The Economics of the Storm

Suffice it to say, normally in Kampala, especially in the rainy seasons, after a stormy down pour, all streets, subways, run ways, even walkways too get thickly jam-packed with cars, and some stuck for being deficient in fuel or mechanical evils. One often wonders where and why all this swarm of vehicles that congests our tapered infrastructure leading in and out of the City come from after the gracious rains.

Sitting in such a ram of cars killing time, snailing a meter or two per every ten to fifteen minutes is nearly idyllic. Crisscrossing of vehicles in junctions, round-abouts or even walkways is cluttered; with some knocking each other further adding salt to the injury.

Kampala has this heavy jams that sometimes necessitates a little more knowledge of some extra ordinary roads, closes, or even panyas stretching down into galleys, valleys; windings, turnings and twists, ins and outs from gaudy buildings neighboring putrid slams. In a grand attempt to navigate ones way out of it, the beatitude ‘blessed are the drivers who know many roads for they shall escape jams’ releases its true holiness.

In the midst of this iconic mystification, most especially when the drizzles are light or its just sultry, vendors of all sorts retailing various kinds of goods ranging from air-time, electrical appliances, mechanical tools, personal effects to grocery and even some artifacts profit as they bazaar their merchandize from one car window to the next.

‘This has been it for ages!’ one can safely assert. Even when the regulatory authorities of the City tried to clamp down on it, somehow these merchants have kept at their trade unabated. For those exodused into some organized affluence of modernism this is a state of lawlessness while to others that have known this as the biggest and best of all cities they have ever been to, it’s normalcy.

The convenience this trade brings to occupants of a vessel in such critical hours is to explain for its continuous flourishing. From vehicles needing fuel, to fixing of mechanical tribulations, satisfying a hunger or quenching thirst, to making an emergency call, to finding an alternative escape route and many more are the desires engrossed in such clatter.

Talk of the economics of a wrong or evil or immorality and all such things as are communally condemned, here is the proof. I guess it’s true, every coin has two sides. Your best Kampala street preacher would say it, and like an Amen to it affirm that ‘there always is a good in your storm’. Take the merchants view of things.

Fond memories of this wealth around me

Waking up early is one of the things I like and especially to do something that fits in and reduces the burden of my work in the day. Given that it is quiet and serene it is one of those moments of time to catch.

Today was one such day and this time round I had this grand privilege to write out invitation cards to some of my friends I am calling for my wedding due to happen soon.

The excitement nearly died out because I realized that when it comes to friends, it seems I am wealthy. I have them in all shapes, colors, sizes and of different backgrounds, opinions and beliefs. Some are acquaintances and there are really core ones who I would call real friends.

So I wondered who deserves these cards! Real friends or acquaintances? Which of these real friends do actually deserve invitation cards and which ones don’t?

It dawned on me that my true friends actually do not need a card to come for my function. Actually the culture of where I come from bails me out nicely. People often and always freely come for functions as long as they get to know about it. They do not need a special invite.

So I thought for those who do not get any card or who are accustomed to cards this other side of life where my culture is almost shelved, feel free, you are welcome. I know there are some who will deserve a card because of their caliber or some other value embellished in them by some sort of responsibility they hold. To these a card is more than deserved.

But you see, it is only today that I appreciated that culture of mine. It defines in no uncertain terms who your friends, those who love you, your relations and enemies are. In fact functions such as these reveal your real wealth, the people in your life. You know it for the selflessness and the burden they are willing to shoulder because of you.

Therefore you do not limit, let alone by a card who wants to love you and be there for you and be a part of the happenings in your life. After all the functions that shape a life most often are the obscure and the attendants are not invited most times.

The truthfulness of this culture is that the real people who come into and are a part of your life are not invited per se. They are there somehow; they just come; not because you invited them or gave them anything of benefit at all. Life maybe I should say God places them where they need to be and when they need to be, freely.

So today I go to sleep refreshed by some of the fond memories of all this wealth around me; ever determined to cherish every moment and reminiscence of all who have fashioned me by being there for me.

