The pictures of Dr Kizza Besigye’s son smoking a cigar got Ugandans on social media reacting negatively and positively in equal measure.
Some said that Anselm Besigye is a spoilt young man who has started smoking at a young age.
In fact Anselm’s mother, Winnie Byanyima who is also the executive director Oxfam International was the first to post the picture of her son trying out a cigar on social media.
Anselm had just received a High School Diploma from Choate Rosemary Hall, a private college in Wallingford, America.
Winnie first sent out an innocent tweet: “Anselm trying hard to smoke a cigar! We are celebrating & silly things are ok just for today!”
The above tweet was however met with backlash from Ugandans on social media who do not understand the culture of cigar smoking.
Smoking the cigar is however a tradition whereby high school leavers perform. It doesn’t necessarily mean that whoever tries out the cigar is a smoker.
This explains why Winnie took time to explain that her son doesn’t actually smoke.
The occasion which attracted Anselm’s father, Dr Besigye was one that marks the end of a new chapter and the beginning of a new one in Anselm’s life.This is what the cigar is actually about. A tradition that marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
Anselm poses with his parents
Anselm graduated from high school and is now set to join college.
Dr Besigye who flew all the way to the US acknowledged the tradition of smoking cigar but was quick to express his displeasure about the tradition.
“Different cultures & different traditions! Cigar smoking at High School graduation is a strange & unhealthy one!!” Dr Besigye tweeted and attached a link that has information about the cigar smoking tradition.