Meet Elliot Mwebaze a Telecom Engineering graduate, who has made charging phones that much easier by lessening their dependence on electricity. Over a period of 9 months, he developed a device that enables phones to charge using a bicycle dynamo. A dynamo is a device that enables bicycles to produce light. His innovation converts that rotating energy from the bike into electrical energy which is more suitable to charge the mobile phones within 120 minutes.
When he is not working for Galooli Uganda, he spends his time looking for opportunities through which he can improve his innovation and make it accessible for all bicycle riders. This technology is ideally based for the rural population of Uganda who uses bicycles more often as a mode of transport. Rather than travelling miles to charge a phone in the nearest town centre, their phones can charge on their journey to other meaningful work.
His initial inspiration to create an alternative energy source for charging mobile phones. Having missed a final exam missed because his phone had blacked out in a remote village in Rukungiri and the only way he could get it back on was to move to the next town to re charge. He then devoted most of his free time and energy on finding alternative ways through which phones could stay on even in places without power supply.
He was picked by the UCC to represent Uganda in the East African ICT exhibition organised by the East African Communications Organisation. Where his innovation got more visibility with the East African community.
He has faced very many challenges trying to build his idea into a tangible product, the most significant being difficulty in finding the necessary equipment. But with his knowledge in engineering and extreme patience, he managed to grow his concept to the product that help keep people on air longer. This experience has taught him to have no reverence for failure. “You have to fail before you can succeed” he says. Failure is something that will happen more often than not. But it can only make you better if you do not choose the easy way out and quit.
In a discussion on the increasing levels of unemployment and under-employment In Uganda, he puts the blame largely on our theoretical education system which does not focus on technical skills which in turn leads to failure of ideas to develop into something tangible. The lack of a manufacturing industry too could be an opportunity to create thousands of jobs and boost the local economy. With reports of Uganda having the largest number of start-ups and failed businesses he points to lack of basic skills such as bookkeeping, integrity, customer service.
When she is not blogging, her mind is preoccupied with creating community transformation, enabling girls to understand menstrual hygiene and being able to offer people other options of life other than the exam passing skills imparted by schools is what she is doing in Ruhanga, South Western Uganda. Her Name is Ida Horner Bayiga.
Her Passion led her to start the Africa On The Blog, run the Let Them Help Themselves (TLHT) foundation and Ethnic Supplies these are are all peieces that fit in her dream of changing her world.
This is Uganda caught up with Ida, to share with us her passions, dreams and what she is doing to make her world a better place.
How did you start all this?
It’s that sort of realization that you can do something, I felt that I could reach out to those that were less fortunate, so I started by exporting handcrafts and textiles made by women and all was going well until the recession hit.
A friend of mine, Ann McCarthy on knowing what I was doing invited me to have a look at something she had started in Ruhanga, so I came back to see her project, she was out of her depth, I mean it’s a remote village, no water, no medical center, no school, no means of money generation and whatnot. So, I setup a charity Let Them Help Themselves out of poverty (LTHT) and over the years, we have accomplished a lot. Now we have a school for 500 pupils, running water etc and right now, we are focusing on skills development like tailoring skills, computing, menstrual hygiene and one of the reasons I am here this time is to review this project, where do we go from here, did it actually help, is there any one particular activity that they really really want us to develop further and to see what works and what doesn’t.
So, what is Let Them Help Themselves really about?
Our core value is community regeneration, so we speak to the community to try and understand what there issues are, to try and understand why those issues have not been addressed, whose role it is to address them and where the blockages are and those are the things that prevent people from becoming economically active because, if a woman is spending most of her time of the day collecting water and making sure that that water is safe, she doesn’t have time to go and earn an income.
If a young girl is spending a week or so without going to school because of lack of menstrual hygiene, it impacts her negatively, so we try and have such conversations with the communities so we can forge a way to try and help.
We see our role as people who want to remove blockages at prevent them from becoming economically active, we also look at transformation using the skills development initiative where if a young girl learns a skill, it becomes handy even if she dropouts at age 15 or 16, wherever they land, they can easily find employment or create a job for themselves because people have to have options.
What else are you involved in?
We are also involved in Humanitarian causes/emergencies, here in Uganda we were involved in the Bududa Landslides and also in some slum project in Kireka where were helping women refugees at a quary to sell their handcrafts. Also during the Ebola Outbreak In Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone diaspora came to us and we helped to provide people food in the treatment centres as their families neglected them because they were suffering from Ebola.
How do the people of Ruhanga take it in, that an outsider, a stranger is trying to help them?
It’s not easy, and it hasn’t been easy since 2008. It’s about negotiating and building relationships because we are all about transformation and giving communities other options, so having those conversations and knowing the power structures in the community, has been a bonus for us, It has helped us help them. it’s actually a privilege that they allow us to help them, but if you come with an “I know best” point of view or from an imperialistic stance, then forget it. The people of Ruhanga have learnt to accept us in and we respect that.
LTHT is mainly based in Ruhanga but, do you have any plans of widening/spreading this campaign to other places?
It’s possible, I mean, Yes we can do it but honestly, it all comes down to finance, if you dont have the funds to travel around, to pay your employees, you can dream and dream and nothing happens. And also we don’t get any funding from the UK government or the Ugandan government so we rely on individual donations, that’s how we have and are still doing it But also there is still a lot of work to do in Ruhanga, were trying to build a model and a blue print that someone can look at and take away and also replicate because it’s basically developed organically. So for now, widening and spreading is just in the pipe line.
What is ethnic supplies?
Ethnic supplies is about helping people who make handcrafts and textiles to access the market in Europe, before the recession, it was turning a small profit but after the recession it isn’t easy anymore, people priotise where and on what they are spending their money on.
