Uganda has long been called, "The Pearl of Africa." But where did the term originate? A closer examination of the international press shows that Winston Churchill did NOT coin the phrase; he plagiarized it. The term's history is far more complicated—and interesting! 1/7
The nomenclature, "Pearl of Africa," was first used in the German press by 1890: "Perle Afrikas." In the Berlin press, the term was used in the context of Zanzibar as a way to illustrate British and German competition over the region. 2/7
The phrase is then reworked into English. In this 1890 letter, penned by Henry Morton Stanley to the Editor of the Times, we see one of the first occasions when the term was used in the English language (& the connection with German). 3/7
18 years later, following his expedition through Kenya, Uganda, Sudan & Egypt (map below), Roosevelt borrowed the term, "Uganda is the pearl." Throughout the 1900s, the term was used in numerous national and vernacular presses, often attributed to Churchill. 4/7
I think there are a number of explanations to help us understand why Churchill used the term. Beyond making the case for Ugandan exceptionalism, I am of the opinion that Churchill intentionally used the term during a time of growing hostility b/w German & British diplomats. 5/7
One wonders, to what degree was Churchill actively relocating eastern Africa's "Pearl" from the German coast to the interior, around which Great Britain could ostensibly expand their colonial influence in the region? In other words, was it a jab? 6/7
Of course, Ugandans throughout the early to mid-1900s used the phrase on their own terms and for their own purposes. Europeans sought to claim land, but they could never control communities' creative landscapes. The proverbial pearl was always in Uganda's possession. 7/7

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More from @JonathonLEarle

16 Feb
As we remember the life and legacy of Janani Luwum, I wish to share some photographs and material from the archives. Luwum's influence was international. He taught British children and shaped the careers and spirituality of religious leaders around the world. #JananiLuwumDay 1/5
If you are new to Luwum, here is a beautiful piece by @UrbanTVUganda 2/5
Here we see Luwum teaching British children and serving as a translator for the Archbishop of Canterbury in Gulu in 1961. @churchofengland. The inauguration of the Province of Uganda would be one of Geoffrey Fisher's last acts as Archbishop. 3/5
Read 5 tweets
16 Feb
About watches and time in Uganda. Why did watches & clocks become fashionable in Uganda during the early 1900s? 1/7
To my knowledge, no Ugandan had more clocks than Hamu Mukasa. He had 20 pendulum clocks, 1 of which we see in this photograph. Some have argued that this represents the imposition of colonial regimes of time. Others say that it symbolises status. 2/7
I want to propose a new theory. We know that Mukasa played the xylophone (ntaala/madinda), and that he loved music. Each of his 20 pendulum clocks—which he wound himself—were never synchronised. Each of the 20 chimed across a span of around 5 minutes. 3/7
Read 7 tweets
15 Feb
Uganda's flag, PART II. Please see the original post (pinned), for context. @melvinnasasira and @kadobamosesUG raise an important question. What role did Grace Ibingira play in the creation of Uganda's national flag? 1/15
In short, it is my argument that Grace Ibingira was instilled in public memory as the creator of Uganda's flag as a way of silencing the role of the DP in the creation of the national banner. 2/15
.@lvcgraphics, who does absolutely amazing work, has recreated the original design proposed by DP. The original Crane would have been entirely in gold. 3/15
Read 15 tweets
15 Feb
Uganda has a majestic, beautiful flag: second to none. But on the eve of Independence, the design of the flag went in a very different direction. Uganda's future flag was originally designed to feature Blue, Green and Gold, not Black, Gold, and Red. What happened? 1/10
On 18 Nov. 1961, Ben Kiwanuka, then the Chief Minister of Uganda, introduced a motion to form a committee to create Uganda’s national flag, anthem, & coat of arms. The Uganda Argus was filled with editorials, where concerned Ugandans expressed their opinions about the flag. 2/10
The DP’s national flag committee forwarded its recommendation by 21 March 1962. The flag would be comprised of three vertical bands of green, blue and green, separated by narrow white bands. In the middle of the blue central band, a gold crested crane would be placed. 3/10
Read 11 tweets
14 Feb
On Teso political history. In my mind, Ugandan scholarship has much work to do in including Tesoland. As many of us will know, The word -teso derived from the older gloss ates, or child, a word that was used to identify the younger, migrating communities from the 1/11
'old men’ who stayed behind, or the Karamojong, derived from aikar ‘to stay behind’ and imojong ‘the old men’. Changing vocabularies and oral histories suggest that a critique of central authority accompanied Teso’s aspiring ‘youth’. 2/11
Colonial Tesoland became one of Uganda's wealthiest regions. In fact, according to one report, it was the highest cigarette-consuming region in eastern Africa, which speaks to expanding capital markets in the region. 3/11
Read 12 tweets
12 Feb
Throughout the 1890s & early 1900s, CMS missionaries busied themselves w/ producing images & photographs for British and African consumers. Here, we have one of the earliest representations of Nabakyala Muganzirwazza, & what were likely women in the court preparing for baptism.
Read 4 tweets

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