This invitation has had me confused for about a week now, and I certainly won’t find time to go and attend this:

But even if I did find the time I would probably go down to Katwe or to one of the ICT hubs (which is what I am actually going to be doing today, with the guys from the ICTAU – ICT Association of Uganda) and do something to promote Buy Ugandan instead.

Of course, the guys at the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda should have a rationale for hosting this event, and it might make sense but I would still question it strongly. Especially at THIS point in our lives, when everybody keeps talking about Africa Rising and what not.

What I find even more confusing is the entry fee of Ushs10,000! I kid you not – you are required to pay Ten Thousand Uganda Shillings in order to access this ‘Buy America Expo’.

I need to pay Ushs10,000 to go into an expo that is “Building a Market for American Products in Uganda”?

Why?

No, I am actually asking – Why? Hab’waki? Lwaki? Kwanini?

Okay, knowing my people I am sure someone will say something as asinine as this entire event appears to me to be, like: “This is just to ensure that only serious people come and attend, otherwise the place might be filled up with anybody and everybody and we will not be able to manage the crowds.”

And of course, that will not be surprising because that is exactly the attitude that America has built up over the years.

Don’t get me wrong – America is a great country and can make for a good shopping and relaxation holiday, and they probably make good products as well. In fact, I shop for stuff from there quite often – just not anything that I can get made in Uganda or East Africa. A lot of what I buy from America, though, is actually made in China…but that’s another story altogether.

I even support the event in its entirety because it makes sense for any country to do this – and I hope that the PSFU is doing this particular event in order to take notes and then go and do an even bigger one in America for Ugandan products!

(Somebody, please design a poster for one and submit it to the PSFU guys?)

That would decrease the amount of bile that seeing this poster keeps building up in me, even as I wait for someone to report on exactly what happened with: