By Dr. Emilly Comfort Maractho

The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020 created substantial fear among communities and countries about the future. It seemed to have come from ‘nowhere’ even after China announced its arrival. Many questions arose as to whether it was deliberately created and released by scientists and their allies for some unknown reasons. 

Governments across the globe launched interventions to facilitate the public’s compliance with preventive and mitigative measures, also known as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The measures included physical distancing also known as social distancing, regular handwashing, wearing masks, and vaccination to boost herd immunity

Speculation soon became a common feature of COVID-19, about the cause, the effects, and the people behind it. Theories begun to emerge around these issues. 

Uganda enacted legislations, restrictions, policies and interventions to prevent and mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19. These included, but were not limited to, the Uganda Public Health (Control of COVID – 19) Rules, 2020; guidelines on mass gatherings including social meetings such as burials and weddings; guidelines on meeting at workplaces, guidelines on use of public transport; among others.  

Whereas the world was relieved about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, emergent concerns around safety and effects were prevalent. The concerns and doubts about vaccines were mainly driven by conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 vaccination, sometimes widely shared among the population.  

Conspiracy theories cannot be taken lightly. At Uganda Christian University, Prof. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, an Associate Prof. of Governance and Development in the School of Social Sciences, with a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues from UCU were awarded a research grant by the university to study how conspiracy beliefs affected COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Uganda. In a three-year project that covers a large-scale online and physical survey of over 1000 respondents, to be followed by in-depth interviews, the team aims at examining the conspiracy beliefs and their implications for COVID-19 vaccination in Uganda. 

The research is guided by five specific objectives, namely: 

(i) To measure the extent to which conspiracy belief about vaccination against COVID-19 is spread among Ugandans; 

(ii) To establish the relationship between conspiracy belief and vaccination hesitancy in Uganda; 

(iii) To explore the interaction between exposure to COVID-19 conspiracy theories and individual vaccination decisions; 

(iv) To examine the gendered impact of conspiracy belief on vaccination hesitancy; 

(v) To examine how the conspiracy beliefs of adults are likely to affect decision to vaccinate children for COVID-19.  

The researchers note that, whereas in developed countries studies have already established the significant relationship between conspiracy theories and decline in vaccination rates, such studies are very few in developing countries. For instance, Maftei and Holman in 2020, in their study, ‘beliefs in conspiracy theories, intolerance of uncertainty, and moral disengagement during the coronavirus crisis’ highlighted that conspiracy beliefs had significant impact on disobeying the social distancing regulations seeking to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers are aware that in countries like Uganda with a population highly characterized by low education and poor access to information, beliefs in conspiracy theories and impact are expected to be high.  Still, little is known and done to minimize the impact of misinformation on COVID-19 prevention. In addition, with more people owning smartphones, conspiracy theories are likely to flourish as a result of high exposure to various ideas. 

Some of the examples of conspiracy theories include:

• The belief that the G5 cellular network is responsible for causing COVID-19,
• Bill Gates’ plan to depopulate the world,
• Vaccinations having microchips that can be used to monitor behaviour. 
• Others include the belief that those who get vaccinated will die in a few years, and that the whole COVID-19 pandemic was a political stunt.  

The primary outcome of this study is to understand how conspiracy beliefs affect the individual willingness to get vaccinated. Findings from this study could be used to improve on the efforts geared towards pro-vaccine attitudes and interest in COVID-19 vaccination. The main outcome will be a change in behavior towards vaccination for COVID-19 despite the existence of conspiracy theories and management of future vaccination drives.

The research has gone through both institutional and national ethical clearance processes. The first phase has been completed and will soon be made public. 

This is the souvenir copy of the UCU 23rd graduation newspaper that Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduates took home on Friday, July 29, 2022. 

The publication entitled Ebenezer was partly published in honour of the UCU@25 celebrations, whose climax will be the October 2022 graduation ceremony. 