How does ethnic supplies work, I mean If I wanted in, how would I go about it?
The basic principle is that we don’t work with any one group that we haven’t met, so part of my role is to travel and meet these groups and the idea behind that is to check out their employment practices in every sense of the word. So for you/your group to join, we have to have met the group and have established that you have transparent and fair employment practices.
Looks like you have been beaten to the better part of fairness, what are those things that you look at to measure or ascertain good/acceptable employment practices?
I have a very high sense of ‘fairness’, I hate seeing someone being unfair to someone else, be it a person or a brand, I don’t like people being undercut and cheated & people not getting their wage because let’s face it, most people don’t know their rights and employers use that to terminate their contracts unjustly and to manipulate them so, unethical employment practices are exactly what I am against.
What are some of those things that have enabled you to get where you are?
Social capital! Social capital allows you to get a long way which gives you privilege, social capital has helped me to get on and my ability to help other communities isn’t because I am rich but because I have a lot of social capital. Social capital is important in all terms and ways.
As curator of Africa On The Blog, what exactly do you do?
That’s nearly a full-time job in itself, I source contributors to the platform, chasing them for their articles, promoting the website, making sure that the contributors are looked after, I have to ensure that the quality of work is good, and to bring new people on board.
Tell, us more about Africa On The Blog?
Africa On The Blog was started 5 years ago, It was an idea that I had and other people in the diaspora wanted. I actually thought it would only engage the women in the diaspora to talk about their Countries, experiences, and stories but the thing took a life of its own. *laughs*, So We ended up getting many people who wanted to be contributors from all over Africa including Men.
some of the contributors we had were lecturers at universities who started sending their students to us as a resource, it’s pretty much started a life of its own.
Do you have a any Ugandan contributors?
Currently, we have none but over the years, I have heard 4, first was a pharmacist, then David Mpanga who is a solicitor here, and 2 others but currently, I don’t have any Ugandan contributors.
Do you think colorism is real in Uganda, because I actually think it’s on a very low scale?
Colorism is real, it’s an issue of patriarchy, low self-esteem, politics, and colonialism because now women believe that to get a good job they have to look like Maggie Kigozi. Just stop it, don’t do that to yourself these skin lighteners have side effects that you will have to live with for years to come. Because…
Do you have any plans of organizing a charity event in Uganda like the walk around Virginia Water Lake?
Most people in Uganda don’t know exactly what I am doing and after being in the UK for close to 24 years, that’s where all my social capital is, but yeah, I would love to have a fundraiser here or run a Ugandan but it wouldn’t be easy. We have a place at next year’s London Marathon and I was almost tempted to give it to a Uganda to fundraise for us, but the VISA situation would be a difficult thing, so I gave it up.
So how can young people volunteer with LTHT?
Currently, you/that person must be willing to travel to Ruhanga because that’s where we are currently based and some of the things we are looking at aren’t money. If you could get 10-15 comrades who owned laptops and you went to Ruhanga to help the people there to get the computers, you’ve shared your skills and that’s very important, even if it’s just for a weekend. That would be much better than money, people like me value time, if you give it your time, then it’s worth it and we would be grateful.
As a writer, I assume you are reading. What book are you currently reading?
It’s a feminist book but it’s a good one, let me show you…
It’s beyond the pale and I would prefer the pages but that would mean I have to move around with a book and I mean, look at my handbag, very small a book can’t fit.
Any last words to all the ladies out there and everybody?
To the ladies, go do it yourself, that’s advice I got from my dad, make sure that you’re financially independent as a woman and don’t do anything to yourself like bleaching, it will live with you for the rest of your life
Ps. We do believe that many Ugandans out there are doing awesome things and we would like to be a part of you if you could share your story like Mrs. Ida Horner did. Do you have a story?, you can email us at thisis256@gmail.com
Uganda is not only endowed with awesome physical features but also great historical sites. Most of these we last saw or heard about them in our Social Studies (SST) books. Many Ugandans will prefer to go on a honeymoon abroad yet they have never visited these amazing sites. Maybe it is time to become tourists in our own home.
1. Fort Pakito
This is one amazing historical site in Uganda which is rarely talked about. The strategically located fort is believed to be 136 years old and stands on top of Ocecu hill in present day Gulu district found in northern Uganda. Re-known explorer Sir Samuel Baker over run the slave habour which had been constructed by Arab traders as a trench to avoid the escape of captives. He expelled over 250 Arabs and fortified the place hence the name it is known today. the fort is enclosed by a 16 feet wide and 15 feet deep and covers about 9.4 hectares.
2. Entebbe War Memorial
3. Nakayima tree
Nakayima tree is 40 meters high and is estimated be 400-500 years old. Located on top of Mubende Hill on Kampala-Fort portal Road. Just a look at the root structure of the tree, will show you four formed wide spaces known to be resting rooms each for Ddahula, Nalongo Jajja Mukasa, Jajja Musoke and Kilunda. People go there to seek blessings especially fertility.
4. Nyero rock paintings.
paintings are pre-historic paintings believed to be 765 or more years old (dating back to before 1250 AD!). Located in Kumi district, Eastern Uganda, the paintings were first documented in 1913. Many historians have argued that the paintings are credited to the Batwa (Twa) hunter-gatherers who are of Pygmy origin, and are today, only found in small groups in the far western part of Uganda. Many believe that they (Batwa), once lived in the general area of these rock art sites, probably moving on due to the arrival of the present inhabitants (Nilotic, luo and Bantu groups). These beautiful paintings are a representation of the rich cultural identity of the people of Iteso, Uganda, and Africa as a whole.
