Have you ever experienced a crisis?
Uganda has experienced three times of famine. The first one came from 1980 to 1981. We learned about this in stories and riddles. I was a baby then, just about two years. Share on XUganda has experienced three times of famine. The first one came from 1980 to 1981. We learned about this in stories and riddles. I was a baby then, just about two years.
Then somewhere around 1994, another famine struck. I was a teen with a stomach working like the way a Hammer consumes fuel. This famine found us not ready for it. Our family did not know anything like storing food in silos and the like.
I was in Munteme village, in Hoima District, when some tinned food arrived thanks to the World Food Program. Much as the food did not taste good, we were told to “eat to put something in the stomach.” It helped us a lot.
When famine strikes a village you have nowhere to run.
We tried to eat kinds of leaves, bananas, roots and everything in between to survive. This was also a period of discovery. We learned what you can eat and get satisfied. We learned which leaves taste great and which ones are poisonous.
Growing up with a single mother, she did not tolerate any excuses. Each one of us was always assigned a task – fetch water ( it was always about 4 kilometers away), collect firewood (it was always in the forest) or go to the river and look for yams and bush cassava. For 15-year-olds, this task was always bad news.
No wonder we matured quickly beyond our age and up-to-day, some people tell me that I know more than my age! I usually ‘laugh in my palm’ as we Banyoro say, “kusekera omukikonde.’
To overcome a challenge, confront it. Accept any help that comes. Work as a team. And be open to ideas.
This is what the world needs to cover come this pandemic.
All nations of the world must agree to confront the covid challenge. Accept help from other countries. And face the pandemic with a combined force. This is not an Amerian or Asian or European or African problem. It is a global problem that has disrupted the world in ways we have never witnessed in our lifetime.
To overcome a crisis, do not point fingers. Have a clear communication protocol. And follow the directives.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
