Ugandan Women’s Movement…but is there an International Women’s Movement?

Check out the four different flags Uganda has had over the years

The mayhem of turning 50 has begun for Uganda! This is a first for me, I’m used to hearing about founding fathers (and mothers), watching a documentary on some elderly men wearing make up and wigs speak of the enlightenment period which was greatly influenced by Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and many other enlightenment period thinkers. But this independence celebration is so different! There wasn't any mention of the colonial period or imperialism, but the struggle for rights through the past 50 years.The transition of power from one leader to another, and much talk about the current state of the country. But Ugandans are so happy to be turning 50! Infact, I began celebrating by attending the Ugandan women’s movement conference on Friday morning. That was quite interesting to listen to and attend because the U.S. doesn’t have a women’s movement any more…so to speak. Of course, we have feminist and women’s rights advocates, but the movement isn’t organized with a set agenda such as the Ugandan Women’s Movement. There was so much discussion about getting a female president, something that was a hot topic in the 2008 election with Hillary R. Clinton. But I kept questioning while listening to all of these strong women, is their society ready for a strong female president? I know the U.S. wasn’t ready for various reasons, but could it be possible for a country like Uganda to have it’s first female president after Museveni? Or even its first female chief justice?

A lot of their struggles are just the same as American women’s problems, child care availability and affordable health care. Women’s health, women’s right to choose (not abortion, that is actually illegal and it says so in the constitution, but rather to choose her relations with men), and of course, female education and eliminating domestic violence. But I think the feminist of the U.S. can learn something from the feminist of Uganda. They are so united in Uganda and all of East Africa to be honest. It was quite inspiring! I even ran into another American at the conference and she agreed with me that the women’s movement in the U.S. was non-existent because there are so many negative connotations with being a feminist. Perhaps that is something that the younger generations can work on as time goes forward in the U.S. But here in Uganda, the young females are on fire for equality and so were the older women.

What shocked me was that there was even a Uganda’s Women’s Anthem! My favorite part of the song is the chorus:

Mothers, Daughters

All women every where

Stand up and embrace

Your role today

I think that line to should be the Internationals Women’s Movement anthem! Women all over the world shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for their rights. We’re all in this together. And if you see another sister being abused or mistreated, don’t sit there and ignore the issue, that’s what I took away from this women’s conference. There are times when we can’t look to the government or the U.N. to help us, sometimes, the most powerful tool is ourselves. It was just such an inspiration to see the Ugandan women from all over the country come together for one cause. I think many causes could benefit from the Ugandan Women’s Movement model.

Service Above Self - Fellowship Through Service

I had the great opportunity to go to Sesse Islands with the Rotary Club of Kampala-Sesse Islands. The service project was a medical outreach to a rural/remote village on one of the islands. To be honest with you, the island reminded me much of Jurassic Park with the giant ants thick forest. It was great though getting to know the Rotarians and Rotaractors that came on the trip.  There was a big turnout at the medical outreach. For many, this was their first time going to a doctor since the last medical outreach only because it’s too expensive to go to the mainland for a doctor or they can’t afford the medication.  I was also delighted to see World Vision with Rotary as well as some pro bono doctors.  The phrase service above self reaches beyond Rotary and extends to other NGO’s and volunteers that believe in helping those that are in the most need.

Getting to Sesse Islands was actually an adventure in itself! We took a 4 hour ferry ride to the main island. Being on Lake Victoria felt like being in the middle of the ocean.  There were plenty of over islands in the distance, some with beach coast and some with cliff coast, but overall, it reminded me of being in California looking out to the Pacific at Catalina Island.  I definitely had some childhood memories come back while on the ferry.

Once on the island, we were greeted by the owner of the resort with refreshments and snacks.  We were all quite tired but managed to figure out our rooms and come back for a bon fire. At the fireside, I decided that this was a great time to get to know some of the Rotaractors that came on the trip.  They were all so friendly and I was able to make fast friends with them while dancing. Dancing in Africa is so different from dancing back home. I realized that they had incorporated some traditional dance moves while dancing to some modern reggae music. I was highly impressed! They were also quite impressed with how I danced.  For some reason, they think Americans are uptight and don’t know how to have a good time. But I’m proud to say that I represented the U.S. very well.