It has 40 stories and 50 visuals featuring all 11 UCU faculties and schools along with e-links to videos and other UCU-related information.

A window of opportunity is open to all students of entrepreneurship to be part of a business skills lab, courtesy of the DALILA project- a capacity-building project funded by EACEA, the Education, Audio-visual, and Culture Executive Agency of the European Union.

What to expect from the Business Lab:

•  International exposure
• Training on practical and theoretical concepts by international experts

Areas to be covered

• Ideation
• Team-building
• How to develop a business concept
• Finance
• Customer valuation tools
• Common problems entrepreneurs face and how to handle them
• Investment, among others.

APPLY NOW (SEE PICTURE BELOW)

FOR MORE DETAIL (Watch Video)

This DALILA project seeks to promote sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth that is driven by young, African entrepreneurs from institutions of Higher Learning.

Besides Uganda Christian University, other African educational institutions involved or invited to participate in this project include; the University of Dodoma, the University of Zanzibar, and Uganda Martyrs University.

The Dotcom era

The ongoing digital revolution which started with the internet around 1980, has impacted the way of life and activities in all sectors. As the pace of digital transformation accelerates, the birth of a very connected yet lonely society has become a real threat to mental health. The digital society has seen both the old and young replace human company with the company of digital devices.

Just recently, my 21-year-old “jolly” friend broke into tears after I made a considerably usual statement; “Hey Ian (not real name), you seem very happy these days!”. I said when I had noticed his “over-excitement”, every time we happened to meet. Our conversation revealed to me the depth of prolonged depression and brokenness he was struggling with. “Why hadn’t Ian sought counseling all this while?” I wondered.

Of sad, but happy-looking people

In Uganda, you will often hear the statements; “Guma nga omusajja” or “Guma makazi”, which is literally translated as, “Be strong like a man” or “be strong like a woman”. Just like Ian, many opt to “act” strong and happy instead of seeking counseling due to the fear of being judged among other fears. Thoughts like; “people will see me”, “people will think I am weak”, “I am a leader in society”, and “I am a prominent person”, among others, are killing more people than we realize.

Some reports have indicated that about 7 out of every 10 people with a mental disorder do not seek treatment! So, what can be done?

Here are a few digital solutions to be considered:

• Develop software, and integrate it with social media platforms and other interactive technologies that would bring together professional counselors and people in need of counseling services without requiring patients/clients to reveal their identities.
• Create virtual counseling rooms that have invisible counselors and hold virtual counseling sessions to encourage people to seek help anonymously until they are ready for physical interaction.
• Create a follow-up mechanism for persons that have sought counseling services to monitor the healing process.
• Leave an avenue for people ready for physical interaction to access them

The health sector, companies/organizations, institutions of learning, and the church, can co-opt some of these suggestions into their existing digital platforms or create them in a situation where they do not exist. Not all happy-looking people are okay. Not all unwell people are getting help! Therefore, We need to create digital platforms to ease access to help. A healthy mind is a healthy person, a healthy person is a healthy society.

The author is a Lecturer at the UCU Department of Computing and Technology

By Jimmy Siyasa

Just last year, a Daily Monitor report noted that ” At least nine in every 10 Ugandans who have completed any form of education are unemployed.” The same year the National Planning Authority released statistics showing that out of 700,000 that join the job market every year, their qualifications notwithstanding, only 90,000 of those get a form of employment.

With the devastating effect of COVID-19 on the job market, let alone the broader economy, the statistics may have gotten even worse.

Official Release

As a response to this big graduate-unemployment problem, Dr. Isaac Wasswa Katono, Senior Lecturer at the Uganda Christian University School of Business has published a book; the 363-page volume entitled Promoting Entrepreneurship to Reduce Graduate Unemployment for Over 30 Years has been OFFICIALLY RELEASED by IGI-Global, the Publisher.

