"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." - Dorothea Lange

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

congratulations are in order

Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni has approved a law that will see people convicted of homosexuality in Uganda jailed for life. In these extracts from director Roger Ross Williams' documentary God Loves Uganda, undercover filming by a Boston-based Anglican priest, Kapya Kaoma, shows how anti-gay evangelical campaigners from the United States have been influential in the debate, pushing Uganda to pass measures that would be unthinkable in the US.





The news from St. Mary Kevin Orphanage yesterday had nothing to do with any of this. There were only celebratory emails having to do with the fact that our beloved Senior 4 students performed incredibly well on their national exams - even Willy, Nicky and Sam, boys who had lost their CTT scholarships a year ago because of poor academic performance and questionable behavior. St. Mary Kevin administration had stepped forward last year and assumed responsibility for the boys' schooling (a sacrifice for the Kavulus), switching them from boarders to day students (to save on cost) just to get them through Senior 4, an important benchmark in Ugandan education. All that said, the boys put their noses to the grindstone this past year, determined to make the Kavulus and Change the Truth proud… and determined to get their acts together so they can move ahead with their education and really make something of themselves.

Tonight a chicken will be cooked, a cake will be baked, good food and some bottled sodas will be shared. Melissa and SMK are throwing a party for these boys, Scovia and Yawe Joseph (CTT sponsored students), all of whom buckled down and did their very best (which ended up being absolutely stellar). I wish I could be in Kajjansi to raise a bottle of Orange Fanta and make a toast to these students.

Unfortunately, I'll be on my couch watching Rachel Maddow continue her discussion about Museveni's signing of the anti-gay bill.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hopefully our stellar CTT students will be positive forces for change and tolerance in Uganda as they become adults.

D.

Jessica said...

Congratulations to all of these hard-working and accomplished young people! Great job!