Pomp and Circumstance

Yes, even here. I participated in one of the two graduation ceremonies here. It was very exciting.



Everyone was dressed up, of course, but it seemed even dressier to me than I am used to. After the graduates and guests are seated then the academics march in together, led by a band. Here you can see Sister Doctor Goretti and Dr. James ready to process.

Here is the band that led us through the university streets to the tents where the actual ceremonies took place.

There were no Ph.D.s conferred, but when the master's degrees were conferred, the students came up one at a time, kneeled on the floor in front of the chancellor (kneeling is a not uncommon greeting in a moment of great respect), the chancellor then touched the head of the graduand with his cap, saying something (of course, I could not hear), and then handing the graduand a large tube with something rolled up inside - presumably a diploma.

During the speeches, the students were a bit disturbed because they did not have programs that showed their names as graduands. Yes, graduands. There had been some confusion where some names of students who had met all requirements and had all their fees paid and yet had been left off the official graduation list. Some of this tension contributed to the angst the students felt about not being given programs so they could check for their names. They were yelling and jeering. At last one of the speakers, the previous chancellor reminded them of a time when he graduated - 1973. He told the students they should be most happy that they can jeer the government, complain to the officials, speak up when they have been wronged, because when he graduated Idi Amin was in control and of everything, including the university. And if students would speak out in the smallest way, they would be taken to the barracks in Macindye and "disciplined." Yes, I thought this is one important sign of freedom, that you can speak your peace against the people in power and not be punished for it. There were many wonderful aspects of the ceremony that marked it as specifically Uganda, besides singing the Ugandan National Anthem, the picture of President Museveni on the first page of the program booklet, the speech by one of the country's ministers. There was a musical/dance performance.

There were some things about the graduation that were strangely familiar.

People sleeping  or bored as they awaited the announcement that their loved one has graduated.




And, at long last, the sight of moms shouting for glee when they finally heard that all their money, support, and pride have come to fruition in this child who is now graduated.



















Two days of graduation. I witnessed the first. After, the ceremony, we were treated to a wonderful lunch in the board room. There I heard about a Kyambogo community member who has created a wonderful business with bananas. They make banana juice, banana wine, banana charcoal (from the peels), banana paper bags, fabric and table mats - you guessed it, from bananas. And I had my last meal in Uganda for this visit in the company of Kyambogo administrators and faculty.