Until today, mystery still surrounds who painted them since no one openly has history relating to the actual individuals who painted them. The red and white paintings are believed to represent sacred places of gods according to the current inhabitants of the region, the itesots.
5. Sezibwa falls
These falls lie 35km east of Kampala in the Vanilla growing district of Mukono district. The spectacular waterfalls are believed to have been born by humans many hundred years ago. The falls are one of the most spiritual and cultural centres where many natives flock for blessings, wealth, and fortunes. A traditional healer performs ceremonies for those seeking love, children, a successful business deal or a good harvest.
6. Katereke Prison DitchKatereke prison ditch is one of the major symbols of tyranny and dictatorship in pre-historic Uganda. It represents a history of brutal and vicious incidents in Buganda’s history. It is believed to have been constructed by the late Kabaka Kalema during the late 1880s. He constructed the ditch to be torturing chambers of all princes and princesses whom he suspected to be his rivals. Many of these rivals were rounded up and exiled at Katereke for fear that they would one day overthrow him. These prisoners were later slaughtered without mercy.
7. Wamala tombs
These beautiful and spectacular tombs are found on a hill in Nabweru Sub-county, Wakiso district. The dome structure makes the traditional site very attractive from a far. The tombs, are the burial site of Buganda’s King, Suuna II who was the 29th king of Buganda Kingdom.
Ssekabaka Ssuna II is remembered as the first Kabaka of Buganda to be buried with his law intact. The word Kabaka according to Ssebabenge, comes from the phrase: “Kano kaba kani?” (Whose jaw is this?) This is because upon the Kabaka’s death, his jaw would be removed and his widows would be asked whose jaw it was.
8. The Kasubi Tombs.
These magnificent traditional tombs, are the royal burial grounds of the Buganda Kings accredited by UNESCO world Heritage site. They are located just outside Kampala and reaching there is only an hour’s drive from the city. According to the Baganda, it is also considered a spiritual site and center for the kingdom. The recorded former kings of Buganda buried here are four (successive) and they are are the following;
Muteesa I (1835-1884)
Mwanga II (1867- 1903)
Daudi Chwa (1896-1939)
Sir Edward Mutesa II (1924-1969)
Sadly, the tombs burned in 2010 but are being restored by a campaign led by Buganda’s Prime Minister Mayiga named “Etoffali”.
9. Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru
This site is overwhelmingly spectacular. It houses an many caves, waterfalls and a hot spring. Amabere ga nyinamwiru is located 10 km from Fort Portal in Kabarole district in western Uganda. The site is best described and admired for its rare display of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites in form of breasts which release milky substances almost every after 25 seconds.
Mystery surrounds history relating to this amazing site. Under the Tooro Kingdom culture, it is believed that Nyamwiru, a princess of Toro and Bunyoro Kingdoms never wanted to marry the man her father had wanted her to marry. When she refused, her breasts were cut off as a punishment for the disrespect of her father. There is also a contradicting version which says that she boldly cut off the breasts herself in protest against her father’s wish. Either way as it happened, her breasts turned into rocks dripping with milk and hence the formation of the site
10. Bulange building
This is the traditional seat of the Buganda Parliament standing on the south side of Natete road. It is one of the most impressive colonial era building in Uganda.
Bulange is one of the most significant buildings found in the palace (Lubiri). It hosts the Kingdom`s administration and its Parliament where the Kabaka meets members of the Buganda Lukiiko (Buganda Parliament). Before Bulange building was constructed, members of the Lukiiko used to sit under trees on grass but later, they decided to build the Lukiiko sit which was grass thatched. Later, Sir Apollo Kaggwa who was the then Prime Minister decided to build a new Bulange with bricks. He gave the contract to an Indian Alidina Visram and work was started in 1902 (although other sources say work begun in 1885).
Now you have plot. Next time you are looking for a destination you know where to go.
The Team Code Gurus from Uganda will amaze you. These incredible ladies; Nanyombi Margaret Pearl, Ndagire Esther, Nairuba Pauline, and Namanda Kaweesi Jackeline all from the College of Information Computer Technology at Makerere University have developed an app that tests for Bacterial Vaginosis using both hardware and software. The hardware connects to the software using Bluetooth to tell whether women have healthy vaginal bacteria as explained in the Her Health BV video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHfPrieDwH0 Normally, there are a lot of “good” bacteria and some “bad” bacteria in the vagina. The good types help control the growth of the bad types. In women with bacterial vaginosis, the balance is upset. There are not enough good bacteria and too many bad bacteria. Usually, a mild problem may go away on its own in a few days. However, it can lead to more serious problems if untreated. Problems such as cause cervical cancer, Pelvic inflammatory disease, and if BV isn’t treated can lead to miscarriages in pregnant women. Work on the BVapp started in January 2015, with research from doctors in various hospitals such as Nsambya hospital and Mayo clinic. The doctors were helpful but carrying our research on BV presented a challenge they had not anticipated. “this was one of the hardest stages. Collecting information on BV as not many women are ready to disclose that they have BV.” Says Maggie. Pauline sights their close friendship as their biggest pillar. ‘Giving up would be letting everybody down, she says. That keeps them focused and determined to achieve their joint dream of reducing the prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis and further ailments that result from untreated BV. Their initial inspiration to take on this project came in form of a Bacterial Vaginosis self-test strip that comes with a particular brand of sanitary towels (Shuya pads). They developed a desire to find an easier way, a quicker way through which women of all ages could test themselves for bacterial vaginosis. Unlike many other 22-year-olds, they live their lives with passion, determination, and desire to achieve this dream. A dream, once achieved will change the lives of many Ugandan women. The application that is now available in the Windows store functions with both software and hardware and can be used in these four easy steps STEP 1 Collect a urine sample or vaginal fluid in a cup STEP 2 Put the adrenal stick in the sample STEP 3 Wait 3 seconds to view your results. STEP 4 If the values are between 4.5 and 7, you are healthy and the app goes on to show you how to stay healthy. If the results fall are between 4.7 and above 7.0, you are not so healthy and ways on how to boost health are given. If it is 7.5, the app shows you have bacterial vaginosis. The app provides information on how to get healthy and to find a doctor showing the locations of doctors in that vicinity. ph sensor As with any change tool, the girls have faced a number of challenges the biggest being shortage of financing to acquire the hardware used to operate this app. Once the issue of financing has been addressed, they hope to make this BV app available to every woman in Uganda through clinics, health centers and NGOs ready to help them increase the reach of this app to women all over the country.
