Norah Owaraga

African civilizations pre-colonization

Pardon me, I do not remember exactly in which class or grade, I was taught about Rhineland, while in school in my homeland, Uganda. I just know we were taught about Rhineland. In retrospect, I ask: Why were we, Ugandan children, taught about RhineLand? And not so much about relevant African indigenous knowledge? Even when…

Genuine history & ancestry should be taught

Dar es Salaam is an Arabic word that means “haven of peace” or “land of peace”. I have just learnt this, through a story published in National Geographic (old style in physical book form). Its origin is credited to slave-trading Arabs, who established Dar es Salaam as a “door to the Indian Ocean,” I have…

One man’s food is another man’s poison …

“Undertones of the onslaught against African Uganda culture, branding it inferior; in some cases, likely sub-consciously and from an insufficiently informed perspective, could be decoded from the paper. The mention of kalo, case in point, was deceptive, misguiding, if one has insufficient understanding of Ugandan cuisine. When not eaten as porridge, consumption of kalo is…

Uganda’s pornography detection machine …

Whatever happened to the anti-pornography machine, which was reported would be in country in 2016. Did it ever come? If no, was it budgeted for and funds disbursed? If yes, did it work? For how long? And is it still working? As my mentor put it at the time, “the whole idea is insane.”