A few months ago I pledged to write a blog post detailing some of the stories that impacted me most while I was in Uganda. As usual things have been busy and I've also been trying to get my mind around which stories to tell and how to tell them. below are a collection of people who shocked me with their tenacity and inspired me with their courage and conviction.
This is only a sample of the people who I met and interacted with. I also had many friends who chose to reveal very little about their personal lives. One said to me once "Yes Kirsten, we all have stories, but we keep them to ourselves"
In Uganda it's common to see newspapers with large headlines posted to trees and other inanimate objects. One day on my way into work I saw a newspaper with the headline "Musevini Proposes the Death Penalty for Rape." Being vehemently opposed to the death penalties I was furious and felt justified enough that when I got to my office I expressed my dismay to one of my colleagues. She responded that she didn't really care about criminals and when I asked why it turned out that her father had been murdered and the justice system had done little to bring her fathers' killer to justice. She said that with her father gone that she found it difficult to see the value in protecting anyone else's life.
In Nebbi, which is in the West Nile region of Uganda (far North West), I interviewed a woman who was the principal teacher at a nursery school who had been elected as the chair person of her cooperative. She said that her husband had found it difficult to accept her role as a principal teacher but that when she was elected as chairperson that he abandoned she and her children because he felt she no longer had time for him.After giving her an ultimatum to quit her responsibilities in the cooperative, he abandoned she and her children. She continued to work for her community and her children.
In Bweyale, I met a woman who left her husband after she lost four consecutive babies because she believed he was cursed. She later returned to him after discovering the children had died from measles and diarrhea, conditions which are easily contracted by living in close quarters such as those found in camps for internally displaced persons. She eventually had two children. In Uganda, the average household has seven children.
In Arua, also in the West Nile region of Uganda I spoke with a man who was a self-proclaimed feminist. He believed that because God made women the companions of man that men should treat women well so that they could work beside one another. Given the typical relationships between husbands and wives, this position was really quite progressive.
My regular boda boda driver in Kampala, Kevin, was 24 and left school after his parents died so that he could make sure that his younger siblings could finish their educations. His goal was to return and finish highschool.
My friend David grew up in Eastern Uganda. The only child of his father and mother he had several half-siblings from each parent. As a young adult his father chose to pay for his education in Kampala but insisted that he study finance rather than his true love, art. David continued to struggle through his courses to maintain the approval of his father.
I also had the great fortune of working with a Peace Activist Rose Othieno. Rose is the Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution (or CECORE), which helps to mediate conflicts at the local, regional and national level, produces research papers and offers training on conflict transformation. Rose left a government position in 2003 and help to found CECORE in response to the ongoing conflict in Northern Uganda. Her work has been internationally recognized and she is a fantastic resource to the country. I couldn't have been luckier than to have the opportunity to work with her.
Finally, I also had a friend whom I knew as a Ugandan and saw on a regular basis. He often seemed tired but otherwise seemed well adjusted. One day he surprised me by disclosing that he was actually Congolese. He had been kidnapped by a rebel group in North Eastern Congo and forced to work for them as a porter. When the rebels attacked he lost most of his immediate family. He was granted refugee status after crossing the Ugandan border. His hope was to find work or be resettled to a country like Canada.
I still worry about the political situation in Uganda. The government continues to pursue legislation to ban homosexuality, the environment continues to degenerate as the population grows and there is little hope for a truly democratic government.
I also often think of the rural areas and slums where I visited where there is very little access to basic needs such as clean water, electricity or adequate food. At times it makes one wonder how much undiscovered potential lies just out of reach.
I am however, encouraged by the people who I met who are pursuing their dreams or working towards a better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. I hope every day that efforts in Ugandan and around the world will contribute to a more just and equitable global society.
I think of the places and friends I left behind often, and hope that they think of me too
