'"Beautiful Women Change the Course of History!": Advertising Independence in early 1960s Uganda.' In the weeks surrounding #UgandaAt59, several hundred national & international companies congratulated UG on its Independence in Uganda Argus. Here are 87 examples.
The range of advertisements is incredibly diverse—from movie theatres to @Ford. Or from @BootsUK to @pepsi. I think there are many ways to read (or interpret) the images. We might, for instance, see them as illustrating the marketability of nationalism.
We can surely see how the images build upon and complicate tropes re: race, gender, and class. Walter Rodney might use them to convincingly argue that they show how late colonial capital maintained its grip on African economies in the postcolony.
But I think the advertisements, more than anything, illustrate the power of Ugandan entrepreneurs and consumers. What @KagutaMuseveni sought to accomplish this past week @expo2020dubai was not an aberration in UG's economic history.
Ugandans have long been central actors in the creation and development of global economies. And this—as these images show—is worth celebrating!

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More from @JonathonLEarle

8 Oct
Buganda did not declare its Independence on 9 October 1962. It did so on 1 January 1961—and it nearly tore the kingdom apart. It was a decision that provoked outcry throughout the kingdom, and for some in the Lukiiko. I have provided a copy of the 1961 Agreement below. 1/ Image
The new Agreement provoked immediate outcry throughout the kingdom, resulting in hundreds of petitions for the Lukiiko to resign. The petitions were recirculated by @DPSecretariat1 and in the Luganda press. They also began to resurface in Argus. 2/
Godfrey Binaisa and Luyimbazi Zake were among the most vocal critics of the declaration. In one letter to Katikkiro Kintu, they stated: 'We have had ample opportunity to make a careful study of the issues that made the Lukiiko decide upon secession. [...].' The two 'were 3/ ImageImageImageImage
Read 22 tweets
7 Oct
What did logistics look like on UG's Independence Day? @PoliceUg worked incredibly hard to create a list of emergency nos., travel tips, general security guidance, & road contingencies. To guide spectators, they published the following booklet in the Uganda Argus. #UgandaAt59 1/7
2/7
3/7
Read 7 tweets
25 Sep
Was Kabaka Muteesa II the son of Kabaka Chwa II? Prior to 1953, Kabaka Muteesa II was one of the more controversial rulers of a generation. Why? 1/thread
At the time of his death in late 1939, Kabaka Chwa had identified 'the real children of whom I am father'. He recognized 36, as noted here: 2/
3/
Read 19 tweets
23 Sep
On the many National Anthems of Uganda & why the Anthem was Changed after Independence. Throughout 1961 and 1962, there were extensive debates about UG’s new national anthem. The selection of a Ugandan language was a key part of these debates. 1/17
2 January 1962 2/17
On 2 Jan. '62, S. Mbabi Katana argued that the national anthem should be produced in a ‘Ugandan African language’. By contrast, H. Kanyike argued that Uganda should follow Tanganyika, and rework ‘the popular Zulu (or Xhosa) African Anthem, whose principal theme in Africa’. 3/17
Read 17 tweets
21 Sep
This is very insightful @Isacmpanga — thank you! It seems similar to, "Gutufudde: gwafa Ssuuna n'Abaziba." As Mukasa recounts, Ssuuna had sent Nakamali as the kingdom's diplomat. When Nakamali arrived, he was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place,
including the beauty of the royal women. When Nakamali was granted an audience before King Kaitaba, he stated: "My Lord, I wish you to give me a very beautiful woman to accompany me back to Buganda as I have seen that the women of your
country are by far more beautiful than our women in Buganda." The king said that he would honour the request. But instead of offering him royal bed-chamber women (Enkologo), Nakamali is offered a woman, "not being beautiful like the others." Nakamali insisted on a royal woman,
Read 14 tweets
20 Sep
To date, Karamoja has remained marginalized in national history writing. But in the late 1960s, Karamojong activists shaped the course of national debates about state security and the importance of constitutional rule. 1/9 Image
In 1969, the Clerical Assistant for the Judicial Department of Pian, Karamoja, K.A.L. Itwa, forwarded Benedicto Kiwanuka a four-page report, which he entitled, ‘Disturbances in Karamoja’. Itwa informed Kiwanuka that he had organised a committee of DP activists in 2/9 Image
1966 to launch a three-year independent investigation into the corruption of UPC government workers and chiefs. Itwa’s report painted a dire picture of political life in eastern Uganda. The report concluded that the UPC supported police bribery and 3/9 Image
Read 9 tweets

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