You’re my glory, the lifter up of mine head.

Psalm 3

¹Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

²Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

³But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

⁴I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

⁵I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

⁷Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

⁸Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
There’s a man I know who says to me, ‘nanti oli mulaalo‘ and expects me to be insulted. It’s like telling me I’m a woman. How should I be insulted because I’m a woman? So I tell him he’s a mwiru. It’s negative for us balaalo and my being a mulaalo is negative for him as a Muganda. We both don’t get the other’s insult so we’re cool like that. I am as proud as a peacock when it comes to my heritage. Here’s why.

An old man was speaking about how far we Bahima have fallen from grace. He was teaching us about our culture and the things that we were too proud to do but that we do nowadays. He said it was totally unheard of for example to muzzle the mouth of another’s cow when it comes to drink at your well. Wells and grass were communal and no one would refuse another’s cows from grazing or drinking water because it was their property. Now there are land laws that have caused Bahima to act unnatural.

Bahima were known for being faithful and just. When one was caught stealing, one was an outcast. He was treated like a leper because it was almost an abomination to take that which did not belong to you. In fact, I heard a story once (I’ve diverted from Mr. Wise Old Man) about a man in the army during the war who stole a chicken and was brought to his commander after being caught. The commander told the other soldiers to leave and he grabbed the boy by his ears and spoke in Runyankole, ‘boy have you ever heard of our people stealing? If you wanted to take something could you not have stolen gold or something worth this shame? A chicken!!!!’ Apparently the man beat the young souldier almost to death because of the shame he had brought his parents! So this old man was saying that nowadays they dress the Bahima’s shame in fancy words like embezzlement. He said that it is a wonder God does not come down and pour brimstone and fire on our heads for the shame we have caused our nation!

It was also known that when a Muhima judge sat to judge a case, every other tribe knew that it would be a fair judgment. Apparently truth and fairness are so inherent in our tribe that they were not separate from a man. But nowadays Bahima stand in court and lie through their teeth about their shame of stealing. The old man was so disgusted he kept repeating how we are not worthy to be called people anymore because we have done things that were totally repulsive in his days.

Oh how we need to pray for our people! We need to get back to the basics of our heritage. We need the Lord to lift our heads again. How can a nation (by nation I mean tribe) stand tall and lift their heads when they have touched the unclean thing? I remember stories in the Bible of people that God smote because they took a Babylonian cup when He explicitly told them not to take anything from a nation they have defeated. We cannot call ourselves true Bahima when we are an unjust, corrupt people that refuses another’s cow from drinking in our well! That man touched a nerve in me because I did not know what it meant to be from my tribe.

The other day my boyfriend and I were talking about what goes wrong with children that they break their parents’ hearts. He told me that sometimes, they need to know their culture to know what is right from wrong. I thought all they needed was the fear of God in them. Boy was he right! When you grow up knowing that theft is an abomination, there is no way you will take Mommy’s change lying on her table. It is drummed into a child and they grow up in that way. And of course, a child knows that when they steal they’ll go to hell unless they repent. Oh we need to repent for our nation! Let our nation hold their heads up high, without shame. Someone said that corruption is so embedded in our culture as Ugandans that there needs to be 3 generations wiped out before the habit is broken. Is it so bad? How we need to repent for our nation! For our children growing up in this generation of ‘embezzlement’ as opposed to stealing that will take you to hell.