The popular Luganda (language of Buganda, largest first nation of Uganda) children’s poem and nursery rhyme, “Embaata Ento” (The Young Ducklings), is on my mind. Its lyrics:
Ffe tuli embaata ento, tetumanyi kubala, tubala nga tuddamu: emu, bbiri, ssatu, nnya, ttaano, mukaaga, musanvu, munaana, mwenda, ne kkumi! Translated into English: “We are little ducklings, we do not know how to count, we count by repeating: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten!”
I think it is because, increasingly, I am sensitive to how the best excuse for getting away with it in our motherland seems to be to say: “I did not understand the numbers and and paperwork.”
It seems popular among our political leadership, for instance, to blame their bad decisions or actions on the fact that they are not technocrats and that for them, the politicians, they have insufficient numeracy skills.
I kid you not.
Grown men and women, openly and proudly reveal their fear of numbers and lack of numeracy skills as an excuse to justify and or to explain away the consequences of their decisions.
In some instances, they actually pretend numeracy skills endowed, but as they make their statements and take action, their insufficiencies are revealed.
But, apparently, it is working.
And so, it would appear, the best excuse to get away with it, the prevailing logic seems to suggest, just sing: “Ffe tuli embaata ento, tetumanyi kubala …”
Yes, grown men and women shamelessly belting out lyrics of a nursery rhyme intended to teach numeracy; as an excuse to get away with it on grounds of insufficient numeracy skills.
The most hilarious, in this instance is when they must defend the defenseless. Latch on to numbers and attempt to use them to support one dimensional points of view.
Making it easy for one with strong numeracy skills to validly counter said points of view.
Case in point, CLICK HERE to read my analysis: “Which political party gets stronger in Uganda?”
the Humanist view 
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