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”
You know that rolex guy near home or in town? Well, he no longer has to suffer with KCCA taking his stove or use a candle when the sky goes dark and the moon is in fade. With Musana Carts, a solar street vending revolution has been kick started.
Musana Carts is an innovation by Natalie Bitature, 26, Manon Lavaud, 24, and Keisuke ‘Kei’ Kubota, 29, all students of Hult International Business School in San Francisco. They came up with the innovation using Uganda as a case study as they entered the annual Hultz prize competition, which has a US 1 million dollar top prize. The Hult prize is meant to force students into thinking out of the box by coming up with ideas that impact society, and also by changing the way many entrepreneurs tackle business today.
Musana translates to ‘Sun’ in Luganda. Musana Carts is a two-wheeled cart with a solar panel roof, permitting the mobile vendors to cook and refrigerate their products as they go about their work. Through providing clean energy, and saving cooking time, the innovation is set to double the income of many street vendors and will also create about 300 jobs. ” In one year alone, Musana Carts will save 3000 tonnes of carbon emissions and reduce the thousands annual smoke related deaths in Uganda.”- talk about environment conservation.
Musana Carts is designed to help and make the workload of street vendors easier so as to produce clean quality induced goods and services, particularly your average ‘rolex’ guy. Tackling the major constraint of poor access to energy infrastructure which leads to low profitability which is then compounded by operating illegally within the system, Musana Carts is built to help street vendors maneuver through it all.
“In 2015 The Virgin Group published a study declaring Uganda as the most entrepreneurial country in the world, yet 95% of our population lives on less than $5 a day. We need to double this income to pull ourselves and our comrades out of poverty. Uganda also has one of the fastest growing populations in the world, meeting the food demand is a real challenge for our generation. In the crowded urban space of Kampala many people get their meals from street vendors,” they explained.
Furthermore, to ease vending with Musana Carts, the Musana Carts team is in partnership with Kampala City Council Authority [KCCA] hence each Musana Carts vendor will be awarded a Musana Carts license which will allow the vendor (s) to operate freely within the designated zones of the busy urban area.
More so, the Bitature and her team realised that very few vendors might have the capacity to pay for the carts upfront so, they partnered with Fenix International which will provide each cart with a solar system and loan management program to vendors so they can buy a cart in small installments owning it within a year.
Courtesy Photo
They are also working with Design without Borders, a company creating sustainable solutions to improve living conditions and livelihoods in Uganda, Briketi Stoves, a company making stoves [GBE Briketi Eco-Stoves ] that are specifically designed to reduce the quantity of charcoal or briquettes needed to cook a meal hence reducing the number of harmful gases released into the environment, and PEDN a Ugandan education NGO offering training to equip the vendors with financial literacy and business skills.
With Musana Carts, Uganda’s street vendors now have a chance to lead a fulfilling life, saved from being chased by KCCA and also providing their customers with clean goods, and services as well as conserving the environment through the use of clean energy.
When we were colonized, a lot of things happened. African natives wanted to get closer to the colonialists because that was the person that held the power and so many people had to let go of a lot of things that resembled their cultures. Many new lifestyles changed from the African nature (considered primitive) to the then ‘modern’ white-man’s lifestyle.
As a result, the culture of Uganda was reconstructed. The colonialists made Africans believe that what was from the west, was what was best for them thus promoting an element of inferiority complex amongst the natives.
No stone was left unturned; the dressing, language, food, and religion are evidence that the colonialists had a big influence on Ugandans. Whitening, toning, lightening, products are in every beauty shop you step into in Uganda. Many women bear the brunt of relaxing chemicals just to have long silky hair.
Yet not everyone can achieve that look and for long, and for some, it is a nightmare because the chemicals weaken the hair and it eventually starts falling off. But the beauticians had a plan, and then came the wig and the weave.
For what its worth, the weave is the most uncomfortable thing I have had on my head for two weeks. It is a common sight to see girls tapping their heads to relieve the itch that is silently killing them within.
Thus, it is safe to say that unquestionably, globalization, western culture, and colonialists that attempted to assimilate Africans into their own cultures have shaped Uganda’s identity- even up to today.
But in the past few years, Africans want to know more about their traditions and what they have; African fashion, music, dance, and drama is now trendy, it is being promoted t to meet modern times and become appealing to young people.
Being with natural hair is being true to you. Beauty comes from the heart and not what the world defines as beauty. Be comfortable and happy with whatever look you have when it comes to going purely natural.
While grappling with this topic, I asked women in office what their attitude towards natural hair was; those women are conservative, those women fear chemicals, these women hate modern things, they don’t care for their looks, they are broke and some want to look young, that’s why they keep natural hair.
However, there is a revolution of young gorgeous women who are dismantling these mental shackles and are causing a paradigm shift that they are sending a message to the rest of the country that natural beauty is the way to go.
Here are some of the awesome women that have armed for the revolution. They have refused to bow down to the pressures that long silky hair is what beautiful is they are the real definition of Ugandan Beauty. They are rekindling the pride of being African.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
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Ballooning
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Katereke 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.
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.