The book covers a wide range of academic areas including, but not limited to:

• Career Choice
• Career identity
• Entrepreneurial self-efficacy
• Skills development
• Social Capital
• Upskilling graduates

The publisher notes that “Although it will not be a panacea for all the obstacles that impede graduate entrepreneurship, it is hoped that this book will illuminate the entrepreneurship career path, serve as a platform for further diagnosis for reducing graduate unemployment, and highlight areas in need of further research.”

Click here for the preface of the book, and here to buy and be able to access the full text.

About Author

Dr. Katono holds a Ph.D. in Business Science and Entrepreneurship from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. His Ph.D. thesis is entitled: “Cultural Predictions of Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Competencies on Graduate Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Cross-Sectional Survey of East Africa: The research focuses on the impact of culture on entrepreneurial orientation. 

By Jimmy Siyasa

If, ever, any Bible scriptures, conceivably held God guilty- in the eyes of many Christians and heathens-for ‘sexual perversion’ and/or a sheer lack of “Christian euphemism”, none testify better than the Song of Songs.

The Canticles of Solomon, as the book is sometimes called, uses such “graphic imagery” of romantic love and sexuality, as to trigger a measure of embarrassment or shyness, even among the clergy, let alone Christians, who read the Bible.

It is only until a few decades ago that Bible scholars began to render keen focus “on the themes of human sexuality and marriage,” as noted by the author, Rev. Emmanuel Mukeshimana, Ph.D., whose publication offers some answers…

A Review

The paper entitled “Love and Sex: Applying the Song of Songs in a Global Cultural Context” makes for a good and deeply insightful read for all; scholars, clergy and the most simple-minded of “sheep”, who often run the risk of erotically interpreting the Song of Songs. The chapter appeared in the first issue of the 2022 Volume of The Global Anglican.

In this publication, the author sets the stage for a healthy interpretation of the scriptures in question by noting that “The Song of Songs teaches that Love and Sex are to be seen as the Foundations of marriage.” He recognizes love and sex as complimentary gifts from God, which are indispensable ingredients for a functional marriage.

He argues that scripture does not teach that the spirit is good and the body is bad; rather, both the physical and spiritual are part of the Lord’s good creation

In a similar vein, he juxtaposes contemporary and conventional courtship, while appreciating the uniqueness of each. Mukeshimana asserts that “the progression of their [Love and sex] relationship is a model for courtship and marriage today, by contrast with the traditional practices in many African communities, and with contemporary secular ways of doing things.

He calls for the recovery of “this model” urging that doing so will be relevant to the church and to theological educators for marriage preparation.

The controversy of Song of Songs

The scholar attempts to clear the moral mustiness associated with popular Christian and secular interpretations of the Song of songs by offering a background of its carnal interpretation that is linked to ancient Greek teachings:

On the contrary- away from secular interpretation- Mukeshimana, presents the purpose of the Canticles… as follows: “Song of songs was written as an affirmation of the goodness of love and sex within marriage,” he notes, arguing that “the church must not shy away from addressing and teaching every generation about love and sex because they are such important experiences in everyday life.”

In sum, the publication, [available here] justifies God as the author of love, marriage, and the gift of human sexuality, just as much as it exposes the erotic, distorted human view of sex and romantic love: It goes ahead to offer a healthy, truth-orientated, well-elucidated interpretation of the Songs of Solomon.

Nuggets

• God made a world that was originally “very good, commanding human beings to procreate and fill it (Gen. 1: 26-31)
• Sex within the context of marriage is good and holy, and a gift for spousal enjoyment, the furthering of; physical, spiritual, and emotional intimacy between husband and wife.

• Recovering this biblical model will be relevant to the church and theological educators for marriage preparation.

• Young people seeking guidance on love, sex, and marriage would find it useful, and it will also be valuable for individuals who are in a rush to make decisions about whom and how to love.

The author, Rev. Dr. Mukeshimana is a Lecturer at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology.