A Thousand Words

A Thousand Words

They say a picture says a thousand words. This is quite true. The picture of President Museveni giving a hug to Madame Cecilia Ogwal raises a lot of questions in my head. The president has been and continues to be a powerful if not the most powerful man in the nation. Since 1986, he has ruled the nation and under his leadership a lot of changes have happened in the nation. Madam Cecilia Ogwal has been one of the leading opposition members to the government of President Museveni. An astute politician and Christian, she has consistently walked the path of resistance, forsaking the easy perks that would have come from joining the ruling government.

The type of politics in Uganda is the kind that can be quite nasty at times. Sometimes it is violent and other times, there is a lot on intrigue. Yes, there is often a limitation on the freedom of association, expression and assembly. Madam Cecilia Ogwal belonged, for a long time, to the Uganda People’s Congress. This was the party, (which, together with the Kabaka Yekka), ushered Uganda into independence in 1962. This party has, together with other opposition parties, been victim to the limitations imposed by the current government.

Nonetheless, the picture of President Museveni, hugging Madam Ogwal is a powerful picture. The smile on their faces and the gesture itself brought warmth into my heart. It is my hope that this picture signifies that Uganda has turned another page in the way we deal with those people who do not think in the same way that we do. While I am aware that this might be a naïve way to look at the current political scene, a man has got to have hope. Not so?