Sexism |ˈsɛksɪz(ə)m| by dictionary definition is prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. The State Minister of tourism Kiwanda launching the ludicrous Miss Curvy Contest in Uganda said, “We have naturally endowed nice looking women that are amazing to look at. Why don’t we use these people as a strategy…
Screenshot from the Survey on Violence Against Children in Uganda 2018 I run a poll on Twitter, my question was, “were you beaten at school?” Only 92% of the 73 people that responded had been beaten at school for all sorts of reason, they shared their experiences; Evelyn tweeted; In my school, kids were beaten…
When the president mentioned that he and his government were planning to tax social media for too much gossip, we laughed, funny memes made rounds on social media because we thought that this move was simply ridiculous. Who taxes end users of social media in 2018? The Civil society met the finance committee of parliament…
Undeniably, the newly introduced social media tax in Uganda will widen the digital gap. But let me focus on women because the barriers Ugandan women face in accessing and using the internet are still massive. 1 in 9 women in Africa have access to the internet. Only about 37 percent of women surveyed in ten…
In a slum in the heart of Nsambya, a suburb in Kampala, lives 53-year-old Thereza. On the day we visited her, we met her three grandchildren, one was carrying a small raggedy mattress, another a charcoal stove on his head, another child, a bundle of clothes on her head. We asked them where they were…
Before Maombi was displaced from her a village in Rutshuru region, North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), She had a good life, she and her husband had property, were successful farmers until when her family became a target of a ruthless armed militia that was determined to destroy them. Her only…
Twenty-two-year-old Jacque Mweso fled his hometown Bukavu in 2016, he sought refuge at his uncle’s home in Bigo, Bunia only for him to be caught in a tribal clash that displaced and scattered his remaining family. “Earlier this year, tribes were fighting; the Bajegere, Bahema and Balendu started killing each other. On the morning of…
“On a project that I was working on, we had to work with Members of Parliament for their input on a legislation we were drafting. So, we went to parliament, to meet with them. As we were walking towards the room, one MP saw me, walked to me and then he started rubbing my back.…
Who is a child in Africa? I asked. I got various answers ranging from a child is a young human, some said that a child is one that is owned and accepted by the parents, for some even at 20, African parents still consider you a child as long as you live under their roof. In…
The road wanders through the lush green slopes of Mount Elgon. The temperatures suddenly drop as the altitude gets higher and little evening drizzles fall lightly on the gorgeous peaks. Never had I seen that many waterfalls in the same place in my life. If Hollywood ever wanted a paradise without setting it up, Sebei…
Gloria Acan gazed at the prison cell wall wondering when this ordeal would be over. She remembered the sound of magistrate’s hammer when he sentenced her to six months in prison. She had appeared in court three times before. She had prayed that the magistrate would have mercy on her and allow her to take…
This is the fifth story in the series of elite women that have overcome toxic marriages and relationships. I listen as she shares with me her story of loss, abuse and the fight to overcome. In my eyes, the path for my future was well paved out it was clear and very bright. But there…
