Proud to be (partially) Ugandan

Proud to be (partially) Ugandan

OK, I’m not Ugandan in any political sense – and probably to be honest only sentimentally – but still it’s one of the countries I’m probably proudest of. I came across this which fanned those flames again:

In the minds and affections of the home Church in modern days the place of Uganda has been unrivalled. It has been a name to conjure with. The early heroes and martyrs, whose names are now household words in English Christian circles; the action of the Church, good or otherwise, in saving Uganda for the Empire; the phenomenal progress of Christianity; and the testimony alike of travellers, statesmen, and traders, as to the real uplift of the people–all these have conspired to give Uganda a unique position. The country, however, has done more than attract attention to itself; it has stimulated interest in the missionary cause everywhere and put fresh vitality into men’s faith in Jesus Christ.

The rest of the 1921 account entitled Dayspring in Uganda, by Albert Lloyd, mentions another hero (George Pilkington of Uganda) and quite a lot of stimulating reflection on mission in Africa. Another interesting quote from chapter 4:

By the end of 1898… the number of native teachers doubled within a year and reached the total of 2000, and year by year their ranks were augmented. Here let it be said that all these teachers were supported by the native Church, not one cent of foreign money going to this purpose. The earnest desire of the Uganda Mission from the very first has been to make the Uganda Church self-supporting, self-governing, and self-extending, and up to the time of writing [1921] this ideal has been maintained.

Now, if only someone at NEGST/AIU would scan and OCR the Pilkington of Uganda book that we read in the library there, and save it for the public domain. There are stories that the world needs to read. Unfortunately a lot of the time these accounts have been written for a British audience and so understandably dwell more on things and people that British folk would understand, be interested in and identify with. So Ugandans (and other Africans) may find it sad that there’s not so much written by and about the Ugandan ministers and missionaries. Let’s not be unjustly harsh on the writers though.