Happy Birthday, Rotary International!!

On February 23, many Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors all over the world will be celebrating the 108th year of the commitment of Service Above Self. I have already been invited to various events happening in Kampala and even international events, such as the one my friend has put together in honor of Rotary International.

When my friend, *Eileen, first approached me about sending pictures of service projects from Uganda, I was a bit skeptical and was a little confused, I'll admit. But, being the awesome and persistent young woman she is, she continued to send me Facebook invites to an international event for Rotary. I checked out the page and was totally inspired by what I saw. Eileen and some of her friends put together an album of 108 Random Acts of Kindness as way to way "Happy Birthday, Rotary International!" I couldn't resist sending in a few pictures of Rotaractors and Interactors in Uganda doming some pretty amazing things from medical outreaches to the rural islands in Lake Victoria, to planting trees near Entebbe, Uganda. Other Rotaractors sent in pictures of them donating blood, or plans for their club to have a big party on that day.

I haven't fully decided how I'm going to celebrate 108 years of Rotary International, but I do want to start off with giving my friend an opportunity to talk about this awesome project. She agreed to answer a few of my questions, and allow me to advertise her project on my blog. Here is my attempt at being a journalist:

Me: What does Rotary International mean to you?
Eileen: To me, Rotary is friendship through service, friendship without borders! Rotary makes my life worth something; it has made my life so colorful. I have met amazing people and have traveled to the most exotic places. I have given back to the community in ways I never imagined I could. Rotary has helped me acquire invaluable skills and shaped me into a leader of today and tomorrow.

Me: Awesome! Why did you choose to do this for Rotary's birthday?
Eileen: Rotary's birthday is always a pretty big deal in my family. Last year, my Rotaract Club and I threw a huge birthday party at our school and then made enough money to fund a whole orphanage with enough art and sport supplies for a year in Lima, Peru. I moved to DC and didn't know what to do. So then I was talking to my friends and we decided to rally up 108 people to donate blood. But then we figured, we should expand it to random acts of kindness. It's simple yet effective. Using social media, we can get everyone involved. It's also a great way to get a little peak at what different Rotarians/Rotaractors/Interactors are doing in their communities, at home or abroad!

Me: Love it!...you are amazing! I hope you know that
Eileen: Haha, OMG please! You are way cooler!
Me: LOL. No, seriously, this is an awesome project that you and your friends came up with. Rotarians and Rotaractors ask me all the time what people from the US do for projects, and this is just perfect! Also shows the importance of new generations!
Eileen: NEW GENNNN!!!

The excitement of my friend and other Rotaractos that I have crossed paths with shows just how important New Generations is to the Rotary Family. As Rotaractors and Interactors, we are here to  show the many different ways in which Rotary can expand and promote cultural understanding. Whether it's through service projects, Global Scholars/Ambassadorial Scholars, or partnering clubs. All of which inspire and grow the next generation of Rotarians and world leaders.

So with this post, I want to say... Happy 108th Birthday, Rotary International. You have changed so many people's lives for the better, and continue to do so for many more years to come.

*Eileen Cho is a member of the Rotaract Club of Metro Washington D.C. and a student at American University in Washington D.C. studying Public Health.

Confessions of an African American Mzungu: The Ugandan view on Afro American Culture

Happy Black History Month!

It's that time of the year when African Americans in Canada and the U.S. start to celebrate and remember the unique past of being an African American. I knew it was something mainly celebrated by Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. to an extent; however, many Ugandans don't know about it or they have a pretty interesting view of what it means. I have taken it upon myself to enlighten some Ugandans about the African American Culture because I've come to realize that they believe what they see in music videos and bad press.

First point: Our culture is not our religion
One Rotaractor asked me if I was fasting for this month. I was a bit confused by that statement at first (since he was trying to brag that he was eating lunch at the time), and I had to explain that it's quite a secular month that is meant to remember, celebrate, and even discuss important topics in the Afro American culture. I then realized that in Uganda, many people confuse Culture and Religion (my research is clarifying this point exactly!). I had to explain to some Ugandans that not all Black people are Christian or even Muslim. The United States is a diverse country with everything under the sun. This month is meant to pay tribute to all of those that we feel have made an advancement in American History and for African Americans (i.e. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Cornell West, Pauly Murray, etc.).

Second point: The N word is still an offensive word
While at RYLA-Uganda, I had a rotaractor discover that I was African American and she proceeded to talk to me about how rude Black people are and how we don't appreciate anything. Instead of saying "Black people" or "African Americans", she said the N word. I know people hear this word in movies and music over here and think that all Afro Americans use the term, but that's not the case. That word has a bad history to it, and although there seems to be a group of Afro Americans that still use it even in joking terms, saying that word to me in that context isn't apporpriate. AND as for the rudeness of Black people, you can find rude people anywhere, it all depends on where you're going. Please don't classify a group of based on a few that you may have encountered. That's a universal lesson.

