Wonderful CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist 2009 Award Memory

When I learnt, in February 2009, that the editors of two top East African publications had independently nominated a total of four of my articles for the CNN/MultiChoice 2009 African Journalist Awards 2009 I was thrilled. Thrilled because this prestigious competition is the benchmark for journalism on the continent and just the thought of my work being nominated was very encouraging. The articles are: Strength of a Woman (about how women in war-torn northern Uganda have been living their lives after the 2005 LRA ceasefire), Kampala's Thirsty Artist (about Kampala's skillful sculptor), Corrupted Childhood (about challenges children in war-torn Uganda face), published in African Woman and Mountains of the Moon (hiking Mt. Rwenzori) published in Twende (a travel magazine). Then the waiting began.

We all enter competitions because we or the people who know our work believe we have what it takes to win it. Regardless or what competition, two scenarios are expected, always: a win ora loss. In June I learnt that even though the entries were good I had not made it to the list of 25 finalists. I was gutted. But that does not mean that losing this time round will take away the feeling and memory that I had when I first learnt that I had even been thought of as a good contestant for the prestigious award.

I learnt that the stories that grabbed the judges attention in 2009 were sad stories about violence in Kenya after the disputed presidential elections of December 2007 and the xenophobic attacks that set South Africa aflame in 2008. None of these were the positive kind that I was trying to potray in my articles such as Strength of a Woman.

My consolation came a few weeks later when I learnt that another Kenyan, a broadcaster with Kenya Television News, John-Allan Namu, whose story was published in Issue No. 3 of African Woman of the Month, pg. 110 won in two categories and was the overall winner. I followed the ceremony from the comfort of my living room. I heard his stories and saw the clips; good stuff. I join the rest of the world in congratulating John-Allan on becoming the 2009 CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist.

* Nominee means a finalist who could potentially win in a given category.

See Who’s Talking Now

I didn’t think I the day would ever come when some of the top tennis female players would actually admit that they respect Venus (seeded second) and Serena Williams! There has been this talk about the two sisters not taking the sport seriously enough because they not only wear beautiful outfits (the two introduced colour to the game with their fancy and vibrant outfits) but apparently also have other interests besides playing tennis professionally. So when the eighth seed at the ongoing Bank of the West Classic, Marion Bartoli of France beat Meladin Oudin and set up herself for a match against fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and said, "There should be a lot of good tennis. I always beat Jankovic so who do you think I want to play?" I thought “Hmmm”. But when Jankovic answered Bartoli with, "She talks like she's Serena Williams," Jankovic said. "Who is she? She's just another player on the tour," my eyes almost popped out of their socket! I couldn’t take it. How must these comments make Serena feel?

Hard and fast-hitting Serena, seeded first, is on top of her game all right and this will surely be a great confidence booster. And the hardcourts at Standford are perfect for her and her taller, older sister Venus. The William sisters have continued to show that they are great champions. They are strong, skillful and know how to deliver the shots at critical moments. No wonder Jankovic believes only Serena Williams has the authority to speak because apparently she is not just another player on the tour.

Bank of the West Classic is a week-long WTA women’s only tennis tournament held at the Standford University campus, in California, USA. It is also the oldest women’s only tournament in the world. It was started in 1971 and is played on acrylic outdoor hardcourts; the tournament is the oldest women's-only tournament in the world and is played on outdoor hardcourts. Bank of the West Classic is the first women’s tournament in the Us Open Series According to Wikipedia, the US Open Series is a six-week summer tennis “season” linking ten ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments together. “The US Open Series, which leads to the US Open, is the six-week summer tennis "season" linking 10 ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments together.

See Who’s Talking Now

I didn’t think I the day would ever come when some of the top tennis female players would actually admit that they respect Venus (seeded second) and Serena Williams! There has been this talk about the two sisters not taking the sport seriously enough because they not only wear beautiful outfits (the two introduced colour to the game with their fancy and vibrant outfits) but apparently also have other interests besides playing tennis professionally. So when the eighth seed at the ongoing Bank of the West Classic, Marion Bartoli of France beat Meladin Oudin and set up herself for a match against fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and said, "There should be a lot of good tennis. I always beat Jankovic so who do you think I want to play?" I thought “Hmmm”. But when Jankovic answered Bartoli with, "She talks like she's Serena Williams," Jankovic said. "Who is she? She's just another player on the tour," my eyes almost popped out of their socket! I couldn’t take it. How must these comments make Serena feel?

Hard and fast-hitting Serena, seeded first, is on top of her game all right and this will surely be a great confidence booster. And the hardcourts at Standford are perfect for her and her taller, older sister Venus. The William sisters have continued to show that they are great champions. They are strong, skillful and know how to deliver the shots at critical moments. No wonder Jankovic believes only Serena Williams has the authority to speak because apparently she is not just another player on the tour.

Bank of the West Classic is a week-long WTA women’s only tennis tournament held at the Standford University campus, in California, USA. It is also the oldest women’s only tournament in the world. It was started in 1971 and is played on acrylic outdoor hardcourts; the tournament is the oldest women's-only tournament in the world and is played on outdoor hardcourts. Bank of the West Classic is the first women’s tournament in the Us Open Series According to Wikipedia, the US Open Series is a six-week summer tennis “season” linking ten ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments together. “The US Open Series, which leads to the US Open, is the six-week summer tennis "season" linking 10 ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments together.

Faces Don't Lie

The people of Amuria, Katakwi and parts of Soroti in eastern Uganda are dying of hunger. This in a country which acts as a bread basket for countries such as Sudan. Faces do not lie especially if these faces are of the children and the elderly persons. Their looks are those of hopelessness, pf despair.