The next morning we set off to the medical outreach village, however, it was raining so hard that we had to wait for the rain to pass on our island as well as the island we were heading to. Once the rain slowed stopped, we all got on a boat that I was extremely doubtful could hold all of us. It took about an hour for us to get to the other island, which wasn’t bad compared to the ferry to the first island. We docked, carried supplies to the village, and without any hesitation, we were helping the community. There was a family planning room, dental care room, pharmaceutical room, and a room to see the doctors if you had any problems.  Without a doubt, the most crowded room was the one with the doctors.  These people didn’t see a doctor often if at all. In some cases, the only time that they did see the doctor was when the Rotary Clubs had a medical outreach to their location.

Because I don’t know Luganda, I was in charge of registration with Rotarian Justine and Rotarian Florence. I was handing out the numbers, but was still shocked at what I saw. The people had to state their name, age, and which village they were coming from. What shocked me was how young some of the mothers were and how some people looked to be about 60 but were actually 40. There could be a number of reasons for this inconsistency in age and how the person actually looked. I didn’t take any pictures of the patients because of my background with HIPAA for Fairfax County. It felt unethical to snap a picture without them knowing where it was going to be posted and used for. All in all, I could see the importance of Rotary here in Uganda. The Rotarians are important to their society because when the government doesn’t provide for the people, Rotary steps in and makes sure the basic needs are met with the help of other NGOs. That was quite inspiring to witness. I am very happy to be a part of such an organization.

Music & Culture – When Passions Collide

Music is certainly still the key to my heart.  My interest in music and culture was really sparked by my late band director Laura McBride who gave me private music theory lessons. She told me that all over the world, travelers realized that there were common motifs in music, common pitches that were used and rhythms; however, none of the civilizations that were encountered had any contact with one another. So, I was absolutely amazed to hear Gregorian music and West African music sound so similar! She even told me that the universe is made of music since all of the stars and planets vibrate – however, I’ll save my interest for astronomy, music, and culture for another post.  This post is about how my two loves, music and culture, have found a common ground in Uganda.

 As many may know, I didn’t start out on this human rights career path, I actually was heavily involved in music and aspired to be a music teacher. People have many passions in life, but just because I am not pursuing a career in music doesn’t mean that I’ve abandoned it. I’ve just felt more of a calling towards being an advocate for human rights than being a music teacher.  But my reason for enjoying music is still the same reason as in why I have such a strong interest in human rights - the culture.  Culture can be reflected in the music, and human rights are shaped by the culture as well – whether for the better or the worse.

This is a clip from the video, couldn't crop
it for some reason.

Since the purpose of me being here is to observe the culture, I can’t ignore the one thing that has such a cultural influence! No matter where I go in the world, I always want to hear the traditional music and modern music, and ask questions about the story behind the song. For the most part, there is a story about love and hope, but in some cases, the music is just meant to be felt rather than tell a story. The gentleman playing the instruments in the picture (I will hopefully upload the video soon) actually said that the story to this song was about a man who travelled the world looking for the woman of his dreams. He went everywhere, and when he returned home to his village, he realized that she was right there all along. I suppose the moral to that story was you don’t need to travel all over the world to find something that completes you, it’s most likely right in front of you.

One of my goals since I was younger was to collect instruments from all over the world that represent the culture. I started my collection with some wooden flutes from Native Americans in Nevada, then a didgeridoo from Australia that my dad brought back, now I’m excited to pick up a few instruments from Uganda and East Africa. But one thing that I am for certain about when it comes to culture, one must encompass all aspects of how the culture is represented, whether it’s the food, they style of dance, the clothes, and even the music, when observing culture, you have to look at the big picture. If you don’t, you’re not really paying attention.

