Imagine Asking a Woman Who Can’t Bear Children When She is Giving Birth

Welcome to my country, where everyone is entitled to another person’s life and their choices

Image by Artsy Solomon from Pixabay

Ah-ah, People abeg! Stop it, oh. This sounds fun in a Nigerian accent, but I can’t quite put it right in pronunciation. I love the Nigerian accent. Any Nigerian or anyone who understands what I am talking about, don’t pass without saying hey.

You have probably heard or read somewhere people making fun, saying that Uganda is not for the weak. But just in case you haven’t, allow me to say it out loud. Welcome to Uganda, the pearl of Africa. A country for the strong-hearted. A country whose answer to the question, Who is your president? is

It’s the same guy since 1986.

A country where businessmen and city tycoons will say they dislike the president, and yet they speak a different language in the ballot box.

A country where mental illness is witchcraft.

A country where every minister is a thief.

A country I love so much, and even though this piece might seem as if I am not patriotic. I love my country, but all this happens; it has become normal for aunties and uncles to claim the widow's and the orphans' property after the passing of the husband/father.

In Uganda, someone will post on their status a friend’s wedding photo, and instead of focusing on the bride and the groom and congratulating them in the comments, all the replies would be;

When is yours?

By the way, aren’t you the same age as that girl?

When are you inviting me to yours?

Don’t you think it’s high time you do the same?

Someone will post a baby on their status, happy in good spirits and congratulating their friend, and all the replies to the post will be;

When are you giving birth to your own?

By the way, years are catching up with you — it comes out of the mouth as a joke, but it never is one and can’t be received so.

But why don’t you give birth?

We are waiting to congratulate you on your own baby as well

Ah- ah abeg, People stop it o!

It’s not nice; it’s rude, and people don’t like it.

For all you know, someone just had a miscarriage, and they are spending time with a friend’s baby and posting their friend’s child is them trying to cope with their grief.

Maybe someone just got dumped, and asking them when they are getting married is rubbing it in.

Maybe they haven’t been lucky in love, and you’re reminding them their agemates are getting married; you sound like their witch of an aunt.

Maybe they are not even able to bear children, and the closest they could ever get to a baby’s photo is taking one of their friends’ babies.

Knowing and wishing you could have your own baby, but being unable to, is one thing, and someone reminding you how late you are is another.

My people really need to get a life and quit poking their noses into people’s lives and saying things just for the sake of it.

Out there, people are struggling mentally, and your reply to their status could trigger a fatal episode.