Meet the passionate poet Laura Byaruhanga, she loves poetry so much that she treated guests on her wedding day to awesome poetry. she is the brain behind Open mic Uganda. Open Mic performances will blow you away. Open Mic is a platform that promotes the spoken word in Uganda. They hold monthly poetry night activities and school visits. We caught up with the passionate founder Laura Byaruhanga who shared with us her experience
Who is Laura Byaruhanga?
Laura Byaruhanga Businge is a Christian. She is a writer, producer, voice artist and radio personality. She is a creative mind, a lover of the arts, and a wife. It’s hard to describe her so in a nutshell, she is Laura!
Why Open Mic Uganda?
I chose to be a part of Open Mic Uganda because it was a challenge in the arts scene in Kampala, and I enjoy challenges, especially because there were no regular poetry nights at the time we begun. It’s fun working with a team of passionate young people. In spite of the challenges, we have pushed through with our dream.
What is this spoken word that you and your youthful friends have been so much passionate about?
Well, spoken word is basically self-expression to entertain, educate or inspire an audience. It is primarily through poetry performances. A few of us watched a lot of Def Poetry Jam and thought abbot trying it out. We thought it would be a cool way to move an audience, and so the organizers are mostly poetry performers, and were to begin with. Most of the poetry performances in Kampala, which were seldom held, were theatrical in nature, so we decided to try out something new like we had seen in the videos we had, and a movement was born
One of Open Mic’s Finest poets
You have been so passionate about poetry to the extent that you treated the guests at your wedding reception at Serena with bouts of spoken word. Where did all this begin from?
Lol! Well, you could look at it in different ways. I needed entertainment at my wedding, so being a producer of a company that deals in entertainment, I already had a pool of talent in my grasp! Hahaha! But the real reason? I knew that if I got married, I wanted entertainment that would keep the audience glued, remember it possibly forever, and make everyone have a good time! So poetry performances were the perfect thing to have! Please note I would have probably had a huge poetry production, but my husband knew I would take it too far, and pushed against it. But the live performances, both music and poetry, were phenomenal!
Where did you get this love for poetry and spoken word?
I think it’s a combination of reasons. Even though I don’t like being to be center of attention, I really enjoy public speaking, acting and performing. I love written poetry, I love word play and I love attending shows. I first fell in love with poetry from a young age, and I believe that a combination of these passions and talents gave birth to my love for poetry, spoken word and poetry performance!
Has your family been supportive in your pursuit and love for this not so common spoken word?
Hmm. At first my parents thought it was okay, they have always supported my passions. But at the time I used to perform at poetry recitals at the National Theatre under the Lantern Meet of Poets, I was about to finish university and was unemployed. They thought I was wasting my time and told me to stop wasting time with poetry! Then Open Mic Uganda happened, and I was constantly lectured especially for going home late. I was severely told to leave the platform and anything poetry related which got worse when I finished my contract and was jobless again! It was hard but after I explained to them a million times and they saw my resilience in staying in the movement, they softened. I think it helped when they saw several articles of us in the New Vision and Daily Monitor newspapers!
What are your biggest accomplishments ever since you launched this spoken word platform?
As Open Mic Uganda? We have sold maybe hundreds of our Open Mic Uganda merchandise such as T-shirts, wrist bands and bookmarks thus publicizing ourselves. We have a vibrant social media presence, especially on Facebook and Twitter. We have had I believe just over a hundred shows in and around Kampala. We have had performers on our platform go all over the country and across the borders exporting the talent that was nurtured on our stage. We have worked with organizations of all types dealing in humanitarian issues discussing their issues through spoken word. We have been spoken about on broadcast and print media that has been key in the growth of our movement. A lot of our management team have used the skills they have gained with us in their careers such as presenting on radio and public speaking. But most importantly, we have been the pioneers of a movement that we are working hard at passing down to the generations!
You are a producer at Open mic Uganda, how do you get to pull off these hectic monthly shows?
I can honestly not take the credit, I work with an amazing and vibrant team! Every production is due to a team effort! Also the support of the Uganda Museum where we hold the shows, and of course the poets, musicians we show case, and audience make it all happen!
What was interesting about the “Fusion360”?
Fusion 360 is the monthly show we hold at the museum. It is interesting because from Fusion 360, we have been able to gage what the audience wants, the local talent we are dealing with, how to come up with a production and work on our marketing and publicity.
Any experiences that have touched you while promoting the spoken word?
Yes, the hunger for talent grooming and mentoring. Whether at Fusion 360 or at schools, many writers and performers have come to us for advice on how to improve their performances or writing. It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly!
Also at the close of each and every show, we have had performers thanking us for giving them the opportunity to share their talent with the world! It always touches me and reminds me why we do what we do!
