When you flip through history books of our nation state, you will agree with me that educators, in general, are the most underrated people in our history about Uganda.

Particularly so, such educators, whose body of work is focused on consciously awakening our minds to be active citizens. To think through issues and to speak out.

“Okot p’Bitek was a Ugandan poet, who achieved wide international recognition for Song of Lawino, a long poem dealing with the tribulations of a rural African wife whose husband has taken up urban life and wishes everything to be westernised.”

This is the Google search result summary bio of one such educator, of the ones underrated that I speak of.

Yes, it is true the main protagonist, Lawino, of Okot’s Song of Lawino is a rural woman. However, to characterize the work as the summary bio does, is to underrate it.

In Song of Lawino, Okot beautifully dramatized predictions of our ancestors of how divisive multi-party democracy and exogenous religious sects are for our society.

CLICK HERE to read my detailed opinion “Reflecting on the Scourge of Dishonest Individualism” for more understanding of the sense of my assertion Okot’s Song of Lawino goes beyond a domestic setting.

The current realities in our nation state, other African nation states and in the rest of the world I dare say, affirm our ancestors’ wisdom and Okot’s brilliance.

Okot truly had a way with words. He coined an apt characterization of many a ‘global-westernize school African’ which I find a useful analytical framework.

“Intellectual smugglers”

“His point, aimed partly at Africans who had had a training in Christian traditions, was that it led to a concentration on matters distant from the actual concerns of Africans.”

This disturbing status quo often comes to mind as we implement training programs, training youth to become effective change agents in their respective communities.

In addition to providing technical skills training, I find it is equally important to trigger decolonization of minds of the “intellectual smugglers” attitudes.

The reason that I wonder, how come in our history books little, if at all, is said of Okot the person and his complete body of work.

How is it we do not have a dedicated cultural tourism product, for example, that focuses on the life and work of Okot?

It is disturbing that many of us from the greater northern region, in general, including Acholi, in particular, do not truly know Okot and his great contribution as an educator and an effective active citizen.

Today, I am happy I have learnt a little more about Okot. “His father Jebedayo Opi was a school teacher. His mother, Lacwaa Cerina, was a traditional singer, storyteller and dancer” (source Wikipedia).

I want to know more about Opi and Lacwaa. I ask: where are they in our nation state’s history?

For us Okot is our favorite historical figure. Read more ...

Tell you what?

Today is day three of our 5th Cohort of Training Self-Reliant Participatory Development (SRPD) Change Agents. It is an Income Generation Training Course focused on money skills.

Day 2: Identifying Investments @nowaraga

Nevertheless I will ask our learners if they know Okot?