Greed and Selfishness

The song is a representation of leaders who use their position as an opportunity to serve themselves rather than the people they lead. They take the power people grant them and use it to benefit themselves. They embrace greed, selfishness, and short-sightedness. Rather than planning carefully and establishing goodwill among the people for subsequent elections, they use their time in office for personal pleasures. When the time comes for reelection, they scramble to secure the support of the people they ignored for the entirety of their terms, begging for votes for fear of losing their treasured leadership positions.1Kibirige interview, December 15, 2019.

Such leaders should remember that no leadership position is permanent and that their positions will not sustain them for life. As such, they should remember that their duty is to serve and should give others the same opportunity. Losing their positions is inevitable; therefore, they should spend their time in office establishing protocols that will ensure the success of the people and future leaders.2Ibid.

Leaders often gain the vote of the people by making specific promises during elections, only to fail to fulfill those promises by the time their term is over. In doing this, such leaders deprive the people of what they promised them, and thus fail their responsibility to the people. One can say the same for autocracy, where dictatorial leaders pose an obstacle to their people’s prosperity. Autocratic leaders isolate themselves from the people and remain unconcerned about the well-being of their subjects. To use the language of the song “As He Plucked Them,” they eat all of the grasshoppers alone. For instance, President Museveni remains isolated from others, gorging himself on grasshoppers. When the guerrilla war (the Ugandan Bush War) in Luweero ended and Museveni and Colonel Dr. Besigye (his private doctor during the war) rose to popularity, it seemed like they were one person. Quickly, however, Museveni turned against many of those who supported him, Besigye included, which is how he came to be Museveni’s opponent in later presidential races. The two now consider each other enemies. That, again, is the danger of autocracy: rulers pick and eat their grasshoppers alone, and thus only recognize a responsibility to themselves.3Kisuule interview, December 21, 2019.

The content of the song speaks to the attitude of the National Resistance Movement government, which uses the military and police to suppress all opposition, even if the dissidents’ actions are benefiting the country. If the opposition continues to threaten the government’s power, they will not hesitate to pluck them like grasshoppers. The song also serves as a warning to leaders to only take what they can consume and utilize. This is because it is unreasonable to expect the people not to eat whatever leftover grasshoppers remain themselves. Contemporary leaders need to recognize when they should let go. They should not force people to adopt their ideologies and work instead to convince them amicably. This is because ultimately, their fealty is to the people. Therefore, they should align their actions with the best interests of those people.4Ssendawula interview, December 28, 2019.

The idea is that it is appropriate for friends to help each other with everything, sharing their joys as well as their hardships. It does no good for one to wait until one has amassed enormous wealth to share with one’s friends, especially because wealth may never come. The man who gives three teaspoons of sugar to his friend every week is a better friend than one who gives fifty kilograms of sugar to his friend once. In other words, friends are to share even the little things, especially if they have struggled together. This idea applies to the way leaders treat their old comrades after entering office. Most of those who participated in the National Resistance Army war in the Luweero Triangle, for instance, have never received a proper reward for their efforts and the sacrifices they made for their country. Others no longer hold important positions in government even though many are still alive. Instead, they live desolate lives; the country they served has forgotten them. People need to remember those who struggled with them to achieve what they have.5Kinene interview, December 16, 2019.

The song explores greed among leaders. Both Kamaanya and many current leaders of Uganda have a strong connection to war and conflict. By eating grasshoppers, the king is the only one who benefits from his actions. In contemporary Uganda, leaders mimic this selfishness. They constantly remind people of how they fought during the guerrilla war (Ugandan Bush War), and whenever someone questions the legitimacy of this claim, they pester the younger generation about whether their ancestors fought alongside the liberators. Overall, they might be the only ones who enjoy Uganda as “the pearl of Africa.”6Kironde interview, December 19, 2019.