As a lady, how do you manage to keep on persevering to promote this idea even amidst challenges?
Well, the world knows that women are the backbone to many successful ventures in history. This may be because of our ability to multi-task, not break under pressure and care for those around us. So no matter what storm hits us, as a person and as a woman, I know that we can handle it. I won’t lie, I cry many tears that are unseen to those I work with and those we struggle for, but in those tears I find a strength that endures the winds and the pressure trying to knock us down.
What has been your best memorable touching spoken word show or tour ever since you started and why?
I honestly can’t pick, they were all touching at some point in their own ways! But the ones that stand out are when we held a show with Abavubuka Foundation at Open House, the very first Open Mic Night Kampala show at Sabriinas, the first show we held at Gayaza High School, the first Fusion 360 show we held at the Uganda Museum, the last Fusion 360 show we held supported by Take One Entertainment, when we performed at the Bayimba Festival in 2012 and Engero at the Ugandan Museum.
Well, it seems you are here to stay! Where do you see Open Mic Uganda ten years from now?
Ten years later, I see us in our offices with enough room to hold shows and rehearsal space. I see us exporting our poets around Africa. I see the management team being able to earn salaries on a monthly basis, and our poets getting paid handsomely for each of their performances. I see us performing at state functions and still supporting underground artists. I see us, the current members of the management team being mentors to those in the spoken word movement in Uganda and East Africa.
Start-ups take great courage and commitment. What are some of the challenges you have faced so far?
The challenges are very many! Consistency in passion of each team member has proven to be our hardest challenge! Lack of finances is probably our second biggest challenge. Also most of our target audience is still biased against poetry as a form of entertainment. And support of the government and arts community is greatly lacking!
Any worst moments or regrets?
Definitely. Trusting some organizations who wanted to selfishly benefit from us caused us to get into a lot of trouble and stress. But we were able to learn from this difficult experience and come out of it better and wiser than before.
Are you planning to promote and produce spoken word for the rest of your life or time will come and say “Yeah i have played my part”?
I think a time will come when I will note that I have played my part and step off the playing field for others. This movement is bigger than the individual; it is something we want to touch the generations to come even long after we are long gone. Also, there are other passions in my life that I want to dedicate my life to, so as much as I will dedicate a large part of my life in this commitment, I will walk away from actively producing the shows at some point. But I hope to always be a mentor in this, even in my old age!!!
Lets talk about the activities you do. From school outreaches to monthly poetry nights (which are awesome by the way), what made you adopt this strategy?
Hmm. Well, like I said it was a team effort! The purpose of the school trips was to first of all show the generation after us what poetry performance is all about. Then encourage them to try it out and start it as a school activity.
Monthly poetry nights are our first, most consistent and best way of achieving our vision! We actually started this and then decided to come up with all the other activities to support the success of our poetry nights. It is our most successful activity!
Have you received any rewards or skills or lessons from being associated with this platform?
Rewards? No yet! Skills? Definitely! Organizing events, human resource management, problem solving skills and creatively engaging a consistent audience to mention a few. Lessons? There are many but the one that stands out is to never give up your dream, even when against all the odds. Also, keep praying! When I pray, I mention Open Mic Uganda often because it is very close to my heart and I believe God wanted it to be a part of my destiny!
Am sure this started as a passion for poetry. But now that you’re getting recognition, does it still remain driven by passion?
Yes! It is! There are challenges like I mentioned earlier with consistency in passion. But in spite of the challenges, even when our problem of the presence of finances is solved (and I am sure it will be), it will still be driven by passion! We deal with poets, a category of some of the most passionate people on the planet! So I guarantee passion is key!
Behind your inspirational leadership and the name of your organisation, there are other people who help you be who you are or have helped you. Do you mind mentioning at least some of them? How big is your team?
The team was vast, but membership numbers have dwindled. However, key to mention are Ernest Dennis Sesanga who is a director, has been there from the very beginning and has been responsible for the Marketing department. Murray Shiraz sat in the very first Open Mic Night Kampala meeting and has dedicated every bit of his passion in this movement. Mark Gordon Musinguzi was the founder of Open Mic Night Kampala, and some of the members from this thus formed Open Mic Uganda. Winnie Apio, one of our most talented poets has been acting as the administrator and manger of the team. Maritza Byoga was the P.R.O and MC of our shows as was Patrick Maasa Birabi who doubled as our Graphics Designer for most of the posters of our shows and branded material. Steve Gumiriza has been key in dealing with stage management, and Tasha Emily for the welfare of our audience during our shows. Also key members in the past to note are Don Arinaitwe, Hellington Musoke, Susan Tusabe, Priscilla (Chef Illaxino) and Deexon Muhizi.
Then outside OMU, which partners have been helpful to you in your spoken word poetry shows?
We have been largely supported by Milege, they have been incredible and we are forever indebted to their assistance with sound equipment during the shows, sometimes availing the Milege Afro Jazz Band! We are also grateful to Take One Entertainment for graduating us to a level we only dreamed of at the time! Bonfire Uganda has helped us with sound equipment at our first Fusion 360 shows, as well as in providing performers. We are eternally grateful to The Lantern Meet of Poets for providing us with incredible talent and poets over the years. Also important to note are One Question Network, Brand 360, Writivism/CACE and others. Also, we are thankful to media houses like The New Vision, The Daily Monitor, NTV and others for covering many of our shows, we are honored!
Let’s talk about personal inspiration. Which people inspire you in everything you do?
I honestly never know how to answer this question; I am inspired by many people in different areas in my life! But key is Jesus, He has never let me down and constantly sustains me and uplifts me to greater heights!
