Kabaka Mutebi and baby son, Richard Ssemakookiro.
Life can be a puzzle sometimes. I mean in 1999, I almost made my dad insane as I demanded that he made sure electricity did not chuck while the royal wedding was being aired.
Together with millions of other people, we witnessed the lavish do as Buganda embraced the new Queen. And I must say, with an exposed king, queen, church do, I imagined that tradition had been pimped up to match up with modernity.
Evidently I was dreaming! Because the shocking news about the little prince made slumber land too uncomfortable a place for me to stay for I woke up to reality. Eeeh! But I think these men have taken it upon themselves to shock society on a daily basis. But anyway, if one can fail to click some men’s acts when they are not protected by solid rules, what is the worst that one can expect when there are rules to protect and avail leeway to everything that we might all abhor?
Now this is the point where I do not understand society and how they choose to direct their excitement. One minute, it (society) is excited over acquiring a queen. Then the next minute, it is a prince from another lady, who is not their queen but they are too excited to ignore the implication of all this!
While it is crystal clear to me that culture permits the King to have as many wives and children hence there being nothing wrong with what happened, it should be put to consideration that we live in a modern world where women are respected. The queen has held a reputable position where she is both a role model to many and a lady of substance. And above all, facts are facts hence when one embraces two worlds, attention should be put to which approach suits any prevailing situation the most.
Like in this case, for example, while those who uphold cultural behaviour might be exhilarated by this move, sugar coating the term “infidelity” with cultural descriptions might neither be amusing to the church nor the Christians.
And putting both worlds in mind, I think the position of the Queen should not be belittled on such an open platform. In any case, the child should also be protected from all the public responses because it is an innocent being.
Above all, the coronation is not going to take place a month later so was it so hard to have the matter handled internally minus exposing off all the dirty linen for public scrutiny?
It might be true that the kingdom had demanded for a prince, and depending on various grounds, he was availed. So if all are regarded as children, what is the whole point of getting excited as if the other children do not have the same blood flowing in their veins? Okay, maybe he is special, but now that it has all been achieved, can we take this to a selfless, sensitive angle because this is not all about one person?
I guess this is proof that human beings can be very good hypocrites.
At one point, they were all for the Queen, and the next, all the excitement, attention has been channelled to the prince and mum. I wonder what will happen if the Queen too gives birth to a boy at a certain point.
I actually admire how well the Queen of Buganda has managed this issue so far. And I shall forever admire the virtuous woman that she is.
And since the damage has already been done, I do not expect us all to cry over spilt milk especially when the majority may not even realise that it has been spilt all over the floor already! So, as we await to meet our co-wife (nanti literally, we are all wives to the Kabaka), I hope that society, especially the men will at one point get selfless, sensitive and think hard before they arrive to certain decisions. Seriously, it should not be too hard an exercise!
