Remarks by Matunda Nyanchama, Nsemia Inc. Publishers, on the launch of Jesus’ Africa by Pastor Patience Museveni Rwabwogo; Entebbe, Uganda, June 23, 2023
Your Excellency The President of Uganda, Mzee Yoweri Kaguta Museveni; Your Excellency the First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni; Government, Religious and Civic Leaders present; Our esteemed author the lovely Patience Rwabwogo, her Family and the Covenant Nations Church; Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am glad to be on the soil of this great nation of Uganda during a great moment of celebration – the launch of our author’s consequential work: Jesus’ Africa! We are privileged and proud to be the publisher of this insightful publication!
Further, it is a great honour that we are in the presence of greatness symbolized by the company of the venerable Mzee Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, perhaps the only living Philosopher King on our continent; and a man cut in the mould of Mwalimu Nyerere, Samora Machel, Agostino Neto, and Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, among others.
Thank you, sir. We wish you continued good health for there is a lot more work ahead for you, especially on matters of continental leadership, and, more so, in the search for political unity and economic independence of the continent. The PanAfrican Dream!
It is part of rebuilding Africa’s walls, as Pastor Patience Rwabwogo would call it!
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
As a person, I feel at home in this land that Winston Churchill once termed The Pearl of Africa. And, indeed, it is a pearl, signified by her beautiful, hospitable people; a rich culture symbolized by food, music and dance; and what with the varied God-given naturally beautiful landscapes, the greenery and all! All these, and many others, make Uganda a great place; it speaks to the blessedness of this land!
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
It is also a place I could claim as my home, based on the oral history of my people, the Abagusii of Kenya; that history holds that we came out of the Congo, trekked through this land and went past Mt. Elgon into present-day Kenyan territory; I am one from the people of Kwamboka that Your Excellence once encountered in a lady living on this land. Kwamboka also happens to be my mother’s name!
Symbolically, therefore, we are all sons and daughters of a shared Kwamboka whose vocabulary permeates our languages and culture. We are one people; we are Africans.
As Africans, history tells us, we have faced extreme torment on this earth for centuries; we have been enslaved and colonized; and we continue to live in neocolonial times where our bargaining power remains feeble, at best; more often than not, our global influence is minimal!
Yet Africa is one of the richest places on earth; rich in mineral wealth and teeming with a beautiful, rich culture that many admire and exploit all over the world. As well, we are the youngest continent (our demographic dividend) with an average age of 19 years against declining age and population numbers in Europe, Asia, Noth America, and other places.
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
Because of these realities, we are challenged to incessantly rethink our position in this world; we must work, tirelessly, to reclaim our rightful place on this earth. We must continually query the whys of things and, as JFK once said, ask ‘why not’! Why is there not a better way for Africa and our people; why not a rich, vibrant continent that feeds her people and the world at large? Why not a continent that leads in science, technology, innovation and invention? Why NOT?
God helps those who help themselves, it is often said; as such, Africa must arise, build consciousness, and, in the words of our esteemed author Patience Rwabwogo, rebuild her walls. And rebuilding the walls of our motherland, we shall! It is our duty.
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
Part of that journey of rebuilding Africa’s walls (call it the African Renaissance) is in telling our stories, and telling those stories in our voices; from our perspectives, experiences and interests.
As publishers, this is what inspires us and keeps us going every day. We have a mission to place our people’s storytelling in their own hands. When others write about us, it is their stories about us: stories that are invariably distorted, written as they are through external lenses that are often prejudiced; stories that are never impartial!
In the matter of knowledge generation, consider some of these approximated facts: Africa with 12% of the global population accounts for less than 1% of global publications; the continent contributes less than 2% of global research output; has about 1.3% of research spending; and approximately 0.1% of global patent output!
Clearly, there is a lot to do! Our work is cut out!
Your Excellency, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
We congratulate the impeccable Pastor Patience Rwabwogo for this great accomplishment: telling her story of the realities of Africa and pointing the way forward for this great continent. In publishing Jesus’ Africa, she did the heavy lifting while ours was the role of a midwife, enabling the birth of a great book with a message for each one of us: that (a) we have a past reality, and (b) we have the present reality. However, there is a future in which we can become great as a people. To get there, we need to rebuild Africa’s fallen walls, – socially, politically, and economically while under the guidance of the holy spirit.
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
Pastor Patience Rwabwogo has taken a great step on her part; in doing so, she has challenged us all to do ours!
The pen is mightier than the sword, wisdom holds; therefore, we are all called upon to take up our pens, write and write some more and leave a legacy for future generations. For those on the journey, let’s put in greater effort! For those that have yet to start, start now; now! A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, it is often said. Moreover, the written word does NOT die! What we write today could be the basis upon which future generations build!
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
As I head back to my seat, I want to thank, in a very special way, Barbara Kaija the editor-in-chief of the Vision Group for introducing us to Pastor Patience. Blessings be upon you!
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me thank you, most sincerely, for lending me your ears! I urge you to get copies of this consequential book as part of your contribution to rebuilding Africa’s walls!
Let’s all embark and continue rebuilding those walls!
May God bless you; and do so abundantly!