Museveni fought and appeared as a messiah who saved Uganda, the country’s Moses. However, once in power, he was quick to turn into a pharaoh. He openly said he does not view himself as a servant to anybody and is answerable to none. The only people he works for are his grandchildren, having already acquired enough benefits for his sons and daughters throughout his rule. Even among other members of parliament, there is similar arrogance. Kahinda Otafiire, a military officer and minister of justice and constitutional affairs, is infamous for his arrogance and aggressive nature. Whenever people question his policies or views, he responds by arguing that he and others of his generation who fought in the bush war know what is best for Uganda, so no one should question them. Many leaders like him bury any opposition, believing that Uganda is their nation to rule, their nation to extort, simply because they fought in the war.8Kironde interview, December 19, 2019.

Leaders, rather than feeling entitled to their positions, should recognize that their voters will not award them more time in office in the cases where they fail to plan or fully accomplish what they set out to do. The responsibility, therefore, falls on them to make the most of the time their voters allot to them. During that time, they should use their power to create more opportunities for themselves and the people, harnessing their connections at home and abroad to enact change. Though their efforts might not always be successful, the important thing is that they attempted to make a difference, as goes the saying, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.” Some of the leaders of today, however, never even bother to try, which is a true disappointment to the people. The leaders cry for more grasshoppers, and the people shout back, “As he plucked them, he ate alone, the prince,” with eating alone signifying their greed. They do not recognize that eating everything within sight is not the way to solve hunger, for instance, because these are ongoing processes. Simply put, though one may have gorged oneself today, one will surely be hungry again tomorrow. The solution is to eat sparingly, to leave some food on the plate for the people.9Kibirige interview, December 15, 2019.

When opportunities come up, it is unwise to be selfish and take them all for oneself. It is impossible to achieve cooperation when some people wish for themselves better than they do for others. People will not help someone who is unwilling to help them. In other words, they will not stay with that person through both the good and the bad unless they know that the person would do the same for them. This dynamic even manifests at the village level, where those who never attend the funerals of others’ family members are hard pressed to find anyone willing to attend the funerals of their own dear ones. The case is the same in higher politics. When leaders come down to hear the issues of their people, the people are unwilling to give them their support unless they are sure that the leaders will support them as well.10Kisuule interview, December 21, 2019.

These are two characteristics that both Kamaanya and the current political administration appear to lack. People often speak about selfish leaders as if they are gluttons. They unwisely and selfishly satisfy only themselves rather than sharing with their fellows as expected. They need to share with others what they have gained, hence the following Luganda proverbs: Ono alya n’ono alya; ye mmere egenda (This person eats and the other one eats; so the food moves); Ono aleeta n’ono aleeta; ye mmere ewera (This person brings and the other one brings; so the food is abundant). Another reason to share with one’s fellows is that a person who does not share what he has with others will not receive any good wishes or favors from them. When a person rewards a fellow but keeps the lion’s share for himself, for instance, the fellow will not wish that person well. They will only see that person for their selfish behavior.11Kinene interview, December 16, 2019.

The song not only displays the selfishness of King Kamaanya but also suggests that those who are selfish are unlikely to receive help in dire circumstances, even from those closest to them. Potentially, an entire lineage or family could fail to find someone to bail them out of a difficult situation. People might laugh, saying, “As you plucked them, so you ate alone; I can’t give you mine.” This selfishness also extends to nepotism, which is common in Buganda and Uganda. Whenever someone comes into wealth, they look out for those they are related to first. This practice recalls the proverb, K’ezaala; k’ekomberera (A cow licks her own calf). While looking after one’s own flesh and blood first is not necessarily a bad thing, the practice has broken up entire clans. The negative side of this arrangement is evident in another proverb: Nnaasiwa mu kange, asiwa mu ka bukuku (One who says “I will brew beer in my own trough” brews it in a moldy one). This proverb describes someone who only wants to share his fortunes with those for whom he is directly responsible, such as his immediate family. He is totally unwilling to help anyone else, no matter how big or small their trouble is. Everything he earns goes to his family, regardless of whether they deserve it or not.12Kabugo interview, December 19, 2019.