerance for each other’s culture - the very foundation on which modern Uganda was built. The ‘Ganda Culture’ is my way of life, my heritage and I am proud of it. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change it and most importantly we have no aspirations to impose it on any one. In a country where fellow citizens die from lack of basic social services, where people regularly feel let down by those they elected into positions of responsibility, relationship with the Kabaka is the only compensation some of us can take from being Ugandans. If you live in Buganda and don’t like the Kabaka and the institution he leads, exercise some diplomacy and keep it within your self. Don’t offend us who want to profess our love for him, as long as we have done that within the laws of Uganda. Uganda’s constitution guarantees a lot of freedoms, among them every body to enjoy the culture and religion they believe in. If you really find it hard to stomach the fact that grown men prostrate before the Kabaka, our great constitution guarantees some more freedom - to live and work everywhere else in Uganda.