Manchster United vs Arsenal: The ‘evil’ of betting, can you stake your
wife?
By John Blanshe
Musinguzi
14th, November 2013
Last Sunday was not the usual one. As football fans, we
began it with a hot debate about Manchester United vs arsenal soccer game that
was to be played at old Trafford. My friend Brian, an out spoken Manu fan could
not speak three words without telling us how Manchester united was going to
crush arsenal as usual. He even forgot to take lunch. Betiina aka Jose, the sole arsenal fan among
us could not contain Brian’s argument and seemed a defeated man by words.
Somewhere in iganga, the debate was more of actions that
word between Arsenal and Manu fans who were anticipated to watch this
game. The ‘evil’ of gambling which has
eroded our society was between them. Henry Dhabasani (arsenal fan), a local
resident who has three wives, made a bet with Rashid Yiga (Manu fan) that Arsenal
would beat the premier league defending champions.
Probably, they did not have cash bet. What happened then?.
Dhabasani put his family house on the line while Yiga staked his Toyota Premio
car and his wife. The bets were put in writing by the pair and was reportedly
witnessed by community leaders in the town. We went into the match and arsenal
lost. Then a group of Manu fans stormed Dhabasani’s home and kicked his wives
and children out of the house. This news spread like bush fire from iganga to Kampala
into the observer newspaper, then UK- Mirror sport page and finally made it
Thursdays BBC gospel column.
But what if things happened the other way round, I mean
arsenal won the game, how would Yiga give his wife to Dhabasani?, this a
question I can answer. In the 21st century, even after more than a
century women fighting for their rights and reputation. They have yielded
nothing. As men we need to reverse our thinking and accord respect to women.
Let us accept change and offer respect to women in our
societies. Most of us would say that these a norms of the traditional society.
A man who is a fan of soccer is not all that of a traditional society, if so he
would spend his leisure time hunting. Then what about the Pakistan ‘investors’
who gang raped a 23years old girl. Can these investors be illiterate?, probably
no and no.
In order to appreciate role of women in our society let us
all think about when our loved ones are not around- for the married how do we
look like, what about our homes and children. Few on us can do family work. In
villages among the illiterate, most man wakes up going to the bar-those who
take liquor. The ‘saved’ Christians goes to trading centers to do nothing. A
woman on the other hand goes to garden, then return to lunch for her husband
and life goes on like that. At the end of season, the husband sells the harvest
without woman’s consent.
The constitution of the republic of Uganda echoes about
rights of women and affirmative action in favor of marginalized groups. Article
32(2) says that law, culture, customs and traditions which are against the
divinity, welfare or interest of women are prohibited by the constitution. Article
33 is dedicated to the rights of women. Most importantly, 33(1) says that women
shall be accorded full and equal dignity of the person with men.
Women are like us, our body is the same and our thinking working
capacity is not different. Genesis 2:21 reveals the origin of woman, ‘so the
lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and while he slept took one of
his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the lord God had
taken from the man he made into a woman and brought to then man.’ Creation of
the woman out of the man does not mean that she a property of man.
What about this evil of betting which has tempted a man to
stake his wife as a bet. At university, students are betting tuition day after
day for this yet to come fortune. I personally ever betted, there is no profit
from it.
We need strict and relevant laws to restrict betting. No wonder
I don’t know any law that regulates betting.
Let government think about banning. Not every European culture
is good for thus. We can start and other can learn from us. Though it source of
tax, our government used to function properly before betting was exported to Africa.
John Blanshe Musinguzi
is a Journalism and Communication student at Makerere University
Email: johnblanshe77m@gmail.com
Tweet: johnblanshe_m
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