Apart from God, I am inspired by my husband who has been there through EVERYTHING! He pushes me on when I feel like everything is a mess, when I want to throw the towel in. My parents and their love always never ceases to amaze me. Nargis Shirazi, my friend and sister from another mother truly amazes me with the fight to achieve her own dreams, some which are similar to mine in nature. My siblings and their individual strengths. And the entire Open Mic Uganda team that works tirelessly to support the dreams of many poets, and upcoming poets and performers.
If you had a chance to meet Russell Simmons (Def Jam), what would you tell him?
First I would jump up and down in disbelief! Then I will make him scribble his autograph like a million times! Then I will thank him graciously for coming up with his dream of spoken word because it has set fire to maybe hundreds or even thousands of minds to express themselves through their words and thoughts. He is responsible for many people finding their confidence to step on a stage and open their hearts and minds with others. I would tell him this and more.
If you also had a chance to meet policy makers in the Ugandan government for example the president or parliament, what would you tell them?
I think I would lecture them for undermining the performing arts in this country, especially His Excellency! Then I would ask them to find a way to ensure the performing arts are supported by the government. I will probably have a proposal strategy in hand and will do my best to blow their minds! I don’t know if it would work, but I would do my best!
At the end of the day, they say judge a person by the works of his or her hands. How do you want to be remembered?
Well, as concerns Open Mic Uganda and the spoken word movement in Uganda, I would hope to be remembered as a person who inspired others to follow their dreams, those who follow us to work tirelessly at progressing the spoken word movement in Uganda, and someone who pushed on against all odds!
This Is Uganda wants to tell the world that Uganda is not about Idi Amin or Kony but about beautiful people like you making a difference. Imagine if a white is reading this interview and they are touched, where can they contribute to your cause?
Well, if by a white, you mean someone who has the ability to contribute to our dream financially and is willing to do so, I would tell them to meet up with us and see how best to contribute. It could be with a grant, via sponsorship, or in any other way! They could reach us on our Facebook group or page on Open Mic Uganda, or our Twitter handle @OpenMicUganda, on email openmicuganda@gmail.com, or our blog openmicuganda.blogspot.com.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be like you?
Love God with your all, be true to yourself, and work at helping others to the best of your ability.This is the policy I try to live by, and it seems to be working!
Any remarks you want you to make to appeal to the people?
Poetry is the essence of art! It is the backbone of music, the body of visual art, the motion in the tempo of the dance. Embrace it!
“Everyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad” so goes the old adage. Parents are a pillar in a child’s life. Some say that the father is the head of the family but the mother is the heart of the family.
Countless stories have been told about single mothers, but in Uganda, the phenomenon of single fathers is slowly creeping in.
What happens when she walks out on you and leaves the kids behind? Or when the unexpected happens and she passes on? The father must stick his neck out, take charge and be a real dad.
This fathers’ day we spoke to two single fathers that are doing a great job raising their children on their own.
Meet Wence Kamugisha, a 39-year-old single father of two, Jeremiah who is Seven, and Maria four. Three years after a glamorous wedding, the two got misunderstandings that could not be resolved, they took separate ways, and they agreed that he takes care of the two children. During this time, Wence a database administrator at Centenary bank fell sick with rare trigeminal neuralgia and only recently got surgery in India.
“When I was in India, Maria fell sick because she was missing me. But I made sure that I call them every day to find out how they are doing” he said.
He is back on his feet but even through the excruciating pain, he did not let go of his babies, and his neighbors accuse him of spoiling his children.
“They are mine, if I don’t spoil them who will? but I would like them to stay connected to their mother as much as possible. So during the holidays, they go to see their mother. I don’t want our differences to get in the way of their growth. ”
We also spoke to Moses Abiine a 33-year-old single dad. His wife Diana passed away in 2011, for 4 years now, he has taken care of their kids.
“The last-born was 1 year and eight months when my wife died. I knew from that day that my children were my responsibility. I have always loved children; I don’t want to see children suffer whether they are mine or not. People encouraged me to take my children to the village to their grandmother but I wanted to keep my family together. If I take my kids to the village, I would be disconnected from them. I dropped out of school when I was young. There was no school fees for me; I want my kids to have a brighter future. This is my ivory, My kids are my responsibility. No one will take my kids away from me whether I have a maid or not. My kid’s miss their mother yes, but they are comforted by the fact that I care about them.”
“When I was working as a driver at USAID LEAD, life was good. But when the project phased out, I told them that life wasn’t going to remain the same. I opened up to them to live within their means.”
“My challenges as a single father are very many, I worry about my children a lot, I am always thinking about my kids. About school fees, being a driver, most of the time, I am not at home, I worry about my kids’ hygiene, whether they have gone to school, then I also have issues with maids. I worry about their clothes whether they still fit, and their medication especially when I am in the field. My children are insured over the years, the maids have stabilized and I requested my organization to ensure my maid as well. I make sure I pay her well and that the children respect her.”
“I would also love to spend quality time with my children, but work limits me yet the little time we have with them is to make sure that they are working. They now think I am very tough- they know that cleaning the compound is their responsibility. I need to learn daily how to discipline them without creating a rift between them.”
“Right now I work at International Sweet Potato as a company driver. At work they will not give you special care because you are a single father. I have built a house for my kids, I rear goats and now I have 5 cows. This has taught me to be more responsible and to work harder. By the time I stop being employed, I should be able to be self-employed. I am working towards seeing that I can earn at least 500,000 from my farm every month.”
“My kids must know that I love them; I want them to be people of confidence that will change the world that they live in.”
