one white guy

"Men come tamely home at night only from the next field or street, where their household echoes haunt, and their life pines because it breathes its own breath over again; their shadows, morning and evening, reach farther than their daily steps. We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day, with new experience and character." Henry David Thoreau
May 25, 2012

Ready for a Close Up

After two years of going at this solo, my lonely little communications department was bumped up to four for a few busy days last week. Wahoo!

We hosted two coworkers from IJM HQ and the uber-talented photojournalist Sean Sheridan on their trip through IJM’s African field offices. Sheridan is behind the beautiful short film Ray of Hope highlighting IJM’s crucial work in India, and I was thrilled to watch him work in Uganda.

Over four days, we drove all over our local project area, capturing the sights that would best explain the context for IJM’s property grabbing casework. It felt a little like being back in my college news station (number one college newscast in the country, Phoenix14 News. Holler.), but infinitely more exotic.

During the week, we interviewed members of our team from each department – lawyers, social workers and structural transformation staff – to talk about the issue of property grabbing and how IJM intervenes in violent injustice. I’m never more proud of this work than hearing it explained passionately by the Ugandans pouring themselves into it each day.

On Friday and Saturday, I took the team to visit two clients in their restored homes. These widows shared their stories bravely and confidently and left us tearfully grateful as we left each day. (Seriously, not a dry eye in the house.) With stunning landscapes and highly entertaining children in tow, the shoot probably couldn’t have been more perfect.

The whole process of hosting and helping coordinate this film team left me far more emotional than I’d care to admit. These are the stories of justice I’ve been yearning to share for two years. I know these widows well; I know their children, their struggles, and their successes. Now, their stories will be shared more widely and more beautifully than I ever could and I can’t wait to see the response. The whole shoot reminded me how gifted I’ve been to see these stories firsthand and how painful it will be to leave them in July.

I’ve no idea when the final products will be ready, but I will certainly post them here if I can. You won’t want to miss them!

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May 14, 2012

Four Weddings and a Future

I was so pleased to see this story from IJM Kampala make it up to the IJM website today. Marriage plays a huge role in our casework, but in ways I never expected before landing in Uganda. As you’ll read, many couples in our project area in Mukono are considered “married” by their communities, but have not completed the legal processes that afford them full protection under the law. This leaves widows and widowers vulnerable to property grabbing after a spouses death – no matter how long they lived together as a wife or husband.

In our legal education workshops, men and women are shocked to hear the law may not protect their informal marriage, so we spend lots of time explaining how and why people should make things legal. Our Church and Community Relations Coordinator Josh has done a fantastic job mobilizing pastors to do their part to protect couples they know, often in the form of a mass wedding.

Here’s the story of four couples who took that unconventional leap for love:

MUKONO, UGANDA – Rebecca’s wedding day is one like many woman dream of: beautiful flowers, a packed church and a stunning white dress. This bride is nearly 70, but sits regally in her finery like a woman half her age.

In fact, just two seats down, there is a woman half her age in another white dress. And two more next to her. There are four veils, four bouquets and four grooms smiling by their sides. The four couples stand ready to formalize their marriages all at the same time.

Their ceremony is surely unconventional, and it is more than just a declaration of love for these participants. In Uganda, informal marriages are common and recognized by the community – but without formal documentation, the marriage may not be recognized by the law.  Read the rest of this entry »

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May 11, 2012

The Jericho Road

Starting in January, our office expanded its project area and embarked on a long-term “structural transformation” project (explained somewhat here). I’ve been toiling away to help design the media and public awareness aspects of that project, but also helping to develop the training and print materials our team will use as we engage with the local public justice system.

As I’ve been processing through all the work and pressure ahead, a blog post from another IJM fellow in India crept into my Google Reader and has stayed bookmarked for over a month. In her post, she looks at an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr’s epic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech and his take on the story of the Good Samaritan along the Jericho Road. Please, go read her writing or the speech in full. It’s incredible.

What really stood out to me was a second excerpt from a conversation MLK Jr had with an American ambassador after the speech. He had become increasingly identified with the Good Samaritan, and for good reason. But in this chat, he flipped my perspective on the whole story:

Dr. King told Andrew Young then, “….Andy, I think the Good Samaritan is a great individual. I of course, like and respect the Good Samaritan….but I don’t want to be a Good Samaritan.” Read the rest of this entry »

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May 8, 2012

Salon Celebration

Last weekend, I took one of the longest boda-boda rides of my life across Kampala’s sprawl to Bwaise, a low-income area and the focus of my friend Jess’s work with Kwagala Project. Kwagala works in Gulu and Kampala to encourage and restore girls who have worked in the commercial sex trade. I visited their home in Bwaise last year to watch Sister Act 2, and it was awesome.

I made the trek this time to see Jess and the girls open the new Sunrise Beauty Parlor, a small business that will give the ladies income and a chance to show off the skills training they gained from Kwagala’s mentors. Within two minutes of my arrival, I was thrown into a salon chair so an eager stylist could comb out my wild boda hair and style me. Not sure many Ugandan ladies are used to working with short white-guy hair, but she did her best.

The whole grand opening was a huge celebration – music on loud speakers, streamers, throngs of dancing kids and one huge inflatable gorilla (courtesy of our friend Tyler at Inflate Africa). Beautiful weather and smiles made it an awesome way to spend a Saturday and I’m so glad Jess invited me to take part!

Check out more about Kwagala Project and ways you can support them on their Facebook page.

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May 6, 2012

Joining the Family

First of anything, I apologize for my ridiculous delinquency in writing over the last few months. 2012 is far more overwhelming that I anticipated, and my time gets pushed and stretched to its limits. But with only two months left in Uganda (!!) it’s so important to me to share as much of this experience as possible. I’ll be better. I promise.

After nearly two years living in Uganda, I expect myself to be pretty savvy about local culture. I’ve been around the block. I know what’s up. But sometime’s I’m hilariously wrong. I expected my coworker’s baby’s baptism to take two hours, but naturally it took closer to 12.

Stephen is one of our brilliant drivers, and bestowed me a Ugandan name soon after I arrived in country. We now share the name Mutebi (meaning one who will not give up in a struggle), with Stephen as the older twin “Wasswa” and myself as the younger “Kato.” Attending his baby daughter’s baptism was a great excuse to meet our larger family and get to know my new clan even more.

We set off around seven Sunday morning, me toting my camera (ever the staff photographer) and the other fellows balancing cakes. We drove deeper and deeper into his home village, greeted his assembled family, and sipped sweet Ugandan tea to warm our bones before church.

Growing up in the Anglican church, I knew what to expect; heck, I know most of the liturgy by heart. But an Anglican church in Uganda can be very different. Speeches from all the family members, song presentations, full communion and multiple little baby baptisms. Each family member took their time to wish the newly-baptised well and to extol the virtues of this gathering. Yes, it was extensive, but it was also very sweet.

The other fellows and I mostly just sat politely and looked confused.

From the actual church service, we took a few pics out front then walked back to the house for a full African lunch, including luwombo - chicken and veggies steamed in banana leaves. (So scrummy.) After lunch, we sat under a white tent on the lawn for a few more speeches, a time of prayer, and more song performances. We obviously stood out, but it was so awesome to be welcomed warmly into this family and to celebrate our newest member, Maggie.

The afternoon rolled along and it was just after 5 pm by the time the program finished. We loaded up the car again, bounced down the village roads, and I passed out all the way back to Kampala. Twelve hours is pretty epic for a baptism, but a pretty cool way to invest in our Ugandan friends and family. Looking forward to more over the next few months!

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