 

 

It's the simple things

The theme for this week is best said in the words of India Arie’s song “There’s Hope”.  It’s the simple things in life that are worthwhile. There’s no need for the big cars, fancy gadgets (since they don’t work without power or wifi!), but the best things in life are all around us. Now! This isn’t to say that every person that I’ve come across so far has that mentality, that’s just my realization.  An example of this is the wedding I attended a couple of weeks back. It was really pretty and fun!  But what I really took from that wedding was, no matter how much I look Mugandan (a Ugandan from the Buganda Kingdom), I am still American. I had quite a few embarrassing moments while being a part of the wedding. For one, the girls come out dressed in the same Gomez and receive gifts from the groom’s family. When the girls come out, they must kneel, which turns into a dance down to the floor situation – not bad right? WRONG! Only because I don’t understand Lugandan, so when the M.C. said only the first three girls start dancing to the kneeling position, me being the fourth girl, started dancing too. So in front of more than 100 people, it was revealed that I wasn’t Mugandan or even Ugandan. I’m pretty good about blending in but it’s moments like that where I completely embarrass myself that the truth is revealed. Even after the M.C. kept telling me to stand back up (in Lugandan) and I kept dancing to the floor, I should have noticed that something was wrong when I realized everyone looking at me.  It’s okay to laugh at my awkward moment at the wedding because I’m still laughing at myself.

But I digress from my point that it’s the simple things in life that matter. The wedding was anything but simple. When I talked to some Rotarians about the wedding, they explained to me that the introduction has become more westernized and flashy to show how much money the family has (the reason the bride changes her dress many times throughout the day). The actual traditional introduction is low key and very short (and private). I would have preferred the actual traditional wedding to the one I went to. Not that it was bad or anything, but the amount of time and money spent into that event didn’t seem quite worth it to me. I just kept thinking “Isn’t the actual marriage more important than the wedding itself? All this money being spent on the celebration could be put towards building a house or even saving for the future”.  It’s not just the Ugandan culture that has these types of weddings and celebrations, it’s the same way in the U.S.!   I thought I would be flashy coming to Uganda with my gadgets and what not, but I’ve come to realize that I’m just as laid back as I am (usually) at home and Ugandan’s put more into their appearance than I do. On campus, I usually wear my jeans and a button down shirt, and boy! Do I look out of place! Most students wear business suits or sundresses for the ladies. And I keep wondering “Why? Why are you wearing high heels, madame? Why are you wearing that business suit, sir?” I don’t have an answer yet, but when I get one from the students, then I will be sure to have a response post.

And as I started this post, it’s the simple things in life that make one very happy. For me, it’s the various types of coffee that I’ve been tasting (and even hot chocolate). I’m determined to go on a coffee tour before I leave and bring a lot of sample bags for my host club. This way, they too can have a taste of Uganda.

Slow down & Smell the Roses

What a week! Physically, mentally, and emotionally, I am exhausted! All the travelling and running around caught up to me this week. I should start with last Saturday, the wedding. Apparently love is in the air in Uganda…or perhaps just weddings. But whatever the case, it was more than I could handle. The wedding I attended last Saturday was too extravagant for my taste (and not to mention extremely long).  I have come to find that I truly am a simple person, especially compared to the weddings over here. There isn’t much of a difference in the wedding industry with the fancy cakes and big dresses, but usually there are two parts to the wedding: the introduction (where the bride introduces the man she is going to marry to her clan and to her father for approval) and the “western” wedding (in a church with the white dress). I’ll explain more on the wedding in another post, this post has a lot more to do with the differences in lifestyles.

If Saturday didn’t do me in, then Sunday and Monday certainly did! The Uganda Rotary Clubs hosted the Rotary run on Saturday which was quite successful in raising 100 milling Ugandan Shillings! All going to the cancer ward at a hospital. I was too tired to run (since I was at a wedding all day the day before) so I walked with my co-host Rotarian Florence. It was a good way to see the city and take in some fresh air without the exhaust from Boda Bodas and cars. But shortly after we completed the run, she and I went home and I slept. Apparently it wasn’t good sleep because I woke up the next morning even more tired, with a long day ahead of me. I wasn’t expecting to stay on Makerere’s campus all day, but that’s what happened. It was a good thing and bad thing to be on campus that long. It seems that everywhere I go, something is contributing to my research. I was able to observe gender relations between the college age students on campus and in that one day, I learned a lot. 

