Dr. Kizza Besigye, former presidential candidate is one of Uganda’s beloved public figure recognized and respected in all corners of the country.
Of recent, social media quoted his wife, Winnie Byanyima Besigye as a public figure demeaning some cultural values of women in some cultures who kneel down while talking to their elders, husbands, fathers or others as a sign of respect.
She is quoted on her tweeter saying a woman kneeling down for a man is a sign of slavery.
If it’s true that the awaited future first lady is the same person lambasting culture and norms, she owes an urgent apology. Uganda is state unified by more than sixty different tribes and so far so good; each tribe has endeavored to respect another tribe’s norms with no disdain.
Kneeling in Buganda culture is a sign of respect one gives to a person they hold in high esteem and it is not mandatory or compulsory. So, I wonder who went to Byanyima complaining that a woman kneeling down to her parents, husband, or elders is such a big burden.
If she can show us such people may be then shall we reconsider her argument but other than that I kindly request that as a public and an exemplary figure, she apologizes and always edits her public speech as a kind of mutual respect that exixt between divergent culutures that make up Uganda as a country.
Mariam Muyanja, Kkonge Kampala
