June 11th

The last couple of days have been extremely busy. We've listened to lots of speakers and had many conversations about development and what it means to be a woman in the United States and in Africa. One of my favorite speakers to listen to so far was Clare, an LGBTQ and human rights leader here in Uganda. She spoke about growing up as a child unable to acknowledge who she really was. Obedient. Afraid. Conforrming. Those are the words she used to describe herself. But who does conformity benefit? It certainly wasn't benefiting her. In the wake of an extremely dangerous anti-gay bill she decided silence was no longer an option. The legislation called for the death penalty for those who are gay. Clare spoke of how the culture of fear and homophobia and hatred started grow as a result of the bill and she no longer recognized "her Uganda." After coming out in Uganda, many people are disowned by their families and their communities. They are considered to be dangerous, and assumed to have an "agenda" to turn all children and future generations gay. (Sound familiar?) Clare says that the anti-gay bill was used as a diversion to keep people from paying attention to more important issues: infrastructure, employment, health care, etc. There is a community of LGBTQ people here and they greatly rely on one another for support, as they often can't turn to their families. Clare has started a chapter of PFLAG here and is trying to get parents and allies to join the fight. She told the story of a mother who speaks on behalf of PFLAG now because she disowned her son when he came out to her. He moved away, contracted HIV, and died a few years later. She is now trying to educate people so they don't make that same mistake. 

Clare says she is hopeful because she sees the struggle that other countries have had to go through to achieve equal rights, and the struggle they are still going through. She asked for our help. In awareness, in funding, in support. She says she wants nothing more for herself and her community than equality, respect, and the right to thrive. We haven't even achieved that in the United States. I think of my best friend who has been denied that even by his own family. The strength and tenacity it takes to thrive in the face of that. I think of the energy it takes to live every day in the face of hatred and adversity. How exhausting it is. I then was reflecting, and have been reflecting a lot, about the importance of having a seat at the table and being able to tell your story. The importance of voice and space. The power of this should not be underestimated or undervalued. 

Clare also told us about the Uganda she was raised in, her Uganda, believes in and practices Ubuntu, which is why she has hope. Ubuntu roughly translates to human-ness or human kindness. It is the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. I wish we could all practice Ubuntu. I wish we could stop the cycle of hatred and of violence. How can we not see that those are connected? 

Yesterday I spent the day driving to and from Kigali to help the twins, Sarah and Stephanie, get to the airport. It was a long day getting from Uganda to Rwanda and back again. I got back late last night around 10:30 and was pretty much ready for bed. Instead, I arrived at Entusi in the middle of a massive dance party, and Jamie convinced me to join in for a while. Today is more of a free day so I'm hoping to catch up on some writing, reading, and maybe some laundry. For the rest of our practicum Tavia and I will be working on mental health research and writing a brief for Jamie and for the GLI. This has publishing potential so I'm really hoping to put in some good, quality work.  We will also be shadowing a public health worker and a doctor at the local regional hospital. There's a lot to do in three weeks. Following that, we will leave Entusi and head back up to Kampala for about 10-12 days. I don't exactly know what we're going to do there, but our practicum hours may be completed by then so we may have time just to hang out. On July 14th we'll leave Uganda and fly to Arusha, Tanzania to start our adventure! Arusha, Tanzania - Zanzibar, Tanzania - Harare, Zimbabwe- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - Lusaka, Zambia - Home!