Draleti Louis

Punishment, at its best, is not cruelty; it is not a failure to "turn the other cheek"; it is moral restoration. It is the way that a society says, "We still believe in right and wrong." Uganda's tragedy is not excessive punishment but rather its arbitrary application, especially its absence where it is needed the most. This is how we got here.

Punishment, at its best, is not cruelty; it is not a failure to "turn the other cheek"; it is moral restoration. It is the way that a society says, "We still believe in right and wrong." Uganda's tragedy is not excessive punishment but rather its arbitrary application, especially its absence where it is needed the most. This is how we got here.

If one were asked to pinpoint the exact moment in history that one-shotted the activism landscape in Africa, it would be the 1896 Battle of Adwa, when Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated the invading Italian army. It was a major African victory against an invading European power at the height of the scramble for Africa, preserving Ethiopia's independence. The symbolism of Adwa—it became a beacon of resistance and pride for the African resistance—was one of great magnitude. In...