“My advice to all fathers is that they should aim at a good life for their children all kids are the same. And this is not about the money they must be present in the lives of their children all the time. Right now, my daughter knows that she has to keep herself pure until she is through with school. I give her these life skills, sex education. I make it a point to live an exemplary life for my children. Help them do homework. You must sow in these kids’ lives then you will yield at the end. They will be children that change this country, not to drink, And when faced with life’s challenges. We have a choice to make, but men should not turn to alcohol to drown their issues but face the giants. It is not easy but the fruit is worth it.
Today, we celebrate all the awesome dads out there, the dads whose kids call inspiration, the dads who don’t leave it all upon their wives, the dads who never give up through thick and thin, the same dads that never adopted for abortion when the world said it was to early. In a special way, we celebrate the single fathers, you are the rock upon which this country is slowly being built.
he was in the middle of an Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp, risking his life to burn charcoal to raise his school fees, mending shoes of his schoolmates in high school, Victor Ochen had no idea that his name would one day appear on the list of the Nobel Peace Prize nominees.
Abia village, Abletong district in Northern Uganda is where he was born in 1981. For many years of his life he didn’t see peace. Idi Amin, Obote 11 Alice Lakwena and her Holy Spirit movement, the NRA and LRA rebels. War was the life he knew.
Hopelessness lingered, security was an illusion, and clothing, medication and other basic needs were a luxury. At the heart of conflict most of his friends joined armed forces. He refused to join because “I wanted a more peaceful way of solving conflict. I told my mother that I don’t appreciate guns and that I shall never join armed forces no matter how many guns were exchanging hands.” guns were everywhere, those that were not abducted by the rebels or recruited by the Uganda Peoples defense forces, joined auxiliary forces- home guards. “My friends were abducted so was my own brother Geoffrey Omara who was 26 when he was taken and we have never heard about him since.” He confesses to have become angry and bitterness clogged his life, war had hardened his heart but real healing began when he started helping the former war victims.
I was curious to know why Victor Ochen and not those guys that sat at the round table for the Juba peace talks were not nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.“The nomination surprised me” but the American friends service committee that was tracking his work since 2009 nominated him. This is the same committee that nominated Desmond Tutu, and Martin Luther King Junior, President Jimmy Carter who are all Nobel peace prizewinners. That in itself was a vote of confidence. When he read the ten-page recommendation that they had made of his work, he was amazed and yet all this time he had no clue that this committee had sent two people to Northern Uganda to scout his work.
What Victor did out of sheer compassion added him to this prestigious list. As a teenager in Abia camp that was home of over 40,000 people, he formed a peace club with his peers in the camp. This initiative angered the elders “Why are you talking about peace that you have never seen?” He was enterprising; he risked his life to burn charcoal to raise his school fees. Then later he joined secondary school and could barely afford time to do his charcoal business so he became a cobbler, he used to repair shoes of kids at school. One day he landed a big job of mending the shoes of the school football team, unfortunately that money was stolen. His hard work and favor from the teachers saw him through high school.
Victor’s heart was home even when he worked with straight talk foundation in Kampala, interacting with the people in the field made him realize that the people of northern Uganda wanted more than hand outs but wanted and deserved more. That is when he left his job and started the African youth initiative Network. This initiative mobilizes communities especially the youth to pursue peace and human rights, reconciliation. They offer psychosocial support to the former victims of conflict, most of who suffer severe emotional pain and struggle with forgiveness, they have also supported over 5000 people with reconstructive surgeries especially the women whose lips were cut off, the initiative also supports income generating activities, have formed 100 peace clubs in schools and universities in northern Uganda and over 6000 young people have gone through the peace building and transitional justice programme.
When all is falling apart and giving up is an option, “VictoryStories like that of Michael keep me going when everything is working against me.” he remembers Michael a survivor of an ambush that left 22 people dead. Although Michael had not been abducted, he was badly wounded and his parents were only waiting for Michael’s turn to die. For what its worth, they had abandoned him to stay in a hut away from their main hut. That is when the AYINET team was visiting that Victor met Michael. He was stinking because his wounds were rotting yet his parents didn’t have any money to take him to a hospital. “I had seen a lot of cases but Michael’s case kept me awake, I took him to Lacor hospital, but buses didn’t want to take us because the stench was too much” The doctors worked hard and Michael began to recover. Several weeks down the road, Victor made a phone call to Michaels’ father. In turn, the father called the elders to prepare for Michael’s funeral. When his father got to Lacor hospital, Michael was playing with other kids in the hospital compound. “The man cried out aloud”
About forgiveness, justice, and reconciliation, he believes that before the government declares that they have forgiven anyone, the victims should have a say because they know what exactly they felt. Victor thinks that the Kony 2012 video was a blatant lie that offended the people of northern Uganda as it was glorifying war.
Victor Ochen With UN Sec General Ban Kimoon at NATO JHQ Lisbon/Portugal in 2010
Raymond Besiga, a technologist, software engineer, an entrepreneur, a Global health corps alumnus is an agent of social change who is passionate about using technology for social justice and development. He is the founder of Akabbo Crowdfunding, whose goal is to reduce payment friction and create a forum for open rallying of campaigns. Akabbo has had plenty of success in the past with the Uganda Arts Trust which raised over Ushs1,000,000 in 3 weeks and plenty more open campaigns that are still running. He also-co founded Sparkplug. Besiga encourages the building of ideas, skills and self-development as the future depends on the youth of a nation and social change starts within an individual and in turn spreads to the whole universe and effect social change. He envisions a sharing economy that would largely depend on utilizing strength in numbers in the absence of strength in monetary form. This would in turn lead to a shift in culture which overtime has become a more selfish and less passionate culture with the passing years. As a technologist, he feels the use of technology in Uganda is not nearly optimum and is not localized enough as most of the technology used is imported and may not necessarily fit our needs. He therefore sights a need for locally developed technology and development of skills that would be able to accomplish this. This can be done by developing individual ideas which eventually develop into something substantial for example he is currently developing an app that identifies Wi-Fi hotspots in Kampala.
