Let the young people who feed off tourism lead the information war

Not so long ago, we were on a trip with the Mountain Slayers. It was my first time in Karamoja. It takes about 10 hours – about 14 if you joyride with the “Slayers” – from Kampala to Karamoja. That is how far it is.

 After the hike, we drove to the scenic Kidepo Valley National Park, where we were slated to stay for the night. It was dark and visibility was poor. Our bus got stuck in the marshland, in the park. What a night! The next day as we lounged about, waiting for transportation back to Kampala, someone made a joke about what it would be like if, on top of having gotten stuck in a national game park, we got abducted by rebels.

Of course, there was no remote possibility of that happening because this was years after the Joseph Kony-led insurgency in the North of Uganda had been neutralized. On the morning of writing this, I had been talking to a friend who asked after my recent trip to the United States. I responded that odd as it may sound, one of the reasons I am happy to be back home is I don’t have to worry about my life ending unceremoniously because a random gunman bigoted walking into a bar and opening fire.

Of course, this is with the disclaimer that I know we have guns in the hands of many stupid people who, routinely, put them to wanton misuse. In the same way that you might be shot dead or injured for taking part in – or being in the vicinity of – a political protest in Uganda, you could also get your life stole for being in a random bar, school, or mosque in the United States.

So, as ironies go, you can be safe and/or unsafe anywhere. That is one prism through which the devastating news of the gruesome murder of two tourists and their driver in Kasese, by unknown assailants can be looked at. That a country and its people are more than some random acts of madness. Sadly, it is not the first time. Back in 1999, eight foreign tourists and four Ugandan guides were bludgeoned to death by a group of savage Rwandan rebels in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Even then, there were stories about tourists canceling their trips to Uganda. But the country was still just healing from a sustained period of instability and tourism wasn’t top of the pile ultimate moneymaker for Uganda. The unfortunate disaster epitomized the mood and circumstances of the time. Coincidentally, this was around the same time that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the group that Uganda’s official security organs are attributing this heinous crime to, was starting.

Things have changed, drastically, over the last 10 years or so. Tourism, by both nationals and foreigners, is enjoying a purple patch and all indicators are that things can only get better – if the politics don’t interfere. Mostly, we have the internet to thank for that turn in fortune; and, ironically, President Museveni’s long stay in power, which has guaranteed stability and relative peace.

It is not just the dollars. It is the direct and indirect jobs, the networks, and the opportunities that come to almost every corner of the country because of all the guests that drop in every so often. Mostly, tourism is also how we present ourselves to the world. The window through which the world forms its opinion of us.

That is why this incident is tragic. It has the potential to damage an industry that is central to our livelihoods. In times like this, the number of young people who have found profit and purpose from working as guides, influencers, content creators, tour operators, brokers, hosts, hoteliers, escorts, bartenders, drivers, and everything between that are best placed to tell the story of Uganda. They know who to talk to and what to say to them. More than the usual uninspiring straitjacket official government communication, they know what message to send – because their livelihoods depend on it. More than anyone, they have a better understanding of the country’s incredible music, food, people, sights, nature, heritage, animals, whatever.

So let us trust them and let them loose, with whatever support they need. I would even suggest that now would be a great time to rescind that ill-informed decision to block Facebook. But apparently, the Uganda government wants us to build our own Facebook. Laughable.

Mr Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds. [email protected]