Arts
It was Harvard University not Makerere
Havard University and the Statue of ‘Three Lies’
When I was still in secondary school I wanted to join Harvard University. Someone had whispered into my ears that it is one of the most, prestigious university in the world. And do you know what happened guys? I ended up in Makerere University. But still proud because I discovered that it was the most prestigious in Uganda. What a consolation! Sometime I forget the knowledge I acquired at Makerere but I can never forget the strikes we had while I was there.
It’s good to be a student. First of all you have the right to be silly and every one will understand because you are still a child. We could strike because we wanted examination date be extended farther. Yes, we were not yet ready for them much as the exams were always ready for us. We could strike because the university had stopped serving us with watermelons as dessert on our meals, as if melons have no seasons. We could also strike because we were bored and we felt that it was our responsibility to keep in the public spotlight.
I still regret why my parents never took me to Harvard; the university of my dreams. It is the only University where you go and come out only to meet a satisfying salary at your first job. Remember Harvard is famous for its academic excellence and producing to notch graduates. Turns out the average starting salary after graduation is over $60,000 per year. Maybe it is worth the over $58,000+ per year it costs to attend! Of course a business minded person sees no profit here.
The good thing about life is that if you fail to study at Harvard you still have a chance to visit it as a tourist. The only difference is that you don’t leave with a degree on something similar to that. I made sure that I do visit this learning centre and I took pictures with John Harvard’s statue that stands in Harvard Yard. It is the third most photographed statue in the U.S.
Despite its popularity, Harvard students call it the “Statue of Three Lies” because the inscription reads “John Harvard, Founder, 1638”. John Harvard was in fact not the founder but rather a benefactor who was honored in the naming of the university. Harvard was also not founded in 1638 but in 1636 and is the oldest college in the U.S. Finally, the statue is not actually a depiction of John Harvard but of a random student sculptor Daniel Chester French used as a model.
A few days ago Makerere University was closed indefinitely by the president after a bloody strike. The president might have punished no one because both lecturers and students must have popped champagne in celebration. What a wonderful holiday! It’s the parents instead who must have been affected. Sorry mister President.
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