A look at the Commonwealth Peoples Space November 2007

By Baluku Elias Rwamanyonyi (Communication and Advocacy Officer, SATNET)

If there has been any event in Uganda as popular as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), someone should say it and win a prize from me. With so many interpretations given, CHOGM was yet another memorable event in the history of Uganda. Many activities were organized along this historical event like the Commonwealth Business Forum, Commonwealth Youth Forum, Commonwealth Peoples Forum and other pre-CHOGM workshops and conferences.
If you still thought CHOGM was about arresting and mistreating Ugandans, a cock with a ball at the back, the coming of the Queen’s husband etc, here is a chance to partly know what it was.

The people space was one of the events gathering along the People’s Forum at Hotel Africana between 19th and 23rd November 2007. It was organized by the Uganda National NGO Forum and sponsored by the British Council, East African breweries and Standard Chartered Bank. The people’s space was a week of sharing, interaction and learning event for the people of the commonwealth on issues across the globe. Looked at as an abstract event by many people, the peoples space was an interactive gathering on different issues organized according to relevancy in different locations called spaces. Under these spaces, different discussions, presentations and dialogues took place concurrently often making choice difficult for many participants.

For those that were in Uganda for the first time, there was a welcome to Uganda space to summarize Uganda for them – thanks to Posta Uganda. Other spaces included the Green Space for environment related presentations, the Power space for governance and citizen participation issues, the education space, the prosperity space for issues of economic development, the health space, the cultural exchange space, exchange and learning visits space, films exchange for very educative and exciting films and the wall of greatness where all participants were to write any messages relevant to the commonwealth.

SATNET participated at the prosperity space, hosting other partners in the STOP EPAs campaign in an open discussion that was aimed at raising more awareness about the trends of the trade relations between Uganda and the European Union. This was organised with the companionship of partners like Oxfam GB, SEATINI, ACTADE and VEDCO.

Disappointing however was that there was little learning in the area of Agriculture yet this is the backbone of Uganda and other commonwealth countries’ economies. I wish SATNET members had been all there to show case this important sector.
                             
At the opening of the space, it was not surprising that the Vice President of the Republic of Uganda HE Gilbert Bukenya proposed having the people’s space as a routine learning event for the commonwealth wherever CHOGM will be hosted.