Jackie Chandiru only mirrors our society with Drugs, Addictions and Mental Health

ADDICTIONS

The Daily Monitor editorial of March 12, 2019 was such a masterpiece in highlighting the role of singer, Ms. Jackie Chandiru in the fight against drug use among the young, famed and glamorous Ugandans where nearly 70% of school kids acknowledge use of drugs and alcohol.

The plight of Jackie Chandiru is a regrettable one, but a realistic mirror of our broken society. Uganda as a whole is on some sort of drugs fueled and reproduced internally and externally. The nation is prone to intoxicating alien lifestyles and cultures driven by commodification of every aspect of social life. 

Often, we see emergence of strange social and behavioral mannerisms mostly contrived from the maladies of capitalist Western societies. We make little efforts at attempting to examine the roots of these behaviors as long as money is appended to them. Take for instance mysogynism, naked dressing, explicative language, seductive dance moves, massive drug-use and alcohol consumption display in music videos and Hollywood movies to symbolize accomplishments.

 Jackie, however, brings to the fore, an experience of near tragedy. Her situation is something that society may dismiss, forgetting that she did not bring this onto herself, but rather was seduced into the so-called accomplishment culture of the west. While covering Jackie’s experience, non-traditional (Facebook, and Twitter) and traditional (newspapers, radio and television) media outlets have exposed society’s ignorance on distinction and inextricable link between "drug-abuse", "drug-addiction" and mental illness.

 The Daily Monitor editorial was quite modest in its extent by not critiquing the language used in reference to Jackie's experience as "drug abuse".

 This loaded language - "drug abuse" - negates the fact that Jackie's initial intention was not to use the drug recklessly, say for recreation. Rather, in line with her explanation, (which I want to believe), is that Jackie was on a prescription medication for a persistent back pain. This accurate narration helps in formulating policy on dispensing such medications to avert an Opioid crisis as we see on the streets and back alleys of Norther American cities. 

 Performers endure a lot of pressure to appear as perfect or "normal" as one can be in public. Unfortunately, for all their public undertakings, fans do not appreciate that artists break physically and emotionally. The industry sets up one for failure. The agents do not want to hear that the pressure of stardom can wear a performer down emotionally and physically. When you throw in the afflictions of the heart, then whatever begun as a physical pain quickly escalates into a general morbidity. Pain is contagious and is subjectively experiential that an outsider cannot not appreciate.

 Jackie Chandiru was born a star to bounce back boldly this way.

 Behavior change interventions generally encompasses a multitude of theoretical considerations for it to be sustainable. There is total merit in the DM editorial that role modeling from a person with vicarious experience can influence behavior change. However, role modeling alone cannot significantly drive a sustainable behavior change. As a society, we need to take the issue of drug - use; prescriptions of narcotics and anti-biotics very seriously to avert addiction and resistance. Without supportive social and physical environments, we set up our young people to fail. This society has a subculture that is proliferated with, and prone to drug abuse. Social persuasion should result in policy and concrete actions.

Young people looking at the person transitioning through an experience as real and helps them to develop imagery of self-destruction reality unto themselves. Images and testimonies are powerful tools for people who adored Jackie before her predicaments and can see how frail she is right now.  

Majority of young Ugandans missed the captivating public appeal by Philly Bongoley Lutaaya in the 1980s against HIV/AIDS when little was known or talked about the disease or its victims. Lutaaya returned from Sweden to show Ugandans what HIV/AIDS could do to a person at a time when contracting this disease meant a death sentence. Yet, talking about it was very stigmatizing.

 Jackie's resurgence and debut at MUBS rekindles the memory of Mr. Philly Bongoley Lutaaya and must be celebrated.

 I could never get enough of Jackie Chandiru; whether on stage singing and dancing or as an advocate. One hopes that Parliament will pick up this cue to develop protective laws against prescription of painkillers and abuse of antibacterial drugs in Uganda.

End.

A note to Bobi Wine on Uganda's Elections

FRAUDULENT ELECTIONS 

 Hon. Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine is now embroiled in a politics of flagbearer nearly two years to the 2021 general elections. From now onwards, only a few people will engage in constructive work other than posturing around in second-hand over-sized suits as contestants.

Elections in Uganda are actually a discredited enterprise. They conjure up the ugliness of our politics of violence - polarization, hate, torture, masquerade, manipulations, armies and deaths. Many Ugandans would prefer any other options to constituting government than elections and bush wars.

Surprisingly, neither elections nor bush wars have solved Uganda's social or political problems other than accentuating them.  The more elections and bush wars we get into, the more we suffer. Bush wars have destroyed us and made us needy for a liberation messiah.

Elections have gotten for us avaricious lots keen at fleecing public purse to fester like ticks. It is customary that the ordinary Ugandan loses out during these wars and elections. The main beneficiaries are those who mobilize and organize these wars and sham elections.

The explanation for this zero-sum effect is that elections in Uganda have always been about the same people who are also the same problems of Uganda, but claim to offer themselves as solutions. Antithetical.

So, Bobi Wine should forcefully get himself into the ballots like Dr. Besigye since 2001. He (BW) too, may stay there forever!

I have argued that former Ugandan Presidents, including Dr Milton Obote (RIP) never had an exit plan in their political agenda to hand over power. Amin was the most bold of them for declaring himself President for life. Mr. Museveni communicates his intentions for life presidency by shuffling his arrows inside his quiver at every opportune moment. As such, elections have never qualitatively and quantitatively offered fundamental change for Ugandans. Rather, they have compounded it and set us in a cyclical path to war.

One could argue successfully that Museveni's 1980's justification for bush war against the Obote regime are more pronounced now, under his (Museveni's) regime. And, that these conditions justify an urgent call to mobilize for armed insurrection more than in 1980.

However, Ugandans have become weary of senseless wars and violent elections devoid of democracy that often hurts them. Elections, as a function of democratic institutions had the potential to replace, and not feed us into a war path. We would envisage tangible and visible outcomes highlighted by substantive changes in the material living conditions of our people leading to social integration, patriotism and harmony in this country.

That colourful utopia is far from materializing as the good in what constitute democracy in Uganda was stripped off its appeal. Democracy was shredded by selfish interests and elections built on its debris littered with anti-democratic laws and principles. To many of us, the Ugandan version of democracy is a reincarnation of war fought fiercely in mobilizing state legitimacy and the protracted processes that follows in legitimizing fraudulent post-election regimes.  

Violence is the common denominator in this process of forming governments in most African countries. Other societies learn from it and improve, while in Uganda's case, they make the experience worse.

Such an environment is never favourable for foreign or local investments. You could profile the nature of investors and investments in Uganda then compare with investments that obtains in other East African countries that are not at war to realize the differential impact of stealing elections.

Our gloom teach us that once civility departs from any civil process, what follows is commotion, chaos. In the Socratic dialogue a just outcome was deemed pertinent to a just process. You cannot, say, have a legitimate government when that government was constituted fraudulently. The concept of usurpation approximates this - when we grab someone's will or property by way of force, we must turn to hegemonic violence to legitimize such loot. Without shame, "government" cannot be in-congruent with a social contract of a people.

So, what value resides in participating in a Museveni organized election?

End