Billie Eilish in her song TV asks; “What’s the point of anything?” It is a question I have often asked myself. I call it the ‘why question’. The why question comes in many forms ranging from, ‘does it matter in the end?’ to ‘what is the purpose of this all?’ I have found that the question Billie poses in TV attends each waking minute of our lives be it the social, economic or even political. We ask ourselves; ‘will this relationship last?’, ‘what’s the point of my life?’, ‘does this education even matter?’ It is of some solace knowing that the why question has eternally plagued humanity. The legendary King Solomon in Ecclesiastes concludes that it doesn’t make sense.
I, on the other hand think that we should encounter the why paradox with caution. Recently my sister and I talked a lot about life. We talked about family, religion, power, greed and war. And then we came to the futility, irrationality and meaninglessness of it all. My sister looked at me and asked; “Peace, what’s the point of it all?” We sat in silence for a while, pondering the elephant in the room. I finally spoke up and said; “The point is in everyday.”
To many of us, the why question is a rhetorical one. I really can’t claim to have found the answer. However, I think I’ve found a balm. Something to soothe the nagging worries, the existential crises and breaking points. I have discovered that ‘the point’ is not in the end but in each and every moment. In the grand scheme of things, a lot does not matter and many of our lives may seem like a vain undertaking. We shouldn’t focus on that. I believe as humans we are a totality of our experiences, emotions and relationships with others. To get through life-the drudgery of it all-those are the things that matter. Our lives are not about the end, or the results but the most random and minutest second of joy, happiness or whatever we find worthy.
In asking the why question, one is most likely to find themselves at the death conundrum. We often describe life as a journey and from a non-spiritual point of view, death is the final destination of a traveler. Unfortunately, when we think of life as a journey, there is a tendency to fixate on the destination. Our lives are more than destinations, and like a journey they involve numerous turns and bends and roundabouts and interesting people along the way. Moreover, life is far from singular with varying journeys embedded in it. I think we should savour it all; explore the infinite potential, the highs and lows of each minute span. And perhaps more importantly, we should try and take life one day at a time. One day, someday, we shall definitely find ourselves at the close. It’s futile to overthink the obvious so why not focus on the present.
“It isn’t about quests, or finding purpose outside our function. Our purpose is our function,” Death tells her brother Dream in The Sandman. Purpose is a driving point for many of us as we rationalize the why of life. Humanity is all looking for something; happiness, companionship, respect and so much more. I have come to the realization that what we deem purpose, the end, are all ideas. And ideas are like ghosts; changing shape, haunting us, coming short. On the other hand, our functions are usually tangible; the work we do, the people we know or even the places we go to. So maybe instead of chasing the idea, we should infuse it into our daily machinations. In this way, we can find purpose in our function and eschew the end.
Fences, you’ve built your fences And you’ve got all these justifying defences I know you’re trying to hem me in But I swear, I’ll strive to be seen.
Barriers, you surround me with barriers Like I’m one of those contagious carriers Oh! It’s such a pathetic folly But I swear you won’t keep me from glory.
Walls, your walls bar me You want to keep me on my knee In this flipping oppressive fold But I swear, I’ll go for gold.
The world has set all these limits To keep me swimming in retrogressive pits Like I’m some circus clown But I swear, I won’t for long be down.
It is widely assumed that you wear black All are aware that of empathy;you lack Through our days you continuously prowl Sheltered in the depths of your greasily cowl
I’ve heard languishing wails at night Witnessed drawn faces in the daylight You are perpetually close but distant Disconnected from my life though existent
Today, I saw you lurking in the shadows Amorphous in the flickering light of candles Hovering over the elfin frame of mother It is my plea, her life you will not smother…
Once, a very long time ago You truly understood our woes Your youthful energy burned bright Promising to deliver us from limbo Indeed, a welcome beacon in the dark
Maybe it was the lesser evil For surely, the corrupt regime had to go In crises like those, sacrifices had to be made So we dutifully turned our backs And let the blood flow
For a while, you were the ideal leader Our dear and beloved liberator The butchery forgotten, tranquility returned Success for all was certain The fruits of democracy as we know it
It was all too good to be true Murmurs of discontent flared Pertinent questions arose, zero answers came forth The leader had lost sight of the noble goal Democracy was a mere mirage
Injustice of all forms is meted out generously Murder and gore freely roam the streets Empty pockets stare at us mockingly Tears stain our cheeks We call to the government in vain
So here we stand once again Swearing that the corrupt regime must go More than ready to sacrifice But the blood.Oh God!the blood Let blood not flow…
I dreamt that we were really free Like the soaring birds in the air We were standing under the mango tree And finally the world was fair
I dreamt that we freely showed our love We touched and kissed in the gardens The birds peacefully sang from above And we didn’t share the world’s burdens
I only wish dreams came true We’d have a life where only happiness flows The sky would always be blue And we’d never have to face life’s blows
But they’ll only ever be dreams We gotta learn to live with guilt ‘Cause our forbidden passion’s full to the brims And we’ll wonder why the world’s so unfairly built…
Sexual harassment has been defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or submission or rejection of such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating or offensive working environment. Unwelcome behaviour is the critical word. Note that a victim may consent or agree to certain conduct and actively participate in it even though it’s offensive and objectionable. Therefore, sexual conduct is unwelcome whenever the person subjected to it considers it unwelcome. Sexual harassment includes many things. They can either be verbal, nonverbal or physical. These include;actual or attempted rape, unwanted sexual looks, unwanted sexual teasing, jokes, remarks or questions, cat calls, sexual comments, sexual innuendos or stories, touching an employee’s clothing,hair or body, hanging around a person, staring at someone among others.
