"I write what I like," like Steve Biko
“Among Ugandans, nobody swears. Everybody is at least bilingual - English and your home language.”Francisco Toro It is quite likely that because of the power dynamics between Toro and the Ugandans that he associated with, he never ever heard any of them swear in his presence. This does not mean that “nobody swears” in Uganda.… Continue reading Expat Gaze Part 5 – Ugandans’ language
“The family name comes first, the "first name" comes second. (And) Ugandan names are hellish to pronounce.”Francisco Toro Uganda’s sustaining legacies of colonialism include one’s “first name” not being their “family name”; and in many cases not a Ugandan name. Our colonizers required that we have their names as our "religious names"; and it is… Continue reading Expat Gaze Part 4 – Ugandan Names
White privilege is out of control. muzungus get away with all kinds of craziness. There are whole sections of town that cater mostly to muzungus. By the same token, muzungus get charged 50-100 percent more than Ugandans for everything, always.”Francisco Toro Racism was a major driver of colonialism and slavery; and at the same time… Continue reading Expat Gaze Part 3 – White Privilege
“Little Ugandan kids are enthralled by the sight of white people. They will point and jump and scream "muzungu! muzungu!" at you. “Muzungu” really isn't derogatory. African Americans are muzungus as far as everyone is concerned.”Francisco Toro Ugandan children, indeed, are enthralled by the sight of a person with a different skin colour from their… Continue reading Expat Gaze Part 2 – Meaning of Muzungu
“Uganda has the fastest growing population in the world, and it shows. There is an impossible, riotous number of little kids everywhere.” Francisco Toro, Expatriate Uganda does have a high fertility rate, which currently, in 2020, according to data published by Macrotrends, is estimated at an average of 4.8 births per woman. The same data shows… Continue reading Expat Gaze Part 1 – Uganda Population
