The walk to work protests now seem to be gaining a little more attention in the UK press - like today's article here . Or if it is not making headlines everywhere, then at least in The Guardian, which is about as close as I ever get to keeping up to date with current affairs, and let's face it, I waste more of my time reading the frivolous stuff like Charlie Brooker's weekly rants (couldn't find one today and was forced instead to read the whole article about Bin Laden) than the actual news.
Today seemed peaceful enough - maybe some people walked to work, but I didn't hear of any violence. No texts came from the British High Commission reminding me to stay vigilant! We had a normal day, thank goodness. Discussions at work today reminded me that it is not yet time to worry because:
a) So far all of the protests have taken place on sunny days. We will know they are really serious when people start protesting in the rain
b) All protests have taken place during the working week. Nobody wants to ruin their weekend by holding a protest. Don't forget, Kampala has a reputation as Africa's party capital to uphold remember when death by waragi was Kampala's biggest threat?
I started to think about what else may prevent people from protesting. Perhaps if there was a giant, non-stop footballathon between Manchester United and Arsenal, then the potential trouble-makers would be distracted. Nobody wants to miss out on their favourite Premiership action, do they?
Really, I do support the cause. Current price rises are totally unacceptable, but so is the fact that over the past 3 weeks, eight people have been killed (including the tragic death of a baby in Masaka) and more than 250 injured, with innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. I'm sorry if I sound a little flippant over what is really a very serious matter, but I have had enough and just wish that some peaceful resolution could be found - and quickly.
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