The need to end female sexual harassment in the Ugandan workplace is a very urgent one. To begin with, the circumstances under which the majority of women work in are very dire.From the Members of Parliament to the doctors, engineers, lawyers and even the lowly tomato vendors in the market. These women face numerous obstacles and monstrosities as they go about earning their daily bread. It shouldn’t be forgotten that in approximately 75% of the Ugandan homesteads, women are the sole bread winners;struggling to raise families singly. Call it biting the hand that feeds you. It is therefore unnerving and simply unbecoming that the sex which sustains the economy and the lives of the majority is treated like dirt in the workplace. This has to change.
In order to find a means of ending female sexual harassment in the Ugandan workplace, it is vital that the root cause of the issue be found. It’s from this point, that potent working mechanisms should emerge. First and foremost, society as a whole has ingrained into us that women are less than men. We have been led to believe that the place of the Ugandan woman is solely in the home. In this way, it can be seen, that the emergence of women in the workplace has greatly shaken the status quo. People are now finding themselves in situations they haven’t been trained to deal with. Hence by the male counterparts carrying their time worn mentality into the workplace and women lacking a means of rebuffing the not-so subtle attacks, female sexual harassment is perpetuated in the workplace. At this point we wonder that if we make up society, can’t we combine our efforts and try to better it for us all?
The effects of sexual harassment at the workplace are psychological, physiological and career-related. Psychologically, women who’re victims of sexual harassment experience depression, anxiety, shock, denial, guilt, self blame, isolation, confusion, feelings of powerlessness, insecurity, embarrassment, shame, self-consciousness and low self-esteem. Physiological reactions include headaches, lethargy, phobias, panic reactions and nightmares.This is indeed a whole lot of baggage to carry around. Workplace sexual harassment is all too common and can ruin a great job and turn a company into a toxic and unproductive environment. The career related effects include decreased job satisfaction, unfavorable performance evaluations, loss of job or demotion. A female youthful member of the Ugandan National Assembly once remarked: “I love my job, but sometimes I wonder if I’m in the right place.” This was after experiencing severe sexual harassment from her male counterparts in the August house. This young lady is not alone, the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey revealed that up to 22% of women aged 15 to 49 in the country had experienced some form of sexual violence in the workplace. This translates to over 4.5 million cases of sexual violence. And we’re talking of only the registered cases. The reality is simply mind boggling making the move for change more felt than ever.
Often, sexual harassment goes unreported as victims may be unsure of what qualifies as workplace sexual harassment and what to do when they experience it. The fear of the consequences of coming out as victims of sexual harassment is rife among the women. This is because we live in society which chooses to blame the victim. Women who come out to speak about their experiences as victims of sexual harassment at the workplace receive very harsh backlash from the masses. Due to this apprehension, many women who’ve been abused at the workplace silently cower in the corner and hence sexual harassment runs its course. The bubbly woman Member of Parliament who’d been a target of sexual harassment by senior colleagues says sexual harassment is commonplace in Parliament but often goes unreported “because we fear the consequences”.This is the reason the “Me Too” movement hasn’t gained momentum in Uganda. But regardless, we move.
Victims of sexual harassment at the workplace are advised to make an effort to address the situation by reaching out to the offending individual directly. Alas! This is akin to poking the proverbial leopard in the anus. Nevertheless, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces laws regarding workplace sexual harassment. Any individual who believes that their employment rights have been violated may file a charge of discrimination. Unfortunately, the Ugandan legal system has been thrown to the dogs. This is evidenced by the increase in violence against women despite the presence of laws and policies to protect victims and survivors. According to the Uganda Police Force’s annual crime report, gender based violence cases that were reported and investigated increased by 7% between 2018 and 2019.Keep in mind that these are only reported cases. Anna Matavato the Deputy Country Representative for UN Women says; “Unless we put in place effective laws and equip enforcement organs with modern technology and skills to handle these cases, the situation will only worsen.” With all these shortcomings in the available means to curb sexual harassment at the workplace, the noble cause seems doomed. Or is it?
Sexual harassment at the Ugandan workplace can be eradicated. Like sexism, sexual harassment is merely an attitude. It is an attitude that asserts that the male is superior to the female. Therefore by dealing with this wayward attitude, sexual harassment can be terminated. What remains is the how since the other options are null and void. The answer lies in our conscience. Upon this note,I beseech all the men out there;the ones who’ve done it, the ones who’re doing it and those who plan to do it be it unknowingly or knowingly. Desist. Please desist from this lamentable vice. Think of the life you’re destroying. Imagine it was your mother, sister or daughter in the situation you’re putting this woman through. How would you feel if someone you cared about was treated in such a gross manner? What’s more, how would she feel? To all the women out there in their respective avocations, stand up for your rights. You deserve more than this unfair world metes out to you.
On a closing note, we all have a role to play in ending female sexual harassment at the Ugandan workplace. Let’s all use whatever tools we have to fight for a better world.Equality for all is the goal. The scales can be balanced.The time is now. The hour is ripe.
Preta Peace Namasaba 