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On October 9, 1962, the Union Jack was lowered and the Uganda Flag raised, and the country called Uganda was born. This month of October Uganda marked 45 years of independence with celebrations all across the country. In other parts of the world as well, Ugandans organised events to mark the day. President Yoweri Museveni addressed the nation about continuing the way forward as Uganda continues to implement its independence. Queen Elizabeth II of England sent a congratulatory message to President Museveni as Uganda celebrated 45 years of independence on 9 October 2007. “I have much pleasure in sending your excellency my congratulations on the celebration of your national day, together with my best wishes for the happiness and prosperity of the government and people of Uganda in the year ahead,” The Queen said in a message released to the press by the British High Commission. In London the Independence Day celebrations were held at Trafalgar Square’s Uganda High Commission on Friday 12 October 2007. 
John Sentamu became Britain's first black archbishop when he took up his post in York. He holds the second highest position in the Anglican communion worldwide. John Sentamu was born in Uganda in 1949. The sixth of 13 children, he was so small that the local bishop was called in to baptise him immediately. But he survived his birth, a sickly childhood, and a famine. He studied law at Makerere University and then worked as a barrister, before becoming a judge in the Uganda High Court. Archbishop Sentamu is an example of the many strands which went into the weaving of that historical tapestry, involving Church and State, God and Mammon. His history is one of personal testing and triumph. A brilliant scholar, he had reached the office of judge of the High Court by the age of 24, but when he spoke out against the tyranny and injustice in his country, particularly the violation of human rights under the brutal leadership of dictator Idi Amin in 1974, he earned himself imprisonment. From jail he went on to seek refuge in England where he exchanged the Court for the Church, motivated by the Christian doctrine which sees justice in a wider, more encompassing way. Sentamu exchanged his legal career for ministry and went on to study theology at Cambridge with a view to returning home after his studies. But when his friend, the Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum, was murdered by Idi Amin’s regime Archbishop Sentamu vowed to take his place, and was ordained in 1979. Archbishop Sentamu served in parishes in Cambridge and London. During his 13 years as vicar of Holy Trinity Church, in Tulse Hill, he raised £1.6m to restore the church and its organ, and increased the congregation 10-fold. From 1986 to 1992 he served on the Archbishop's Commission for Urban Priority Areas and he was chairman of the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns between 1990 and 1999. In London, he had special responsibility for evangelism, minority ethnic Anglican concerns, police and community relations, and social justice. Archbishop Sentamu was an adviser to the inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence murder, and chaired the inquiry which criticised police methods following the stabbing of Damilola Taylor. Sentamu's appointment to the second highest office was not honour just for him but for his race. He is the first man of colour to occupy one of the most prestigious and powerful offices in the Church's history. That has not diminished Sentamu's outspokenness, his critical appraisal not only of secular society but of his own church. His call for action and his personal involvement to obtain justice and freedom for the oppressed, mostly people of colour, still kept to the margins of British society, is repeated in the hallowed halls of the Church also. There, he cries out for relevance, to move the Gospel from the marble halls to the noisy reality of the streets. His jocund style, his cutting-edge humour, his passion for the arts (he played African drums at his own consecration in the stately Cathedral of York) have made him a favourite of the British media. Sentamu’s elevation to the house of Lords and the Privy Council, important though they be, he puts in perspective, as but temporal milestones along the way. He would rather be recognised for the focus on bringing justice to the oppressed and freedom to those unjustly held in captivity. 
On 15 August 2007 India celebrated 60 years of independence. Independence from Britain meant the creation of two separate countries, India and Pakistan. Pakistan marked its own 60th anniversary a day earlier. The partition in 1947 saw 10 million people cross borders in one of history's largest mass migrations. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the nation celebrating 60 years of independence “…Sixty years ago we started a new journey. We were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts and views…” Mahatma Gandhi is officially accorded the honour of ‘Father of the Nation’ and is alo known as the 'shining example' of India. In London, India’s High Commissioner said that the time has come when India has reached a final ‘arrival point’ for this tryst. India has met many challenges but there are still many to overcome. He further added that India is progressing towards the goal of being a developed nation by the year 2020. The mood in India is upbeat, with many believing that the country has finally emerged out of its colonial shadow to take its position on the global stage. 
He left films in 1985 to become a Member of Parliament from Allahabad constituency as a Congress party candidate. Following allegations of involvement in financial irregularities (of which he was completely cleared later) he decided to step down as MP. After a four year break he returned to the film industry, however Amitabh suffered a series of unsuccessful productions with, Mrityudaata (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) which was more successful, but followed by four less successful productions in 1999 resulting in a debt of over 90 million rupees. He did however, make a stunning come back presenting the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire called "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" (2000). He also had a series of hits with Mohabbatein (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003) and his most recent Khakee (2004). Now in his 60’s he is experiencing reclaimed fame and is one of the most busiest actors and singers in Bollywood as well as on TV.
On March 6 1957, Ghana became the first country in Africa, south of the Sahara, to gain independence from colonial rule. 2007 marks 50 years of independence. The theme for the anniversary on March 6, 2007 was "Championing African Excellence". Ghana’s first , Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, envisioned this country as the guiding light of African independence and solidarity - the BLACK STAR, the lodestar of Africa. On the day Ghana gained independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah said that "The Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up to the total liberation of Africa". Ghana’s attainment of independence and the subsequent ideological support it extended to other colonized countries on the continent, culminated in the emancipation of many of these countries from colonial rule. Ghana’s jubilee celebrations had three main objectives: For more information, you can visit http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/ or visit the national Black History Month Website.
2008 Westminster City Council. Contact the Council
