It is the 29^th June 2013 at 2:00pm, the Makerere University Main Hall is bustling with activity as alumni, friends, staff members of Makerere University and well wishers stream in to join the historic commemoration of the University of East Africa, UEA, (1963 – 1970). The Main hall is filled with laughter as alumni greet each other with warm passionate hugs and handshakes. It has been years since they last saw each other. It has been years since they last shared a seat in this Main Hall. It has been years since they last returned to Makerere University, where it all started. Some of them have started graying and as they smile, the wrinkles on their faces emphasize the wisdom that only comes with age. All protocol is ignored for now. The alumni of UEA are simply happy to be back home. They walk in and out of the Main Hall to view the exhibitions on the side; as displayed by the three participating universities: Makerere University, University of Nairobi and University of Dar es Salaam. They finally settle in the Main Hall to participate in the other activities of the day.

The University Main Hall is at this moment transformed into what it was in the 1960s, when scholars from the continent and beyond came here to participate in powerful public debate and discourse. It was in this Main Hall that a strong spirit and sense of Pan Africanism was nurtured; a spirit that was to spread throughout the continent and cause major political paradigm shifts and result into independence of some of the African States. To bring this out clearly is the perfect choice of Africa’s celebrated writer, Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who is set to give a keynote address on ‘Makerere Dreams: Language and New Frontiers of Knowledge.’ Before the Keynote Speaker comes on stage, the Chairperson of Makerere University Council Eng. Wana Etyem welcomes all to Makerere University. 

He reminds the gathering that this commemoration is part of the wider celebrations of 90 years of Makerere University and he is grateful for the initiators of the celebrations including former Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba. He is in the same vein grateful to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu for steering the commemoration to such a tremendous moment. The Chairperson of Council is particularly grateful to the Government of Uganda for the continued support to higher education in the upcoming student loan scheme.
Amidst a thunderous applause, Eng. Wana Etyem then requests the alumni of the University of London and alumni of the UEA to stand up for recognition. They rise to their feet and wave to the crowd with wide jovial smiles. It is a happy hour.

The Keynote Speaker is introduced by the Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera.  “I was one of the first students to register for the UEA degrees. I went to the University of Nairobi. UEA must have been an innocent victim of political ignorance. Is it possible to resurrect the UEA in one form or another?” he wonders. “It is now my singular honour and pleasure to invite Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o to give the key note address,” he adds, as the crowd gives a befitting welcome to this illustrious son of Africa, who confidently walks to the podium clad in a white long sleeved shirt and a smile on his face. The Main Hall is filled to capacity, the gallery overflows. In the audience are Government officials including the former Prime Minister Hon. Apolo Nsibambi, cultural representatives like the former Katikiiro of Buganda Eng. J.B Walusimbi, Political leaders like the UPC President Olara Otunnu, Members of Staff from MUASA, MASA and NUEI, representatives from the diplomatic missions and students from both Makerere University and neighboring Secondary Schools.

“I find it interesting that people ask me where I was educated every now and then. They hope I will say an American or British University. But I always say I was educated at Makerere University, and I wrote my books in Makerere, Kampala,” said Prof. Ngugi in his opening remarks. “I feel truly grateful for the honour of bringing me back to the scene of many incredible memories. It was on this hill that year after year beginning in 1961, we celebrated the realization of a dream fought for in the streets of Dar, Nairobi and Kampala for over sixty years. The Makerere Student’s Guild with its tradition of free and fair elections had already undermined the colonial practices but anticipated this moment. I entered Makerere University in July 1959, a colonial subject of white settler state and left in 1964, a citizen of an independent black Republic. In a way, Makerere of my time was a personal paradise. Makerere opened the space of my imagination,” he reminisced.

Prof. Ngugi decried the absence of continuous works in native languages. “What we can question is the fact that our various fields of knowledge of Africa are in many ways rooted in the entire colonial tradition of the outsider looking in. Our knowledge of Africa is largely filtered through European languages and their vocabulary. How many historians, Africans and non-Africans alike, have ever written a single document in an African language? How many researchers have even retained the original field notes in words spoken by the primary informant? I have seen prizes being announced for the promotion of African literature but only on condition that the entries are not in an African language. Can you imagine the horror it would raise if someone offered a prize for the promotion of French literature but only on condition that the participants write in Zulu?” he added. He rebuked African governments for turning their backs on African languages by denying them resources.

Dr. Okello Ogwang, Dean of School of Languages and Literature and Dr. Susan Kiguli of the same School, presented Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o with a plaque for his keynote address and also as a prominent alumni of the school. He had paid a courtesy visit to the School earlier in the morning. The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs. Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, thanked Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o for the address adding that he had indeed sent the congregation into deep thought on the need to generate scholarly material in indigenous languages.

