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Uganda: Kazini, Zuma And Polygamy
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The Monitor (Kampala)
OPINION
23 July 2008
Posted to the web 23 July 2008
Polygamy - now there's a subject and a half. It is rarely out of the news, in one form or the other, in Uganda. Thus last week we had the fisticuffs (fight) between the former Army Commander, Major General James Kazini, and Dr Robert Kagoda of the JBK Medical Centre in Buziga.
Now, I suppose a doctor is a good person to have a fight with, in case you need medical treatment afterwards, you don't have to go far to find a doctor. But as, according to Dr Kadoga, Kazini "hit him with a gun on the head" (The New Vision, March 3), it may have been more of a case of, "Physican, heal thyself" (Luke 4:23 - King James Version).
So what were the two men fighting about? According to the front page story of The New Vision (March 4), Maj. Gen. Kazini had said that "the Kampala doctor with whom he exchanged blows on Sunday was 'hiding' his (Kazini's) junior wife, Ms Winnie Kente," with whom he (Kazini) has a two-year-old daughter.
Roving Eye does not claim to be a world expert on polygamy, though it is true that before my aged cat, Kitty, died last year, he was the senior cat ("The Official Cat") among our pets, while young Lucky was the junior cat. However, since both cats had been castrated/neutered/spayed (an operation which Mr Jacob Zuma - see below - may wish to consider), there were no problems of the children of the junior cat turning up unexpectedly at the senior cat's funeral.
However, my understanding of polygamy was increased by an excellent article by fellow columnist, Nicholas Sengoba ("Zuma's growing stock of wives and the burden of Christianity" Daily Monitor 4 March).
I knew that before the coming of Christianity, Africa was polygamous. But, as Sengoba explains:
"When the European missionaries landed in Africa with the new religion, the greatest hurdle for most of the converts was giving up polygamy...."
In order to take advantage of the education and vocational skills provided by the church and its schools, "most natives took to practicing Christianity during 'broad daylight' before reverting to the old ways in 'the night', in the absence of the prying eyes of the society - what is known as being 'Anglican by day and African by night.'"
Sengoba argues that the tremendous interest of the African public in Zuma is precisely because he is not 'Anglican by day and African by night', i.e., he does not try to hide his polygamy and is open and relaxed about it.
It seems that Zuma has innumerable wives and girlfriends and has had "the disputed figure of 18 children" with them.
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of the African National Congress, and quite likely the next President of South Africa, is a most terrible role model for his country and for the continent of Africa.
Leaving aside the allegations of corruption and rape, what does it say about the brain cells of a man who, during his rape trial, said that after having 'live' sex he thought he could prevent himself getting HIV/AIDS by bathing.
Hopefully, even Ugandan school children who read Straight Talk, let alone adults and potential presidents, are aware that while bathing may remove sexual fluids, it does not stop the spread of HIV/Aids.
And then, there are the economic effects on Africa of large polygamous families, like that of Zuma's and their counterparts in Uganda.
At 3.4 percent, Uganda's annual population growth rate is the third highest in the world. Before any readers send me nasty e-mails (or even pleasant ones), please remember that the following was not written by Roving Eye, but was the editorial of Uganda's government-owned newspaper:
"If Uganda's population continues to grow at this rate, economic growth will not result in substantially increased per capita incomes."
"It is wrong to believe that a large population will bring prosperity. Look at Ethiopia or Bangladesh, countries with populations of over 100 million yet stuck in abject poverty."
"Government needs to do more to bring Uganda's population growth rate down to a manageable level.
If it does not, Uganda's infrastructure for education, health, power and communication will get progressively overloaded and more Ugandans will drift into poverty." (The New Vision November 12 2003)
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For all the above reasons, South Africa, as well as Africa, need a Jacob Zuma presidency like they need a hole in the head.
Just what is it that the author has against Mr. Zuma?
Is it that he doesn't hide his polygyny? That is the accepted behaviour that was imported from Europe, isn't it? I mean the Europeans are just as polygynous as anybody else - and everybody knows it - but these followers of that higher and purer family constellation monogamy prefer to hide their plural wives ("mistresses", "flirts", "one night stands") and take no responsibility for them or their children while they "tsk, tsk" others for marrying more than one woman.
Or is it the number of his children? Egad -... [Read Full Text]
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