Down the toes of Uganda, at the south-western part of the country lives a community of hunters, gatherers and honey harvesters. This is a community of warriors, people who, if you mess with them, can scare the life out of your skin by the mere look on their faces. They are forest people, unscathed by…
Day #16: Cerebral Palsy? What’s that?
One: My brother and I walk up the steps that lead to the entrance of our church. We get in and sit on a pew that has two people. When they see him and notice he’s not like any of them, they leave the seat and move somewhere else. No one else sits next to…
Day #15: Address to AU Leaders
I was walking along the middle path on the compound of the KCB Leadership Centre in Nairobi when I asked Bryce a question. “What’s the key lesson you’ve learnt from Lagos?” Bryce is a Cameroonian working in Lagos. “Lagos has taught me that life is a continuous struggle for survival,” he said. And I looked…
Day #14: These Five People
Apart from my immediate family, here are five people who inspire me. Teacher Cathy I’m 10 years old and in the final exam of my primary five, I score 09% in mathematics. I’m feeling low, so embarrassed. I’m feeling beaten by that subject. It’s like a monster that devours me every time. My mind registers…
Day #13: Blogging in Africa
The best way to keep a conversation going with a new person is by talking about the weather. It works perfectly. In Africa, we don’t follow the weather forecast that much, do we? If you are an African who pays attention to the weather forecast, raise your hand [in the comments section.] If you’re one…
Day #12: The Africa You Never Read About
You won’t find anything grand or revealing on my blog post today. Please, don’t shut the door in my face yet. Hear me out. Okay? Ok, my mind is off the pace. I feel numb. Maybe it’s got to do with how fickle life is. Or it’s because I’m nervous. I won’t tell you why…
Day #11: A Letter from Home
Dad, I saw a picture of you posing with a group of friends in front of the main gate of Makerere University. It definitely was taken in the 80’s, mid 80’s I think. Behind you stood the entrance to the best university in the land. How proud you must’ve made your parents! I was told…
Day #10: The Internet in Africa
I swear. I had no clue what to write today. I thought about today’s topic for most of yesterday. I rolled up my sleeves and thought of the best possible way of approaching this. My brain recorded a blank. I wanted to ask Google. My heart said no. So I slept off with no idea…
Day #9: The Class
An address to adolescents about the internet and blogging. Imagine this. The holidays are almost done and the next school term is one week away. You wish you had more weeks to stay home. You are a boarding student. You pick a notebook and a pen whose ink has sunk into its tip. You write…
Day #8: Technology (A curse or blessing)
Today’s topic for reasons I can’t yet piece together reminds me of a time when I was eight years old. I had just been promoted to primary three. That meant we’d have debates every Friday afternoon. I didn’t know what debates were. I couldn’t speak to a group of kids whose eyeballs were shooting at…