By that night, when attending my host Rotary Club’s meeting, I began to feel really weird. Cold sweats, headache, aching muscles but brushed it off as dehydration. Even though the day was long, the evening ended very well with fellowship with my host Rotarians and receiving some beautiful Rose Tubers.  They smell amazing! Few people know this but, I adore flowers. Back home, I started to grow flowers and tend to them every day like a spiritual ritual. My host club figured this out from my bio that I sent them and connected me with a Rotarian that has a flower farm. As great as the Rose Tubers were to my morale, they didn’t help me sleep that night. Tuesday evening, I met with my new roommate and had some hot chocolate with her. And I should have known then that something was wrong, because I almost fell asleep while talking to her.  But I pressed forward and attended the Bukoto Rotary Club fellowship where I started to feel extremely sick. I told one of the Rotarians from my host club (that drove me to the fellowship) and he took me to the local clinic. We just wanted to make sure that I didn’t contract Malaria, we all suspected I didn’t but just wanted to confirm. As it turns out, I was suffering from fatigue. I’ve had this before, but I feel as though I actually learned a lesson with this one…there’s no need to do everything all at once, during the same week, or even the same month. I need to slow down and smell the Rose Tubers, take in what’s around me and not stress out. Things will get done in due time.

I have many friends and colleages back home that run around stressed out as much as I do, but do they actually pay attention to what’s going on around them? I know I didn’t every time I was running around. As I’ve come to realize over these past few weeks, it’s extremely unhealthy. Ugandans call cancer and diabetes “western” diseases because it’s very rare for someone to develop these diseases with the typical Ugandan way of life. It’s usually the Ugandans that adopt the “western” lifestyle that get those types of diseases. They think that westerns put themselves through unnecessary stress, and I suppose this week I’ve proved them right! So now that I’m recuperating from my exhaustion of the past couple of weeks, I’ve adopted the mentality of slowing down and smelling the roses. I'm sure I'll be able to take in more of the culture that way too.

 

The Animal Kingdom in My Room

I don’t actually have the entire animal kingdom in my room but I certainly feel like I do. Every morning I wake up to different sounds and every day I see something different! Sunday morning started out pretty interesting! Waking up to no electricity (I’m getting used to that), and headed off to church at 7 AM. The church service was much like how I experienced church in the states. There was nothing too special about it except that I was in Uganda. It was a cold and wet morning since it had rained all night, but enjoyable nonetheless. When we arrived back home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a roommate! A little green lizard had been rummaging through my belongings and apparently was trying to find a way out of the room. Florence and I got him out of the room, but as I was doing some research for my paper, I noticed him in the middle of the floor staring at me. I would have taken a picture of my new roommate, but he’s camera shy. He’s also very noisy! Anywhere he goes, he’s running into something. I haven’t named him since he comes in and out of my room so I view him more of a housemate than a roommate but he’s harmless. There are many bugs and animals running around that I’ve become pretty immune to them. The only roommates I would object to are snakes, mosquito's, rats and mice – none of which I have seen lately even though I know they’re around somewhere.

She's about to make some rice (arabic style)

Saturday, I was able to help (mainly watch) cook for a big dinner that Florence was hosting. It is quite interesting to see how everything is made by hand and from their farm. I really wanted to make the Chapati but I watched instead. I didn’t need anyone getting sick over something that I cooked incorrectly. But it definitely takes a village to put on a big feast!  One thing I have really enjoyed is the conservation of energy here! In the states, we don’t usually have switches to turn off and on the sockets or use very little water to wash the dishes or wash our hands. Here, because resources may be plentiful but you don’t know when the next time is that you’ll have power or hot water, everyone is very conservative!