He is a resilient spirit who believes that human beings are on the cusp of something ‘Giving up is too easy’ and in order to achieve all that is intended, public opinions shouldn’t be given as much power and everyone should bask in their freedom to freely express themselves as desired without having the need to impress anybody so as to get content across. Everybody ought to express their true potential which often gets lost in trivialities like appearance and impressions.
He cites lack of integrity as the biggest challenge faced in running business and trying to get it off the ground. And values of people that are so public oriented instead of focusing on their inner formation and the need for the service they can provide and their skill. Besiga urges Ugandan netizens to refrain from falling into the wagon of cyber bullying and shaming, but rather use all platforms of social media for personal and social development, scout new and fresh opportunities for self-promotion and for the betterment and to extend the reach of their services and skills, step out of their comfort zones so they can push themselves to do great.
On whether donor money can make a difference in Uganda, he believes that in as much as it would make a difference, we are plagued by corruption that indirectly affects the rural people that are in dire need of any help they can get.
On the increasing doubts and discontentment of the Ugandan education system, he too believes the system is massively flawed and in turn produces less efficient graduates.This therefore calls for a change in the education system and in the way we learn. What would make anybody stand out in this era is long term thinking and the abandonment of pride. Not to despise humble beginnings and being altruistic in our daily endeavors. It goes a long way. ‘do not let school get in the way of education.
So I decide to just go on the rooftop of the office building around 8pm just before I head home. I take these pictures of Kamwokya a Kampala suburb – the ‘ghetto’
It is not who they say you are, its who you define yourself to be. Shine, shine, shine even when they say you can’t. 🙂
EDWIN Ruyonga is a man on a mission. Unarguably, he has redefined hip-hop in Uganda. He is known for his trademark beats, and great voice. He describes himself as a son, a brother, husband, father, friend, rapper and above all a Christian. In this day and age, where liberalism of the mind has taken centre stage and morals have been thrown to the kerb, his music is a tool to encourage the young people of Uganda to defy the culture of permissiveness and promiscuity to do the right thing.
His message is to tell people that it is a cool thing to have good morals and to have options, ‘sorry, we’re monogamous over here mami’ is a line from one of his songs. The young people are busy trying to fit into the party but he believes that just because everybody is doing it doesn’t mean it is right. Life presents options to people to stand out and be true to themselves, to do the right thing. He is a firm believer that everybody needs to allow themselves the space to be upright and to do something not because it is popular and everybody is doing it, but because it is the right thing to do.
His unfeigned reverence for the Lord drives him through the day-to-day struggles that arise from being a hip-hop artiste. ‘There is no secret around it. God has created space for me to keep doing music. I work hard, I believe I’m good at it, I’m passionate and God keeps me going’
The demand to fit into the hip-hop lifestyle is a battle he challenges everyday. He has to deliberately remain watchful of the things around him, make daily choices to stay on a clear path and focus on the mission.
Undeniably, the hip-hop environment is wild; it is about sex, money, smoking, alcohol, permissiveness, and extremely high adrenaline. The choice to remain sober is harder than he ever imagined but he has had to separate himself, confront his past and dare everyday to be true to himself and God to live the notion that; ‘The popular way of doing things isn’t always the best way’.
The lofty looks and pointing fingers of his fellow Christians have not spared him either. That is another battle. Many times he is criticized for performing on secular platforms. But he is convinced that he is sent to minister to human beings not to Angels. Music is universal and if his message has to be heard, it should not be limited to a certain audience. Here are some of the Lyrics of a song he did in collaboration with with Kahiri to settle the dust.
‘Sometimes I just gotta come through and see my buddies
You know, the ones that got me through all of them bad days
But I no longer sip the brew or smoke the zales
Some of the peeps in my old crew look at me side ways
See that liquor we would sip by the litre
We used to burn them blunt sticks by the metre
But I’m not alone.. nimanya nti tindiiinyenka
We all gotta grow up sometime wankyenga?
So now I go to church on Sunday, work on Monday
Home bills piling gotta work them off some way
My mama raised me Christian so I can’t resort to gunplay
Growing old is a given, growing up is a choice
You can roll with the grown men or stay stuck with the boys’
mwana wange by ruyonga and kahiri
‘That is how I’m encouraging change in my society, Fighting for that space for someone to be a virgin until they get married, to drink a soda or water when everyone else is drinking a beer, there is no reason why you can’t live healthy, be civil, be monogamous and it is okay. No one should kill you for that.’ we all want to be the same and yet God created for us to be different. He is a creative God. So we all shouldn’t try to be the same.
In the presence of so much to believe in, so many doctrines in the Christian faith that bring mental chaos, he is a strong believer in the friendship between God and Man. He has chosen relationship with God rather than religion ‘God is not the author of confusion.’
Definitely Ruyonga is one of the best rappers we have in Uganda right now and he urges the dreamers and upcoming rappers to believe in their dream, and most importantly to “seek the kingdom of God and everything else will fall in place.”
‘Massive shout out to everyone reading this, to my fans, my mother, my wife Sheila and baby Michelle, to my family, and to all the people that aspire to be different, who are fighting for it to be okay to be different, people who are faithful to God, those people change the world”
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he was in the middle of an Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp, risking his life to burn charcoal to raise his school fees, mending shoes of his schoolmates in high school, Victor Ochen had no idea that his name would one day appear on the list of the Nobel Peace Prize nominees.
