Conversations With the Diaspora: Pius Bugembe

Pius Bugembe is a religious teacher at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, New York.  He chairs the Ugandan American Association of New York’s executive committee.  Bugembe shared his wisdom on life in the diaspora with Rebecca Harshbarger—he’s lived abroad in New York since 1995.

RH: When did you first leave Uganda? What was your life like before you left?

PB: I first left Uganda in 1995.  I came on a presidential scholarship to Manhattan College in Riverdale, Bronx.  I was 31, the program was established.  It was a Roman Catholic program, I did my undergraduate studies (a double major) in English and secondary education, and then I did a minor in religious studies.

I then got a master’s in school administration and supervision.  Before I came to the U.S. I was teaching as a head teacher in Masaka.  Life was very busy in Uganda.  I had a lot of work I needed to do.  Enrollment was down, so we had to increase enrollment and do some fundraising activities– to put up structures and renovate those that needed fundraising.

RH: What inspired you to live abroad?

PB: Working in Uganda was fulfilling because I was helping kids whose parents had died of HIV/AIDS, I had at least twenty kids that stayed with me all the time. Job opportunity inspired me, that was the number one thing.  That was an element… I could sustain my brothers and sisters who were going to school and are still going to school, that was the major thing.

RH: What did you expect the U.S. to be like before arriving?

PB: I expected it to be a world flowing with milk and honey.  I thought that when I got here, everything would be okay, smooth… no hard work like I used to do.  Everything would be as easy as possible, not the way it was back home.

The opportunities were there, but I had to work for each and everything.  And I did, by the way.

I found the U.S. extremely diverse culturally, especially in New York where I’ve lived since then.  I’ve traveled to many states, but New York has more diversity and opportunity.  And personally I think it’s a great place to live.

RH: What was you first trip back home to Uganda like?

PB: That was in 1998, after I graduated.  It was so uplifting that I was there. I was excited to see my family, each and everyone.  I did not know anyone in New York, I didn’t have so much as a brother or sister or cousin.  Going home was bliss.  Going back to my small village where I was born and raised– I felt like a small hero for everyone in the village.

RH: Did it feel good to speak in your mother tongue?

PB: Absolutely, it was good to hear everyone speaking in my mother tongue, though we did speak on the phone.  Being there was more fulfilling.

For anyone who is used to staying in a big family… it was a big part that I missed.  I missed all those children I used to help, the teachers.  I was very involved in the church, I was very much instrumental in Masaka municipality, it was a big chunk of me.  Certainly you feel homesick.  But I knew the reason I had come here, and I had to pursue that.  I knew it would make me a better person than I was before.

RH: What can Ugandans do in the diaspora to help their homeland?

PB: We already do that.  First, we send our remittances, we send over $700 million a year to the economy, according to economic statistics.  That is pretty big for a small economy like ours. That is number one.

Two. for us that are here, we are skilled individuals.  So when we go home, we share that experience and specialization that each one of us has.  Many go back and open businesses.  The Ugandan government is trying to open up a department for the diaspora, which would be very instrumental in networking. I think that is in a good direction.

RH: How can Ugandans unite with other immigrant groups? Is this important?

PB: We live in a global world today.  I think it is important to network in anyway possible, in all aspects of life.  We are talking about a global economy, global warming; so all things are important and affect all humanity.  It is important to work with everyone to realize all that.

RH: I know you were involved in a press conference with other African immigrant organizations after what happened on the airplane with the Nigerian passenger.

PB: We as leaders of different African organizations were coming together to say no to the act of terrorism that was caused by our brother Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

We were trying to say no, this does not represent Africa, the culture of Africa, the values of Africa.  That does not represent who we certainly are.  We are against it.  He does not represent our faith or religions, it was an act of an individual, and we came together to say no to it.  We wanted to let people know we are law-abiding citizens like anyone else.

RH: Do you think there will be a backlash against Nigerians from this incident?

PB: In one way or another, there could be a backlash against Nigerians.   There will be a keen interest in people coming from Nigeria– and not just Nigeria but Africa.  It is [already] very hard for people wanting to travel here from Africa.  I think there will be backlash in one way or another.

RH: What politics are there in Diaspora groups in the U.S., which have been in the news a lot recently?

PB: We have the national organization, the Uganda North American Association (UNAA) that binds all Ugandans in North America.  But there has been divisions caused by politics, separation of tribes.  Those are the major things splitting up the association.  The division also reflects what is happening back home.

I look at it as a politics of division and sectarianism that is infiltrating many of us who live in the Diaspora.  Many people here belong to different political parties.  some are FDC, JEEMA, DP…

There is no working relationship between the government and the political parties, and that becomes part of us, we [the diaspora] are what Uganda is.  We have our people there, and are split along these political lines, which is a dangerous thing.  And tribal groups? I see it when we organize certain events, like if a Muganda dies, you will see many Baganda.  If a Munyankole dies, you will see  many Banyankole there.  And that goes on.  We are not a unit working together to develop together– we need to do that.

