The subject of brain drain is one which, when taken out of its proper context, will show worrying patterns that threatens to thwart Uganda's prospects significantly. But another harrowing fear is sex drain. One such challenge that rising among educated Ugandan women leading them to stream out of the country through marriages to the Muzungu! These days, the educated Ugandan woman is crazy over the Muzungu man. This is quite frightening considering that most of them end up becoming stay home wives and baby making machines.
Now, feminists will argue that patriarchy in society is adverse as it entrenches social inequities in society. I agree, and wish to even prolong the argument by positing that because society placed very low expectation on the role of women, it muzzled their voices; our societies even today still function halfway – literally with very basic meaningful contribution encouraged from the woman. Productivity from women is still restricted, mostly within domestic confines or menial labour. Notwithstanding the fact that more educated and skilled women have made significant breakthroughs in the glass ceiling previously "man-only" worlds, the odds against the woman are still sky high. But even the successful women are not necessarily basking in these places because they are equals to men but because they are of absolute necessity and extra-ordinary. For a woman to rightfully find a spot among men in corporate spheres, executive positions or high echelon in society, they have to exhibit certain traits; such as being resilient, physically appealing; is married to some brand name; is a daughter or relative of some Lord Mayor, etc!
Today, most girls are staying put in school and are giving their male counterparts, the run for their money. In essence, education opportunities have unleashed the previously untapped skills in young women making them pivotal in development future of Uganda. This also illustrate that issues of social equity across gender must become key policy matter in the design of our society.
The downside of the woman education is that, women are being inadequately processed to confront their new elite world. The educated woman now is faced with conflicting views of society - caught between the old traditions and the new sophisticated one where her future resides. This duality compels them to rightfully feel that their status in society has been elevated but that of society has not.
Loaded with degrees and diplomas, the Ugandan women becomes confrontational to society and problematic to herself with the hilarity of having an education, thereby transcending tradition of their mothers, society's prejudices and stereotypes about women and; the prospect of landing a more sophisticated husband – and not the childhood playmate guy in the neighbourhood.
I have argued that the colonial education system excels in ensuring that the black man is uprooted from their culture and traditions deemed primitive. This is largely because we have not integrated African realities in our education through research. Further, this education refurbishes the African mind with such hateful vengeance against the self by replacing it with "western" mindset and view of the self considered "superior" or more "advanced". This is generational indoctrination and unless we agree to critically examine this concept, our education system will continue to churn and process graduates that lack self identity; are helpless, lack in all aspects of innovation and become candidates for modern slavery – thus, producing a bunch of disposable individuals!
So, for the educated woman, anything African sounds retarded; anything Western is superior, so they strive to romanticize with that. Looking for a Muzungu and hanging out with one, is such a big deal, as it highlights the confirmation of one's full integration into the so-called modern society with new identity. Uganda looses out because most of its priced talents and the educated women who get married and shipped out of Africa, become stay- home mothers and decay away as housewives, the very offence they accused their African brothers of committing on them. Our education should integrate local research in its mainstream to keep our graduates rooted in the realities that are prevalent within our society for them to become meaningfully engaged in new innovations - thereby keeping both the skilled and the Mother gainfully employed within Uganda.
END.
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