Disability in the head

Today marks the beginning of the Paralympics in London that sees scores of several persons with abilities having some deformities take part in living their lives and dreams. Today also marks a historical gesture offered by Barcelona FC to Gabriel Muniz the 11 year old boy born without feet to train in their camp.

Muniz is said by the mother to have always been a fighter. That Muniz has had dreams of being a soccer player. His teacher says he is a child with a ‘can-do attitude and indefatigable spirit’ and as a result has won several medals as his school’s ‘star sportsman’.

Almost on the darker side, there is that story of the Malawian government that couldn’t support the dreams of some other Muniz’s who had hoped to step into their dream from tonight in the Paralympics.

The Malawian government leaders have stamped with approval the adage ‘Disability only exists inside our heads’ by failing to support the Malawian Paralympics dreams; by failing to recognize that they not only have extinguished the beacons of those great dreamers to shine but have deadened the spirits of many.

 In Africa, indeed in Uganda, the Malawian leadership attitude exemplifies the leadership and more so the societal mindset towards PWD’s. That mindset is a key disabler of dreams and aspirations of persons with abilities who have some deformities. Such a mindset is seen in the lack of funding for activities like sports, lack of training facilities which are tips of the real iceberg.

It continues to take the fighting spirit of the Muniz’s, the continuous dreaming and dedication of individual parents, couches and teachers to bring out the best in many other Muniz’s among us.

This throws a challenge to the national council of sports for Uganda to consider the development of such sports, identifying talents, providing facilities and training.

Resized

Everyone else has these moments when they devalue themselves. You feel like ‘I’m not worthy’ or something a little less than a high standard is okay to go by of cause, as long as it is not the least level at all. Patchiness to be precise is the word I suppose.

Many other people have experiences like this, at least Kiprotich, our ‘golden boy’ of London Olympics 2012 shares the same feelings with me. That is why I am also a golden boy in my own Olympia. Making one of those press statements, at least the most I heard being played as a news byte is ‘I will not die a useless man!’

Going through difficulties, struggles, and adversities in life most often predisposes one’s mind to such feelings of worthlessness or uselessness. Where the right attitude is not adopted, one might sink in and be abased to wretchedness. Many who have been privileged to be archived in the annals of history like Prophet Elijah, Moses, David the King in the bible; Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, mother Theresa including me (yet to be) testify to this.

My mind is drawn to these words alluded to Nelson Mandela, ‘There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’

Yet sometimes to arrive at this pivotal point of the junction between the vile and noble stands the a voice of one who knows you; who should believe in you, trust you and invest their time to couch, mentor, encourage, prepare, resize and present you the platform to shine.

I was in a meeting and a friend looked at me and said, you are no ordinary, you still deserve better than you think you do. See, you need to resized yourself to fit the real you.

The threads of success

The papers were awash with today pictures of Kiprotich! What a glorious celebration of success, stardom, victory, glamour, whatever you choose to call it. This is what we all waited for what we all wanted to see from the beginning.

Our expectations were finally met in Kiprotich, when we had all lost our hopes of getting any gold. If you listened to the various radio stations or watched TV stations or read commentaries and columns in news papers, you would not miss the disenchantment, the nuisance, the defeat all tucked up the minds and expectations of Ugandans of team Uganda.

Complaints, blasphemy, blame, accusations, condemnations, abuses, calling of names marred the air was as program after program Ugandans woke up to vent their anger at the performance of our only hopefuls like Dorcus Inzikuru and Kipsiro as they fell way below set world standards of performance.

Ugandans gave up and never ever expected the star of Kiprotich to rise amidst the dark of disdain. But when you pick up the papers and other media in Uganda, you pick up the story behind Kiprotich’s victory.

Threads of hard work, determination, never giving up amidst adversity and trying situations knit together the talent, and resilience of the personality of Kiprotich to beautifully crown this glorious victory as a mark in the apex of history.

