This has been quite a while coming I concede! I guess a part of me was going for that Marvel or Star Wars movie magic where we wait for part II with enthusiastic devotion (it may be a stretch for me but I hope someone has been reviewing the last posts in anticipation of this one – LOL).

I chose to share this separately so I do not overcrowd my last share. As I pondered purpose and its possibilities for an enterprise, I couldn’t throw off my mind the tantalizing possibility of what this concept could do for a country. Can a nation have a national shared purpose that explains to its citizens why in must continue not just to exist but thrive in the community of nations its people find themselves a part of? Something that gives context to the diversities of its people, foundation to what it calls its national values/ behavior/ character; informs its national policies, social justice structure and strategic global positioning? My questions are in part rhetorical, as there are some examples of nations that have (or appear to me to have) such a sense of national purpose: Singapore, Israel, China, Rwanda, Botswana, Germany, The Nordic states. My questions are an invitation for a Uganda (my home) to take a journey to discern why the community of nations needs us. I know they do, and many of my countrymen know this too. I do not know if they know it like I do, or if they would agree with it the way I believe it (or I with the way they see it). But think how useful it would be for us to agree a common understanding of why we exist as a nation: how it would affect our human resource governance – education, healthcare, social assistance; our investment policy – infrastructure development, determination of the right fit of FDI partners, development of home grown, viable and sustainable industry.

Following World War II and subsequent developments in theory and debate on the ideal model for national governance, much of Africa agitated for, and after a violent struggle, obtained recognition as independent states. From the literature I have read of that time, in spite of all our ethnic differences, we made the compromises necessary to the success of the independence struggle. To a significant extent we agreed on who the “enemy” was and rallied to counter “him”. We also agreed on who our heroes were, and believed their representation of the reason for the struggle, its costs and what the end benefit (promised land) we were agitating for was. Much of this fell apart once independence was attained; there is literature aplenty chronicling our painful 50 years after independence. One thing was proved though: we can band together if we have a common purpose, we can endure hardship, cheer up one another, agree who leads us and support them in the delivery on our intent – willingly and in numbers. And we can win! We need a reason; a reason why we must still be alive and thriving 100 years from now; why we must delay our gratification for a season, why we must make sacrifices, why we must be prudent in how we govern/ are governed. We need a goal to score that transcends ourselves. We need to find this reason and ensure it is accurately and securely passed on to those that come after us. The world will need us to shine, no doubt! We’d best get ready.