About the Book
In 1954 the exciting expansiveness of a Colonial Office telegram was the starting point of Alan Forward's career as a young District Officer. This book is a unique record of his experience of Uganda's political, social and economic development in the years leading to independence in 1962. Written in an easily read style as a series of 20 retrospective letters to a friend in England, the book describes the life and work of district officers and departmental specialists in the districts and in the secretariat in Entebbe. As Private Secretary to His Excellency the Governor, Sir Walter Coutts, the author recounts the problems presented by Iain Macleod's decision to grant independence only seven months after the introduction of self-government; and the last minute efforts to agree an independence constitution acceptable to all Uganda's varied people living in four kingdoms and ten districts. He records the highly successful Royal Visit by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Kent at independence, when the Prime Minister, Milton Obote, spoke of his appreciation of "the best we have received and now inherit from the British administrators."
In a final letter, dated July 1999, the author reviews the British administration of Uganda and records the achievements of the present Uganda Government led by His Excellency President Museveni. The book will appeal to those with no knowledge of Uganda or of the Colonial Service, as much as to those who may, through it, recall their own experiences. The author's contemporary colour pictures aid the description of Uganda's mountains, lakes and rivers and highlight the tourist potential of this most lovely country. Alan Forward concludes that Uganda is strategically placed as an island of progress in a disturbed continent, and calls for the abolition of Uganda's remaining international debts. As Churchill wrote in 1908, "Concentrate on Uganda."
Table of Contents:
Introduction; A Journey up a Beanstalk; Around the Shadowy Horn of Guardafui; Through the Country of the Man-eating Lions; Among the Banyankole; The Kabaka of Buganda Returns in Triumph; The Murder of Harry St George Galt; In His Excellency's Canoe; A Demand for Self-Government - in 1958!; The Acholi Dance for The Queen Mother; In the District Court of Masaka at Butenga; The Rt Hon Iain Macleod's Messenger; To Bukedi, 'the Land of the Naken People'; Elections and the Relationships Commission; The Mountains of the Moon; Sentence to Serve in the Secretariat; A Summons from His Excellency; The Advance to Independence; Freedom; Their Excellencies at Government House; Thirty-six Years Later; Postscript; Glossary; Bibliography.
About the Author :
Alan Forward was educated at Raynes Park Grammar School and Selwyn College, Cambridge. In 1954 he was selected by the Colonial Office to be an administrative officer and "allocated Uganda". He then attended the Devonshire Course at Keble College, Oxford for one year. He worked in Uganda from 1955 until 1963 in a variety of administrative posts in the districts and in the secretariat. In May 1962 he was appointed Private Secretary to His Excellency the Governor, Sir Walter Coutts. At Independence in October 1962 Sir Walter Coutts was appointed Governor-General and Alan Forward remained with him as his Secretary until October 1963. On his return to London he entered the civil service, retiring as an under-secretary in April 1990. He married Mavora Geoghegan in 1966. They have a son, who has sailed across the Atlantic, and a daughter who has climbed Kilimanjaro. They have lived in Dorset since 1988.
Review :
"Alan Forward served in the Uganda administration from 1955 until a year after Independence in 1962. He has put his story into a score of retrospective letters addressed to a friend, supplemented by frequent recall of Ugandan history and current situation. This makes for a lively read. The book ranks as one of the most elegantly produced memoirs, with fine colour photographs. And what complex colonial criteria can be unwrapped in that tribute to his post-Uganda spouse. "She would have been such a wonderful District Officer's wife." The Times Literary Supplement. "I strongly recommend this book. Alan Forward has analysed colonial rule, and the cultural, economic, social, political and governance situation in Uganda." Professor George B. Kirya, High Commissioner for The Republic of Uganda in London. "Alan Forward's book is full of interest. It is a perfect example of someone setting out, in the fullness of his years, his recollections of what he did as a young man, and why he thinks now, as he thought then, that it was abundantly worthwhile." The Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE. "Alan Forward gives an honest and clear insight into the life and outlook of a dedicated district officer, in an easy and often humorous style. The book is captivating and should be on every family bookshelf." The Uganda Journal, Volume 46. "I thought the whole story of your engagement with Uganda most fascinating, starting as it does at the very beginning - your first trip abroad" - and ending with the plumes and protocols of Government House and the full blast of independence. It is about a young man's attitude to Empire, which is very refreshing - most imperial memoirs look at the subject through elderly eyes. So, all in all, a most interesting read and a most sumptuous production." Jan Morris FRSL, Writer - Pax Britannica, ... "Written with humour, affection and insight, Alan Forward's book reveals a deeply conscientious man, dedicated to Uganda, aware that colonial rule had its shortcomings but proud of the colonial officials' record of providing justice, maintaining law and order and encouraging progress. His enthusiasm and love for Uganda shine out of the pages of his book." South African Historical Journal, Volume 45. "Written in a beautiful flowing style, which will attract both the specialist and general reader, this book raises important questions about the legacy of Empire in Africa. It will assist the process of explaining the work of the colonial service and understanding modern Uganda." Dr Gareth Griffiths, Curator, British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol. "As Private Secretary to the Governor (later Governor-General) of Uganda, Alan Forward was a close observer of the detailed negotiations which led to self-government and independence. These convoluted events are recorded with clarity and sympathy for both the African and British negotiators. Throughout the book quotations from earlier European travellers in Uganda, provide an invaluable historical setting for this account of the later developments, while the author's own superb illustrations encapsulate both the beauty and variety of the country and the accoutrements of colonial administration." The Journal of Modern African Studies, Volume 38 Number 4. "Alan Forward's adept mix of personal experiences with major political and social events all make for a compelling read." Canadian Journal of African Studies, Volume 35 Number 3. "The vast and enjoyable challenge of a colonial career leaps from each page as men like Alan Forward served the people of Africa. Doing himself out of a job by helping prepare Uganda for African majority rule was a prospect Forward readily embraced when he joined the Colonial Service; this was no episode in a jackboot imperialism that has firmer basis in Liberal Left fiction than in actual fact." The International Journal of Management, Research and Practice, Volume 21 Number 4.