A key highlight of the commemoration was the launch of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere book, ‘Women’s Freedom: Women are Eagles, Not Chickens,’ and the unveiling of the Mwalimu bust by His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who was represented by Tourism Minister, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu. The bust stands tall in bronze mounted on a white pedestal in the garden between Edge road and the Makerere University Main Road, overlooking the Freedom Square. From its position, one could rightly say that the late Julius Nyerere, with a smile on his face as seen in this bust, is staring at the historic Freedom Square, to remind all graduating from this Square to stay true to their heritage and carry on the spirit of Pan-Africanism. “With these accolades as the only Chancellor of the University of East Africa which we are celebrating today, it is worthy to have a Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Monument on the Main Campus of Makerere University, his proud alma mater. 

Mwalimu Nyerere’s efforts perhaps kicked off with his selflessness vision of a united Tanzania. President Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Karume of Zanzibar were foresighted in uniting Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form Tanzania. The EAC later broke down in 1977 partly because the principled Nyerere was incompatible with Idi Amin,” said Hon. Kamuntu. The former Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Hon. Mathew Rukikaire, who doubles as a former Guild President of UEA in 1963, was grateful to President Yoweri Museveni for laboring to realize the dream of an integrated East Africa engineered by Julius Nyerere.

Hon. Charles Makongoro Nyerere, a son to the late Julius Nyerere and a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly, thanked the organizers for honouring his father and emphasized that if Nyerere’s book had been written in current times, it would have indeed brought out many more prominent women both at local and international levels, who have raised to high profile positions. He was also grateful that the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate at Makerere University had deemed it fit to dedicate the proceeds from the sale of Mwalimu Nyerere’s book to help bright but disadvantaged female students attain education. Hon. Makongoro made a humble appeal that something should be done to change the fact that his late father is still the only Chancellor of UEA. He said his father would not have been pleased to remain the only holder of this position forever. 99-year old Mzee Anania Akera, a former roommate of Nyerere in 1944, attended the function to the delight of all, especially the Nyerere family.

Two prominent alumni of the University of East Africa from each country were awarded for their service over the years. The awards were presented by Dr. Martin Aliker, the Chairperson Council of UEA assisted by David Kahundha Muhwezi, the Makerere University Secretary:

• From Makerere University; Prof. Charles Lwanga Mark Olweny, Professor Livingstone Sserwadda Luboobi and Mrs. Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire, were awarded.
• University of Dar es Salaam awarded H.E  President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Prof. Issa Gulamhussein Shivji.
• University of Nairobi awarded Prof. (Mrs) Florida Amakobe Karani and Eng. Austin Salmon Kitololo

 The Vice Chancellors of participating universities shared their prospects of higher education:

“It has been criminal to keep your child at home for the last 11 years in Kenya. This has been done diligently. A lot of money has been put into this. Kenya has a budget of 1.6 Trillion and education is going to take the biggest part of this budget. Government has invested highly in infrastructure and we now have 33 universities, 14 of which are fully chartered. This has expanded the capacity of the Kenyan students who are currently 370,000; both in private and public universities.  Our greatest challenge is in Science and technology. The number of students doing science and technology is about 25% only,” said Prof. George Magoha, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. “We have retained our staff because the  government has been listening  to staff unions. We collect six billion annually and are now focusing on training staff to write proposals. 25% of this budget comes from research,” he added

“The Uganda Vision 2040 provides plans and strategies to transform the Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern, prosperous and competitive upper middle-income country within 30 years. To attain this projected level of development, the country will have to exploit its enormous opportunities including oil and gas, tourism, minerals, ICT business, abundant youthful labour force, strategic geographical location, fresh water resources, industries and agriculture.

These opportunities can only be harnessed through strengthening the physical infrastructure; Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation (STEI); and above all through concentration on human capital development,” said Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.

“Some of the interviews for positions in the University of Dar es Salaam were held here. The instruments designed here, so Makerere was the cradle for Dar. Every visit here is an opportunity for us to extend our gratitude. I would like us to focus on the question of whether we still value quality education or we are simply focusing on big numbers of students. The numbers are high of universities, students, lecturers, etc, but we need to ponder on the quality. Do we appreciate the role of education in our emancipation? Yes the three universities are bigger but are they better?  Are they universities or simply glorified high schools? Are our universities doing enough, like investing in cooperation amongst ourselves as opposed to cooperation with universities abroad only? Are we spending our meager resources wisely? The resources expended on administrative overheads could be spent in the active involvement of education? I am positive that we will prosper if we provide education in cooperation rather than competition,” advised Prof. Mukanadla Rwekaza, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam.

A souvenir magazine for 90 years of Makerere University, highlighting the strides taken in research and innovations across the nine colleges of Makerere University and the School of Law, was launched by Education Minister, Jessica Alupo, as part of the celebrations. The magazine, Mak@90, is a product of a partnership between the Public Relations Office of Makerere University and The New Vision. The commemoration was sponsored by UNESCO, which was represented by the Secretary General, Mr. Augustine Omare-Okurut, and the Swedish Government represented by the First Secretary Dr. Patri Pohjolainen. 

The Guests were treated to a cocktail to wind down the commemoration and entertainment from the Department of Performing Arts and Film (PAF).

Article by Marion Alina

Photo selection by Elias Tuhereze