We need to trust one another, which is very important.  We need to educate one another.  I believe in the importance of unity and democracy, and developing together as one country.  Not as separate entities.  We need to do that and respect one another.

RH: One friend of mine said his tribe was much more important to him before he came to New York.  When he came to New York, it became much less important whether someone was a Muganda or a Munyankole.

PB: We need to continue doing that.  We need to have events that are not political in one way or another, and are for us as people of Uganda.  Not the tribes of Uganda.  We can respect our culture and customs, but it should not be a hindrance for development.

RH: What do you wish you had known before you came to the U.S.?

PB [laughing]: I should have traveled with a huge jacket for the winter, and should have learned Spanish.  75 percent of the students I teach are Hispanic.  And when I went to college, I took Italian instead of Spanish.

I had become better with Italian, but after graduation I did not have many people to speak the language with, so little by little I have lost it. I need a year to go to Italy for a vacation, right? Just speak Italian, be with the Italian people.

RH [laughing]: Take me with you.  Do you speak Spanish?

PB: I speak a little Spanish now, I am learning little by little, from students and workers and friends who are Spanish.  I was planning to take a trip to Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, but my father passed away at that time in my life, and I had to go home.  There was much I needed to put together, as an older brother in the family.

RH: What does UAAGNY do, and when did it start?

PB: The Ugandan American Association of Greater New York brings together all Ugandans and their friends from all boroughs, from New Jersey and Connecticut and neighboring place, that want to be part of our progress.  The association started in 1982 as a source of organization to bring Ugandans together and be reminded in their culture.  They could meet other Ugandans they don’t know, meet people who could become their wives or husbands.  We want to take it to another level– how we can use it to develop the people not just in NY and New Jerse, but how we can develop our people back home through projects.  What could develop us and the people back home.

I am the chairperson of the executive committee.

RH: What is the Ugandan community in NY like?

PB: It is very diverse.  They do different things, they have all kinds of jobs.  Some are doctors, teachers, some work at Uganda House, some work at the U.N.  Some are social workers. Ugandans are highly educated, so when people leave they have the capacity of getting good jobs, and they do.

RH: Will you vote in the 2011 elections?

PB: I would have loved to vote, but my schedule and the election schedule may not allow me to vote.  Unless they have an outside ballot… but I don’t think this government will put out an outside ballot for people in the diaspora.  I do not support any political parties back home.  In the past did, but I felt discouraged by the people I voted for.  When they reached Parliament, they forgot the people who sent them there.  It became so divisive I decided to rest from politics and only pursue objectives and goals that would help us unite, rather than divide us.  As of now, I was thinking about talking with others who might be interested in starting an independent party.  We could counter-react to things [in Uganda] that are not helping us in the right direction, but I am still giving it thought.

RH: Is the Uganda government popular abroad?

PB: It depends where…  Uganda is popular abroad because of the fight against HIV.

RH: What about in the diaspora?

PB: The feeling in the Diaspora towards the president is that he has overstayed, that he has not honored the term limits.  They feel that he should do better on land policy.  The government passed a Land Bill but there are so many things that people are questioning in it.

Some in the diaspora feel that the military is run as a family, rather than as an institution for peace.  The other thing people are concerned about is the corruption that is highly exercised in government– and little is done to apprehend the top officers engaged in it.  Those are major concerns of people living in the diaspora.

RH: How do people in the diaspora handle the challenge of remittances?

PB: People in the Diaspora sacrifice for remittances.  We believe very much in our extended family, and sacrifice a lot so we can help them.  We help them so they can become better and receive their basic needs they need in life.  It is out of sacrifice that we commit to our families and other relatives.

RH: What can the Ugandan government do to help its nationals abroad?

PB: They should speed up the dual citizenship.  I know it was tabled in Parliament, but it has not been finalized.  That would empower more people in the Diaspora to connect with people in UG and open businesses, especially small-scale businesses.  Also, especially for those of us living in New York, we have greater business opportunities.  It would be good if the Ugandan government, allied with our American organization to open up a social and service center where we can bring people, friends of Uganda to share our ideas in terms of investment and empowering the tourism sector.  The tourism sector is extremely important.

The Ugandan government can also help in exposing our culture and traditions, or open a small Uganda museum where we can attract people to see who we are and what we have.  That is what the government should do for the people living in the Diaspora.  We also want the government to have an annual day to send a delegation from the government to talk with the Ugandans living in New York about progress made and not made– in terms of politics and economic empowerment.

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Tags: Diaspora, Pius Bugembe, remittances, Uganda, Uganda North American Association, Ugandan American Association of Greater New York, Ugandans in New York

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