President Museveni at KololoUganda’s 64th Independence Day was celebrated remotely at State House Entebbe on 9th October, 2026. The guest list was not more than 50 people.No grand parades by the members of the armed forces, no musicians singing revolutionary songs, no grand speeches by the various political actors, save for that of H.E. President Yoweri Museveni, plus the eating and other forms of merrymaking.The decision to have virtual celebrations of most National Days was reached at by a Cabinet consensus decision that felt these National Days were inflicting an unnecessary cost to government funds, yet there are many other more useful competing interests. It was agreed that money meant for National Days be repurposed to other more critical areas, like education and health programmes. Others argue that Uganda stopped funding physical, large-scale national holiday celebrations, as part of a government austerity and fiscal rationalization measure. It is believed that the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development scrapped state funding to curb runaway government expenditure, a widening fiscal deficit and ballooning public debt. It is argued that this is part of the austerity measures being undertaken by government, to cut down consumptive behaviors of some public servants.A very commendable and logical move in all ways. However, in as much as we have cut costs on celebrating these National Days, we might risk losing out on key gains we were getting out of these celebrations, whose worth is unquantifiable. National Days like Independence Day, Heroes Day and Liberation Day were days when Ugandans would pause and go down memory lane of where we have come from and where we are heading. These would be moments of having a national conversation on what happened then, what has been happening, and what we need to do as a country going forward.Our history as a country is dotted with unpleasant chapters, and this took the sacrifice of our heroes and heroines to reverse the dangerous path we had taken. It took a lot of sacrifice and blood to set our country on the right trajectory. Therefore, such days help us educate our citizens that never again should we fall short of glory, in our effort to be a civilized and modern state.These were moments of deeper conversations on the journey covered so far, who did what on this journey, who those heroes were, who betrayed our nation and why they behaved the way they behaved. As a result, this made the young generation fully appreciate the journey covered so far and probably appreciate the sacrifices made by their forefathers for Uganda to reach where it is today.These stories of our heroes must be retold now and again. Their sacrifices should be a living document. These are moments of resurrecting the resilience and determination to protect and defend motherland Uganda.Other countries that share a similar history observe their National Days with emphasis. For example, Israel officially observes Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, which is set on the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (March). The date is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, to emphasize Jewish resistance and courage alongside mourning. The Two-Minute Siren: at 10:00 AM, a wailing siren sounds across the entire country. Pedestrians, traffic on highways, and public life comes to a complete standstill as people stand in silent reflection.An official state opening ceremony is held in Jerusalem, attended by the president, prime minister, Holocaust survivors, and dignitaries. During the event, six torches are lit to represent the six million Jews murdered by the Nazi regime.Similarly, Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9, to commemorate the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, known as the Great Patriotic War. This holiday honors the estimated 24 million to 27 million Soviet citizens and soldiers who died during the armed conflict, which devastated almost every family in the nation. Although Nazi Germany signed its unconditional surrender late on May 8, 1945, in Western Europe (known as V-E Day), it was already past midnight—00:43 a.m. On May 9—in Moscow time, due to the time zone difference. Joseph Stalin also insisted on a formal surrender ceremony in Berlin, which set the official Soviet celebration date to May. Overcoming fascism is a core pillar of modern Russian national identity, uniting the population around themes of historical resilience and defence of the homeland. Under Vladimir Putin, the state has transformed Victory Day into a massive display of military strength and regime legitimacy, often drawing direct ideological parallels between the 1945 victory and current Russian military campaigns.In Rwanda, every April 7th the country observes 100-day period of remembrance and honouring the more than one million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. During this period, the country is engaged in serious national conversations about that regrettable chapter in its history, so that history does not repeat itself.Scholars and war veterans teach the younger generation, especially those who did not witness the genocide, to tell it all by discouraging all forms of genocide ideology and preach true reconciliation of all Rwandans. It is a moment for Rwandans to take new resolve as a people that they must eliminate all forms of divisions that divide them along ethnic lines that those who committed genocide took advantage of to reign terror.The writer works with Uganda Media CentreThe post Celebrating National Days; no more fanfare and pomp appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.