Kiprotich outlasted all of our patience, our hopes and expectations as Ugandans during the 2012 Olympics with his own fervent diligence which he so graciously has nurtured for long to realize this gold medal.

At a point, before he overtook his contenders on that long track, he seemed to be limping and stressing under the pain of hard work and at a time thought, maybe he won’t make it to the front. But that gallant attitude and spirit of a winner sprung as though unnoticed to work its way right to the top to grab the gold medal. The same thread patiently used through time knits the pieces of everyone else’ success!

Indelible Marks

It helps just to connect with people, to listen to the things others are saying; to hear others stories of why they are different. We all have needs as humans that make all of us common. Wisdom often dwells in simplicity and not the sophisticated complexion of vain knowledge.

He is a driver and this time I had hired him as we drove home. Many things we chatted out from some minor politics, sports and then social life till we reached this humbling and yet learning point for me.

We were meant to branch off to the right at this T junction. The traffic was intense with heavy trucks flowing consistently back and forth as we were caught up in the midst of the road. With a speeding truck still a distance of 10 to 15 meters approaching. 

I remembered what another driver would do. It happened once and I was uncomfortable. Later it happened the second and third times where he branched at the right side of the junction and not the left. I guess complacency crept in and the feeling of discomfort left. Instead a feeling of bravery, sharpness arose to swallow my sense of reason and right.

Then I told him what the other driver used to do, in a way suggesting that it was okay for him to do the same.

‘You see, I had a supervisor when I had just started working and driving. Every day I would bring the car back with scratches due to the reckless nature of driving in Kampala. My other bosses recommended my dismissal but this supervisor would say, no, he is young and has been driving in the village, he will catch up’ he retorted.

‘Then the supervisor took me aside and said my son, when you are driving, be steady… do this and the other… to be a better driver. From that day, I do not get cars scratched unless it is someone else’ mistake.’

Mentoring gave him a chance to survive. He could not do what the other first driver would do because some older, more experienced and caring supervisor; not related to him by consanguinity, dared to call him son. That mentor crafted and curved a mark of professionalism, patience and distinction not even the excitement of foolish bravery could attempt to erase.

Determination Thespian

Madam teacher Sally was her name and I was in Primary Two when I first heard her say these words of ‘wisdom’ which I later learnt was also the motto of a school, ‘determination is the key.’ Determination is the key word for me as I sat and watched the 2012 Olympics 3000 meters steeple chase race where one of the very key participants or at least the one who evoked most attention was Dorcus Inzikuru.

She has been a gold medalist before and then things took sort of a downward trend for her after she gave birth to her first child and then went through challenges in her relationship, news which was awash in all news media in Uganda.

Dorcus is known to me, being an OG from Secondary School. Since the days of her ascent to stardom and glory, I have never had chance to meet with, let alone being in touch. So I am not going to claim to have been the one who made her win the gold medals she did.

Driving around northern by-pass, Kyebando or Bukoto areas in the outskirts of Kampala city you would not miss her doing her thing, every morning. Most often she would be alone, appear so focused, speeding as she run and would wave at people who cared to wave at her.

One fortunate morning I by passed her around Kyebando, she saw me and I stopped to greet this old friend. She was breathing hard, looked sweaty from her morning jogging. She showed me the house she was staying in after some two three minutes chat and said she was preparing for the Olympics qualifiers.  I did not know when or where they were meant to be though I wished her well and we parted. I was so happy to later learn that she actually qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

Knowing where she hails from and the things she had been through, you would see a person determined and single hearted at succeeding again especially having tasted the sweetness of success on a world stage. Personal determination, self drive, hard work and simplicity are few of the memorable qualities she exudes from her personality.

Today saw her win that same race she won a few years back again. Don’t scold me please! I know she did not get the gold or silver or even the bronze! You could see her strive as though exhaustibly as she through her strides on the track.

She staged what Madam Teacher Sally said to me so long ago, determination! Going through her experiences, pushing through nearly alone with so little, if any, support from her country, she was my heroine today! Time, given time and with the right resources, that same key can and will earn her another gold.