Hanger is a not-so-silent killer. Can we help these people escape grip?

*Photography by Vibekke Quadde

A single mother living with disability, and her ten children.

An old woman, wondering what will become of the younger generation.

Two elderly brothers wonder where their next meal will come from.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

On of the fastest growing businesses is that of salon businesses. People who establish salons usually do so in urban or peri-urban areas where the access to electricity supply and water is more assured.

So imagine my surprise when I encountered the women of Mwesigwa Women’s Group, in Jinja, in June 2009. I had travelled there in June 2009 to see for myself what a thriving salon in a rural area looks like. The salon operates from a brick building with a corrugated iron roof. It has two reasonably sized wooden windows and a large wooden door, which let in adequate light. The room is well lit and airy. There are a myriad of hair products that are used to colour, straighten or curl hair. I expect to find these things in any decent salon. There were also three women at the salon. Two wanted Betty, the salon owner, to apply relaxer and therefore straighten their hair while another woman had asked for a dyeing service. Betty uses an old toothbrush to apply dye to her client’s short hair!

Like you I was wondering how washes and dries/styles the hair of her customers. Betty who has seven children wakes up very early and walks several miles from her home to fetch water for use around her home and in her salon. “Sometimes I am lucky to get help from water-vendors who deliver the water to my gate. This saves me a lot of time. When the rain falls I collect and save the runoff water in the large black plastic tank behind my house,” she says.

When Betty wants to wash her client’s hair, she asks them to bend over a basin placed outside the salon. She then pours water through the hair until the hair is clean. She then places the rollers in the client’s hair.

Betty does not have access to electricity or solar power. I found that I was both inspired and terrified by the ways that hair is dried in such circumstances. After applying dye to the hair of one client, this client sits on a stool outside, in the sun, for ten to 20 minutes. The dye is then washed off as mentioned above. To dry hair with rollers, Betty uses a hot charcoal burner. She asks her client to sit near a charcoal burner and shift her body periodically until her entire head is dry. I found this to be very demanding on the part of the client. In any case no one really fancies sitting in the sun and drying her hair over a hot charcoal burner.

I took one important lesson from this experience - which there is always a way for those who have the will. I also learnt that this business grows because of the joint sense of community spirit. Betty’s clients understand the challenges of rural living such as lack of access to water. They therefore have no problem bending over a basin. They also know that at the moment there is no other way to dry the hair except using the sun or hot charcoal burner. Betty certainly knows how to improvise.

If you have been thinking of starting a business but worry about where this resource or that will come from or what others will say, think about Betty. You will be inspired.

Water Crisis in Kenya

The rains failed yet again and the results of poor rainfall are becoming evident. The water levels in many hydro-electricity power generation plants are so low that activities in some of these have been scaled down. The water department has also embarked on rationing to help conserve some of the water that is still available. Environmentalists such as Nobel Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai say that the destruction of water catchments has contributed to reduced water levels in parts of the country. As she continues to advocate for the planting of more trees throughout the country she is also calling for the conservation of the remaining forests including Karura and Mau forests.

Many people are now beginning to understand the link between human activity (wanton destruction of forests and over population) and the quality of their lives (availability of rain and therefore water, food security and safety).

Let everyone do their bit to conserve the natural environment. Let chronic water shortages be a thing of the past, in Kenya and everywhere else.

The Signs Are Always There

“Didn’t anyone see this coming?” I hear people ask. “Famine which usually ends in chronic hunger does not happen in a flash, of course there were signs. The problem is that nothing about these,” says an observer.

The news that people are dying in Amuria, parts of Soroti and Katakwi, in Uganda, is hitting the airwaves with calls for speedy food distribution. Some observers say that the disaster preparedness experts in Uganda should have anticipated such a scenario as is unfolding in these three locations given that the rainy seasons had failed throughout 2008 and in 2009.

A development worker with an international NGO, Vibeke Quadde, says, “The situation is dire. The people are feeding on leaves and it is not unusual for them to eat only once in two or more days. What is even more shocking is that that the men sit and drink local brews most of the day – seemingly without a care in the world - as the women and children search for leaves. Sometimes the men leave some of their drink which the women dry, mix with the leaves they have been collecting so that the leaves become more palatable and then feed on this ‘meal’. Even more shocking is that there is a large food market only 40 km away. This is unreal”.

According to Reuters,"The days when climate change sparked excitement only among scientists and environmental campaigners are long gone. Now it's a topic of discussion at the UN Security Council". It seems that the links between climate change and food security and indeed other forms of security are becoming more evident. As climate continues to change the need for innovative ways to grow crops and rare animals will continue to increase. Some of the solutions, experts in agricultural practices say, will include irrigation and planting faster-maturing crops that can withstand harsh weather conditions and visionary leadership at all levels. The situation is even more dire for sick people. Without adequate food the health of some of the patients in hospitals and at home is deteriorating faster and many are dying of diseases that can be managed easily.

Hunger seems like a silent killer. Yet it is actually a not-so-silent terminator because the signs are always there. Some people may leave the security of their homes to seek food and water elsewhere. Would this be a case of climate refugees or internally displaced persons? move to other areas in search of I am calling for humanitarians everywhere to help provide food for the people of Amuria, Soroti and Katakwi.

Photography© by Vibeke Quadde, June 2009.

Above: Children help their mothers to separate leaves from the plants' stock. These leaves are actually their family's next meal!

Below: Villagers enjoying a local brew as their wives and children struggle to find food.