University Social Competitions should be Free and Fair

From different universities of the country, the educative entertainment like ‘Cultural Gala’and Sports gala, inter faculties, inter associations lights up students and the university’s staff moments when music, dance, and drama are laid at the podium and when the student get united at the pavilion to see who plays who. This at times, makes some of the staff – the security officials to be specific to forego their duties in order to watch these exciting.

Having cultural galas in academic institutions have led to the preservation of African culture against foreign attack by the cultures from Europeans countries, America those from Far Eastern countries such as; China, Japan, India and from the Arab world. This is so because our native traditions act as African identity.

KIU students have therefore perfected their art and talent in football and in entertaining their guests as if they pursue a university course dubbed as Music, Dance and Drama (MDD). Being an international institution that draws students from different parts of Africa and beyond, various traditional dances that exhibit African cultures with unique gigs and gyrations as played.

However, it has been seen in various aspects that these university competitions end up in fights of which has become rampant in different campuses.

In April 2018, two cultural groups at KIU were seen fighting each other due to unfair judgements by the judicators. Later alone a month back, also the Banyankore student’s association was seen fighting the Basoga over a number of unidentified reasons during the inter Association sports gala.

When asked why university competitions (especially cultural gala and sports gala) in different universities always end in chaos, Kenneth Ayebaza a student at Kampala International University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration said, “human beings (in this case students) have a mentality of human nature, whereby in competitions they must win and when they lose they don’t accept that they have lost because of their differences or either their weakness.”

“That mentality students maintain or have in their minds is that I must win, and if it doesn’t come through as they expected it to be let’s say by accidentally or do mistakes in the playground and by that they start arrogantly fighting their opponents”, Kenneth added.

This is a simple and an understandable issue if given attention and time, the guild ministry and administration responsible for organizing university competitions such as cultural galas and sports look for able, potential personnel in different aspects of entertainment let’s say cultural who have knowledge or have been in that same field for some good time and this will sort out the issue of chaos, he said.

In addition to the same issue the Vice Guild president of Kampala International University HE. Nansereko Milly said, one of the cause of the chaos is the overall unfair jurisdiction by the selected judges and all they know is this kind of group will be the one to win and by that they do all possible sorts to make that certain group win.

The judges of the cultural gala should look at what students do; their talent, performance and the judgment should be based on the performances done.

“There is a lot of unfairness in the field of sports where by the referees all what they do doesn’t fit in the ethics of football of which is totally wrong illegal and unrelated to the field of sports and we believe that this might have been the reason that sparked out the chaos that happened a month ago when the Banyankore student’s Association was playing Basoga student’s Association” she said.

Emmanuel Isadah Musasizi a civil engineer student at International University of East Africa said violence among campus students is attributed to disagreements between two competing groups.

Watula Ivan the cultural minister of Bamasaba Association said, the participators do participate with the aim of winning but there are some associations that are not regarded as associations because of their cultural beliefs or the things they do in their culture.

“Like for Bamasaba some people fear us because of the things we do let’s say the way we eat, the way we perform cultural rituals like circumcision and this gives us hard time in battling for the first position in different competitions at campus.” he added.

Overtime students come to appreciate their culture as their identity. Knowledge of culture gives confidence, ultimately translating into better academic performance. By hosting competitions, KIU provides an opportunity to students to explore their potential in cultural exchanges, talent among others. KIU has created an atmosphere that makes students and staff to tolerant to diversities, bringing different cultures, new talents and philosophies that makes them unique from other campuses.

Having cultural galas in academic institutions have led to the preservation of African culture against foreign attack by the cultures from Europeans countries, America those from Far Eastern countries such as; China, Japan, India and from the Arab world. This is so because our native traditions act as African identity.

Being an international institution, Kampala International University draws students from different parts of Africa and beyond, various traditional dances that exhibit African cultures with unique gigs and gyrations as played.