Revolutionary Question: Will the will of the People triumph in Uganda?

The story of the South African liberation is a long one. It cuts across many generations, many decades and many characters. To say the least, it was a liberation that saw it all.

There were days when all hope was lost. There were days when hope was the talk of the day. But the liberation movements continued the fight day and night.

It was clear from the onset that the odds were against the liberation movements led by the African National Congress. They were up against the might of the South African state.

South Africa was nuclear power with one of the best trained and equipped armies. Its security apparatus led by the notorious Bureau of State Security (BOSS) was one of the most feared in the world with seemingly unlimited resources and an international reach. They had power.

Real or perceived enemies were located, arrested or killed or both. Steve Biko was tortured to death in a police cell. Dulcie September, an ANC activist, was shot 5 times outside her office in Paris. Ruth First, a white ANC activist, was blown to bits when a letter bomb was delivered to her office in Maputo. Nelson Mandela and many others languished in jails across the country. The message was loud and clear. The South African state was not to be messed with.

And boy did it affect the psyche of the liberators. But the oppressed people of South Africa were not deterred. They sang songs of hope and courage. The streets were filled with protests every other day but the South African state ignored these pleas.

They insisted they were doing the right thing. Black and White couldn’t live together. In some cases, they labelled the liberators communists.

When 29 school children were killed during a peaceful protest that became known as the Sharpville massacre, no actions were taken against the perpetrators and the South African state was unapologetic. The ANC and other anti apartheid organisations were banned.

But the people did not relent. They continued the fight. In some cases, young men and women went off and joined the armed struggle as it became clear that peaceful means were increasingly fading.

Years and years went by and the South African state must have thought itself invincible. The media towed the line and said the same. There was no room for dissent.

But the times were changing. The African continent was witnessing a revolutionary shift and the consciousness of the African people and the world was growing.

It soon became clear that power and might may not be the answer. Every trick in the book had been exhausted by the South African state but still the people insisted. Many had paid the ultimate price but still many rose and challenged the status quo.

With all its nuclear weaponry and powerful security apparatus, it was no match for the people.

Fast forward to 2021 and you cant help but see the similarities in Uganda. There are important issues to be addressed such as the transition of power in the country but they are falling to deaf ears. The army is at its strongest ever and serving in many roles across the African continent. However many have been killed or arrested in questionable circumstances and others continue to fear for their freedom, lives and property.

But the will of the people is indefatigable in nature because a new hopeful generation always rises from the ashes of a deflated one. Also, the proverbial tricks in the book are slowly running out just like they did for the South African state.

In the end, those in power will ask themselves, ‘What do we do next?’. They will not be sure of what to do next. But the people will know what to do. The state will have no choice but to genuinely ask the people to show them the way.

Like it was in apartheid South Africa, the people fight and dream for the right to be and remain free. And they will be free.

Philip Ndamira
ndamis@outlook.com