For part 2 of my “It’s a Generational Thing” series, I interview an elder in my Ugandan-Canadian community. There were some similarities to my responses in my previous blog: we both emphasized the importance of alcohol in Ugandan culture, and touch on the taboo topic of women drinking. I also learned a pretty shocking fact and had my passion for immigrant alcohol use research re-ignited. Thank you for reading!
Cultural background: Ugandan
Immigrant status: First-generation, immigrated to Canada over 30 years ago
In your opinion, what role (if any) does alcohol play in your culture?
– It’s as if people can’t socialize without alcohol. It’s an integral part of the culture. For example, if a family is coming to ask for a daughter in marriage, the first thing they bring is alcohol.
– There’s local brew for every cultural event. Every type of alcohol has it’s purpose. For example – there are brews made out of various types of bananas, grains or millet. A brew can be specific for a marriage, a funeral, a wake, etc.
Are there any taboos and/or stereotypes about alcohol in your culture?
– There are some clans where people will assume you’re going to be an alcoholic.
– If you’re a man, you’re revered if you can hold your alcohol. It’s idolized.
– We know women drink but they’re not supposed to do it in public. You’re more likely to find them drinking at the back of the house/backyard at events.
Do you think this differs across generations?
– Speaking to age, younger generations don’t follow the gender stereotypes as much and seem to accept women drinking. The other cultural practices are still there.
– Here in Canada, recent immigrants and later generations alike still follow the cultural practices of bringing alcohol to different events. Men still like to take pride in how much alcohol they can drink without it affecting them.
Any other comments you’d like to share?
– Uganda has held many drinking records around the world. At one point it had the highest alcohol consumption per capita*. This is not a good record.
– I have never liked alcohol. I’ve seen too many lives ruined by alcohol. I’ve seen people ruin their relationships and lose their lives alone on the street. Excessive alcohol use is not recognized as a problem in Uganda. There are not a lot of resources like Alcoholics Anonymous. I wish it was seen as a social problem.
*The 2004 Global Status Report on alcohol concluded Uganda had the highest annual consumption of alcohol in the world. Uganda continues to be among the heaviest drinking countries in Africa.
Interview lightly edited for summarizing purposes
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Photo by Terricks Noah on Unsplash