I named the one looking at me Babe

I also had a great revelation! I’ve mainly been eating vegetables! I am turning into a vegetarian by coincidence rather than on purpose. There are a few reasons for that: first, most of the meals I have with Florence’s family are vegetable based and very good! Second, I usually don’t eat meat back home and that habit has carried over to Uganda.  And lastly, since waking up to baby chicks chirping, a cow mooing, pigs squealing, and goats baahing, I’ve grown to really see them as living creatures rather than food. Yesterday, Florence’s niece took me to see the pigs and I was shocked! Not because of how they looked, no my friend, I’ve seen a pig before. But rather because of how they looked at me. I know pigs are smart, but unlike other farm animals that I’ve been around, I felt as though the pig was looking at me to try to understand me rather than to see if I had food in my hands. I suppose I can relate this feeling to dogs.  How my two dogs look at me is how I saw the pigs (and piglets) looking at me. That shocked me more than anything so far.

 

During the week, I was able to go to Eastern Uganda and go hiking while Florence monitored a training. I wasn't just amazed at the beautiful waterfalls and vegetation, but I was also amazed to find that in that particular area, there were some cultural practices that are now illegal that directly harmed women. Its as though everywhere I go in Uganda, it contributes to my research either through the law or through the cultural practices that harm women. I don't want to go into detail about the cultural practices in that particular area, but if you are interested in learning more, just email me and I will be glad to share with you in more detail the things I learned while near Mbale and hiking near Mt. Elgon.

 

But now! I'm safely back in Kampala and working on my research. I have an opportunity to present my proposal to the faculty and staff of the Gender and Women Studies department next week and get some feedback.  Overall, this past week has been good and very eye-opening. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year! I just hope I don't have anymore roommates when I move into my new flat. :)

 

Welcome to Uganda!!!

I have arrived safely in Uganda on Monday morning. I was greeted by my host counselor Ronald at Entebbe. It wasn't hard to spot him with his Paul Harris Fellow pin and Peace Through Service pin on his suit jacket lapel. My dad had travelled with me to see what all the hype over Uganda was all about, so the three of us travelled to my host home until I find a flat of my own. Florence, another Rotarian, was kind enough to open her home to me and my dad. We greatly appreciated it since we had a long layover in London.  We were able to see the marathon and even saw Uganda win it's first gold medal in years (talk about making history)! We had no idea as we were watching the event that it was history in the making or even that the man leading the group was Ugandan! He was running quite fast at the 40 kilometers mark. In fact, Ronald was the one to deliver the news that the Ugandan Marathoner had won gold. Such an exciting moment for the country.

After resting for a few hours, I was soon off to meet my host rotary club and the District Governor (DG) Geeta. She is called the Alpha and Omega because she is the first female DG for the 9200 district and will be the last DG for the district because starting next Rotary New Year (July 1, 2013) the district will be split into two. My host Rotary club didn't waste anytime with a service project. I was instantly taken to a water pump that had been installed and was to be officially open to the children at the school once the DG blessed it. What a way to kick off my scholarship year, Aye? The DG is such an encouraging woman and I can tell that she is a huge inspiration to many female rotarians in the district and rotaractors.

The next morning, my dad and I accompanied Florence to Kabale. Florence works for a nonprofit organization that helps young school girls go to school.  She works directly with the girls but more so with the teachers and volunteers that try to solve issues of girls education.  Right up my alley! so I decided to join her for her travels for work every now and to assist my research on gender equality and culture.  This is also a great opportunity to see the country side and the entire country.

In one of the towns, I was able to sit in on the trainings and listen to some of the issues presented to the females.  These issues are so interesting yet sad!  The most basic physical barriers or cultural barriers (which aren't simple most of the time) can cause a female student to not attend school.  From listening to Florence and the teachers/volunteers, I have been thinking that this would make a good service project.  But I'm going to think about it more and see how feasible it is with one the local rotary clubs.

The gender issues are so evident in Uganda.  I had almost forgotten the major differences that the genders have in the rural areas.  Traveling outside of Kampala has been a great experience and I look forward to travelling to the rest of East Africa in the district as well. My dad had the opportunity to see the many people of Uganda - from the city to the rural areas. He left on Friday morning and says he will be back. I'm glad he enjoyed himself and seeing the Pearl of Africa has inspired him to do some great humanitarian work. I hope that my experience in East Africa opens many people diversity of the world and inspire them to help those in need.

This first week has been so eventful, I can only imagine what the next 10 months will be like.