Third point: For the most part, we don't dress or talk like that...
Another interesting thing I observed and was a bit offended by at RYLA-Uganda was the fashion show of cultures. The young men went on stage and said they were from the hood and were trying to "talk ghetto" and the girls were wearing skimpy skirts (like what you would see in a music video about going to the club). I laughed it off mainly, but when I had rotaractors coming up to me saying "you don't have swag. Are you really African American?" I started to get a little offensive. I realized that they really do believe what they see in the music videos. Luckily, I was able to explain to a rotaractor that just like Ugandans get upset or offended when Americans bring up Idi Amin and classify Uganda based on the movie "The Last King of Scotland", African Americans get the same way when you think that we're all like what you see in music videos and movies.  But worry not, that's what I'm here for, to break those barriers and show Americans, African Americans, and Ugandan/East Africans that what is represented on TV is not necessarily true.

Fourth point: Similarities between Afro Americans and Africans
This point is mainly about Blacks in the States and Ugandans. I have come to realize many similarities as much as I've come to realize differences. Although some things are cultural, like family structure and  food, there are certain mannerisms that are quite similar. Dancing for example. Rotaractors seems to always be surprised that I know how to dance! I don't understand that really, and usually my joking response to them is "well, I'm black! It comes naturally!". In all seriousness though, the dancing style isn't that much different from what we do back in the States. That actually is a quite a relief to me!

These Confessions of an African American Mzungu are starting to become a little theme of mine, if you have anything that you would want to answer or further investigate, please let me know. I would be more than happy to include outsider questions to this mini-series.

Until next time, kuwa na siku njema!

Culture Shock!!!

It's been a while since I've written a post, I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to readjust to being back in Uganda. Who knew that two weeks back home could cause such a culture shock - in the U.S. and in Uganda. It seems that I walk to slow in the U.S. and walk too fast in Uganda. Differences like that seem to really standout. But! Since I've been back, I've been getting more involved that just Rotary/Rotaract events. I'm beginning to volunteer outside of Rotary with other organizations to promote Rotary/Rotaract as well as just to meet new people and see different parts of Uganda. There is one way that I have volunteered that promotes cultural understanding back in the states.

A year ago, at my scholar orientation, a woman from the World View - UNC at Chapel Hill offered the scholars an opportunity to be pen-pals with middle school and high school students in North Carolina. I was a bit reluctant at first, but decided that it would further my mission. So, after some months of coordinating with the teacher at a high school, the students had finally send me there first set of questions. Below, I've posted some of my responses. Now, for those that are in Uganda, keep in mind that I'm responding based on my own experiences and knowledge (which makes it even more interesting in my opinion). If you have anything to add, please feel free to contact me. :)

Here are some of the student's questions and my responses (I couldn't include the pictures):

3. What type of clothing do most people wear in Uganda?

Great question! People wear very similar clothes to what we wear in the States. Most of the clothes here are second hand from donations from countries like the U.S. and U.K. or even Europe.

There are traditional clothes for each tribe/kingdom. In the Buganda Kingdom, the traditional wear for women is the Gomez (pronounced “go-mezz-ee”). The men where a long tunic with a suit jacket, forgive me, I can’t actually spell the name of the outfit. It was inspired by the Arabs in the Northern part of Africa.

You would normally see these traditional outfits at weddings. Older women will wear the Gomez on a regular basis more so than younger women. The men will only wear their traditional clothes during a wedding or when going to the king (in Buganda, he is called the Kabaka – “Kaa-baa-kaa”).

5. What is the dominant religion in Uganda?

Another interesting question! Many people would assume that Uganda is a Muslim country because of Tanzania and Kenya (and even Somalia) having a large Muslim population; however, Uganda is predominately Catholic Christian – taking up 85% of the population.

However, Uganda tends to be quite a tolerant country to other religions. There is a big mosque in Kampala, as well as a Baha’i Temple (there are only 7 in the world), and many cathedrals. You will also find that there are many Hindu’s and Sikh’s in Uganda as well. There was a big migration of Indians to Uganda a while back. Even though Christianity is the dominate religion in Uganda, many of the public holidays are Christian and Islamic. Religion doesn’t seem to be a topic to cause people tension here, it is rather accepted that people have different beliefs.

 

6. What are you studying and why did you choose Uganda?

I have gotten this question for over a year now. Uganda is not a traditional place for anyone to further their education, I will admit that. However, my interest in international politics has lead me to a career in International Human Rights Law in Africa. So while here in Kampala, Uganda, I am conducting research in the fields of Law, Culture, and Human Rights with Makerere University, the oldest and biggest university in Uganda (established in 1922 during colonization for the elite Africans). For my research, I ask Ugandans (in rural areas as well as in the cities) questions about human rights, gender equality, and the effects of colonization within Uganda. I am using my research as a way to better understand the relationship between the state/nation, the people, and culture.

I selected Uganda while studying the political and civil liberties of each country in the Comparative Politics class at George Mason University. I realized that Uganda had little to no political and civil liberties, and I was curious as in why I had barely heard about Uganda in the news with the exception of the movie “The Last King of Scotland” and the Joseph Kony conflict in Northern Uganda. There were no terrorist alerts from the State Department, and there was no war in Uganda, but it was ranked as an unliberated country, much like Syria or Afghanistan. Oftentimes, the media does not focus on African nations unless there is a major war going on or major human rights violation, so I decided to spend a year in Uganda to discover why there weren’t any political and civil liberties. As well as create some solutions to some major issues that plague the country.

*Political rights are the rights to free speech, the right to assemble in a political group, and the right to vote.

 *Civil liberties are the right to a free trail, equality under the law, and the right to privacy.