In this blog post, a second part to an earlier one, Charles Onyango-Obbo argues that African cities are dirty because the African elite maintains very close ties to their villages. He thus argues that the de-villagisation of Africa will lead to more clean cities. He cites examples of clean cities like Kigali and Asmara as being clean because the elite who live there have no ties to any village, they are basically former exilees and refugees. I do not condone the dirt in African cities, that is one, but I do not think African cities are dirty because of the elite’s attachment to villages and so de-villagisation will not clean up the African cities in my view.
Let us consider the possibility of the advantages of the villagisation of the African. Let us think about the potential good things that can come out of it. Must the African lose his roots and identity in the search for urbanisation? Can the African urbanise and remain villagised at the same time? Why must it be an ‘either/or’ situation? Can we talk about the implications of the type of ‘whole’ food eaten by the African? Can we talk more concretely about the two sides to this question? Are there advantages of the African situation? How can we minimise the disadvantages while maximizing the advantages? How can we eat our cassava and maintain market for the peasant farmer while cleaning the city of the peels? Can these peels for example be made into tar that can “tarmacadise” our roads as one Harambe 2012 Associate has proposed?
Yes. This means, we put money in the pocket of the cassava farmer, then have the nutritious benefits of the cassava, and then clean up the mess by making tar out of the peels, and in turn work on our roads. An originally African approach, makes our cities clean, we have good health, we maintain our roots and villages and we move forward! I do not see value in trying to change the African’s worldview’s basis on belonging and the village as a way of cleaning African cities. It is not only so expensive, but it is not a model rooted in the African reality that centers on the cultural imprint of community and belonging! The approach os re-shaping the African mindset has failed, for the fifty and more years of independence. We can urbanise the African condition without wiping the roots of a people’s identity. Or else we will be met with cultural attitudes that won’t allow the solutions to work.
YESTERDAY in “Politically Incorrect: Why Africa’s Cities Are The Dirtiest In The World, And ‘Village Food’ Is Bad For Towns (How It Began)”,we examined the controversial view expounded by Uganda’s sharp-tongued former Vice President Dr Specioza Kazibwe that the conventional toilet and garbage collecting trucks in African cities cannot cope with the fall-out from the “village” African’s eating habits.
On this, the garbage implications of African foods taking over the city now that we have come to town, Dr Kazibwe was spot on too. A typical garbage pile in an Africa city like Kampala has lots of soil from banana, potato, and cassava peels, and also other heavy objects that are difficult to recycle and clear away.
The chaps in Europe and Asia who make the garbage trucks, assume that the garbage will be light like in their own countries. They are wrong. Our stuff is seriously organic…
View original post 1,031 more words
Bwesigye Bwa-Mwesigire 
Exactly. If we have people like you in high public offices then Africans especially Ugandans will have hope. However, people who have thought like you in the past have been either sidelined or killed off. To Onyango Obbo, he has to overcome what is called inferiority complex for it seems that he is so ashamed of his own village. For such an esteemed journalist ,I wonder what he thinks about appropriate technology like what you have advocated. The problem with many Africans is once they leave the gutters, they don’t want their fellow Africans to rise up to where they are!!! Unfortunately, they climb up quickly to higher positions of responsibility, they become vocal, and they become the sole voice who think for the masses!!! When Bazungu come, they seek out those who have the wrong intentions and they work with them thinking that they are the right people. in USA, Affirmative action failed for most of the few Black Africans failed to groom and bring up others to their levels. Many enjoyed the sole positions they acquired, they were fooled by the limelight, yet they were being laughed at and sneered at! They set very high standards for their fellow Blacks that were not measurable neither achievable.
Mr. Onyango Obbo, what are your goals for Africa, especially Uganda? Is he like those who are putting money in the pockets of “foreign investors” and so pocketing “enjawulo” a few thousand dollars? Are they advocating for policies that they know will not work but pocket a few thousand dollars and put their names on the projects thus continuing to lie to Wanainchi by pushing down unhealthy and life sucking policies???
They may seem to prosper for a time but such surely come back to bite them!!!!