The Golden Years of Work (2001-2002)

 "The Golden Years of Work."

That is what one of my former colleagues from Rainbow International School Kampala, 2001-2002, called it.

Rainbow International School Kampala staff (2001-2002)

It was my very first job. I was in my early twenties, with the energy and zeal of a gazelle and the hunger of a starved buffalo. 

Imagine the elation of knowing that work ended at 3:30pm, except on Monday staff meeting days and day when supervising clubs, where it ended at about 4:00pm. A place where home time was respected so much that one day when the Headmaster saw me marking books after 4pm, he demanded that I return home to rest, or go out to have fun.

The Golden Years of Work.

Every communciation was printed and pasted on the staff noticeboard or sent in hard copy newsletters through the parents and students. I remember distributing some of these letters at home time, admonishing those who would not deliver the letters home to parents or guardians.

The Golden Years of Work.

There would be weekly meet-ups of staff at one of the hangouts near the school. And everyone would be invited, because there were no secret WhatsApp groups or hidden codes in email, since none of us ever used our staff emails. The internet lab was still trying to understand how to work in the new century.

We preferred to share our ideas and plans by word of mouth. Sometimes an English teacher would invite us for a cup of tea; or there would be potluck over the weekend.

Everyone knew what was going on in everyone's life and could not understand why I preferred to spend my weekends at church where I was part of a dynamic dance group, than going white water rafting. You see, my energy was boundless those days and I believe that it still is. I did go white water rafting and bungee jumping a few years later.

Dancing in church was one of the most positive ways I could spend my energy, sweating it out as I pranced and flew. And I used to fly. It was an experience, which I still relive today.

The Golden Years of Work.

Nobody showed up with the intent to outdo one another by dressing a certain way or posting on social media about how their lives were better. A mature person knows that someone who is content with their life, never has to prove it. They walk about with a confidence that is palpable; it is warm and genuine.

We had a lot of self-awareness. We lived for the present, while planning for the future.

I believe that is why the WhatsApp group of former staff at Rainbow is one of the most peaceful WhatsApp groups I am in. I do not feel agitated or attacked by any of the posts.

There are groups where people's intent is only to distress and destroy.

This one is different.

The Golden Years of Work.

Now, about that staff photo.

Why do teachers always pose the same way?

Bless!

Bev

Rainbow International School Kampala staff (2001-2002).

Ninkukunda

 The episode we didn't know we needed. 

Y'all must rush to the Hope against Hope show. Before anything, I must post the link below.

Hope Against Hope

This photo was taken when our first born was at that age where the socks keep slipping off.

Towards the end, someone started cutting onions and so I type this all teary-eyed. Pamela's closing statement, on what she would tell John were he alive,

"The entire world is waiting to see your manifestation."

To each of us. I believe we all need to hear that. We need to hear that there is so much inside of us. I usually tell each of my children every day, "Ninkukunda" meaning, I love you, and they say it back.

A day cannot go by without at least ten Ninkukundas resounding at home. Say it, show it and mean it. You just need to be available and present and that makes all the difference.

At first, I was ready to hear about John and the family dynamics of suicide, and walk away with more pity. Instead, I have walked away from this episode stronger and firmer in my convictions that we must feed our minds with what is true and noble.

We should be able to detect what triggers us and seek help from reliable professionals when it is needed.

We should be able to discern when someone needs a friend, and not a problem-solver or business partner; just a friend.

Reinette Gombya, you have brought such a gift to us all, a passage for us to be delivered, or at least understand how the process must begin. We are at different stages in life. Maybe we need to pause a bit before we go on, so that we are able to shed off that which burdens us unbearably.

Pamela Babirukamu, what a head space you have. What a heart. Thank you. To you and the family, thanks for continuing to educate us on these matters of life. 

Bless you all.

Bev

Piano Evenings, 2025

 What is it like to work with family?

It is like eating charcoal or sand when you are pregnant. You lack iron and the only way to tackle the craving is by eating charcoal or sand. It is an unusual taste and yet it is addictive. Iron tablets are highly recommended, as well.

I have known this person her entire life, and now she coordinates annual Piano Evenings, a blend of classical, traditional and percussion, with poetry and dance, founder and director of Star Creations Antique Furniture, Louise Nakayenga. She is my younger sister. A Grade 6 classical pianist.

In May of this year, we held our second annual Piano Evenings concert and it must be reiterated, 'What a night!' and thank you for the support.

The practices were intense, each performer with such unmatched gift. The evening swayed to the melodies of heaven. The stars bowed down as the evening wore on, shining inside the hall. The moon shone earlier than usual and took its place inside that hall.

For two years, I have performed poetry and co-emceed. A pleasure to do so. Because of the professionalism and high level of performances, there was negligible time to act like sisters.

We were professionals first.

Looking forward to seeing you next year's concert.

Photos by Nick Kironde.

When in Nigeria, do as Nigerians do

When in Nigeria, do as Nigerians do. 

2014 was a significant year for me. 

This year, I was invited to Aboekuta Nigeria to participate in the Ake Festival, a resounding, reverberating and rich cultural festival of literary and visual arts. I had never travelled to Nigeria, before this.

2014 was also the year I was elected as the BBC Commonwealth Games Poet representing Uganda.

2014 was also the year we published our very first poetry anthology, 'A Thousand Voices Rising.'

There were many firsts for me.

I am sipping palm wine, which is a tradition at the Ake Festival, now in existence for over a decade. The more consistent yoiu are, the more yoiu build your credibility. They have built an outstanding platform of writers, poets and artists of various genre over the years.

I tand in awe of anyone able to keep their momentum. I know that behind the scenes, there is fatigue, moments of giving up, exhaustion after the exhilaration and not everyone who gives you a hug, actually wants you to succeed.

And yet you keep on. Give yourself flowers. You deserve them.

At the festival, chief guest Prof. Wole Soyinka, nobel laureate and renowned writer, whose play, 'The Lion and The Jewel,' with its simple plot and deeply layered meaning, is still one of the most vivid and important plays I have read.

When writers and poets gather together, they keep us this undeniably robus energy and magnetic charm, that the atmosphere just changes.

Make sure you attend a literary festival near you this year. It is life-changing.

A Studio Photograph Beats Any Phone Image

 In 2016, during our second poetry festival in Uganda, we requetsed each participant from the different African countries to submit their bio and photograph.

This is what often happens when you request poets to send their professional photographs. Please avoid this at all costs.

1. They are dressed in regalia that hides their face, in a dimly lit room.
2. A cropped photograph of them on an aeroplane.
3. A photograph of them sharing a stage with others, their back to the camera.
4. Their face hidden behind a microphone stand.
5. Arms spread outward facing the ceiling.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE:
AN IPHONE PHOTO IS NOT THE SAME AS A STUDIO PHOTO. GO TO THE STUDIO AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.

It is preferred to have a portfolio of photographs, and ensure that there is an updated professional photograph of not less than six months to a year old.

This photo below was taken in 2015; the year I began taking annual professional studio photographs.

Many people kept asking me to send them stories, respond to interviews, to send poetry for magazines and each had to be accompanied by a photograph and bio.

Some people though, have sometimes gone back to old photographs that they find of me on the internet.

I remember there was one particular photograph which a journalist from one of the leading papers in Uganda used every single time.

There are those exceptional cases.

Time for you to go to the studio.