On Friday last week – the 27th of September 2024, the Centre for Multilateral Affairs (CfMA) had an outstanding privilege of being part of an extraordinary event organized by Kondrad Adenauer Stiftung Uganda and South Sudan in conjunction with LeO Africa Institute, KAS4Democracy and the Uganda Rugby Union. The event brought together two seemingly disparate worlds: Politics (democracy) and Sports, specifically Rugby.
The event aimed at fostering leadership and community development through sports. Rugby was particularly sighted out due to the significant positive attributes to the community through individual participation in it. It was also noted that Rugby with all its well modeled values, it is not yet a popular sport to all the people of Uganda, unlike most of the sports like football.
People in Uganda who know Rugby as a sport and are actively involved in it take a meagre percentage of the total population, compared to other sports such as football. Those others who know about it perceive, Rugby as a game for vigorous, aggressive and violent sport that fits only able-bodied men. All these are stereotypes. Other people do not know about Rugby at all, or what entails to it. The event presented room for clarity about Rugby Sport, which was a resounding success that convinced every participant.
The much-anticipated gathering featured keynote speakers from the Uganda government, Rugby professionals and fans, and community leaders. They shared stories of how rugby has transformed lives in various dimensions, promoted teamwork, character development, building resilience among others. The attendees comprising politicians, sports men and women, civil servants and community members, engaged in lively discussions and workshops.
Rugby as a tool for values-based Leadership
The event highlighted rugby’s great and open potential to develop significant leadership skills such as teamwork. This sport demands collaboration, communication and mutual support. Discipline is paramount for the sport as it demands dedication, hard work and a significant level of self-control. The resilience aspect in the sport requires both players and the coaches to overcome setbacks, injuries and losses. This aspect could extend to the fans equally. Integrity promotes fair play, sportsmanship and respect in the sport, while courage builds mental toughness while addressing the challenges encountered by players and the coaches.
The impacts of rugby sport on community development
The event showcased initiatives using Rugby to drive positive change in Ugandans and their communities. Youth empowerment through Rugby-based programs promote education, health by keeping them physically fit and life skills portrayed in time management and activity scheduling.
Rugby fosters community building by attracting people to watch the rugby games played within their community reach. Rugby enhances community cohesion and inclusion as players, coaches, sports journalists, referees and fans of all ages during either training or competitive games. Rugby events and tourism contributes to local economies thereby promoting economic growth.
Call to Action
As the event concluded, attendees were challenged to leverage Rugby’s transformative power to drive positive change in their communities by actively being engaged in the development they want to see, as one rugby player and enthusiast emphasized “you cannot be what you cannot see.” We left inspired, equipped with new perception of rugby and generally new ideas and connections to make meaningful impact.
Prosper Florence,
Is a Research Associate with Centre for Multilateral Affairs, under the AI Governance Project
