Revellers at one of Kampala’s hangout spot. PHOTO | ISAAC KASAMANI
As Ugandans, as Black people, we tend to hide away from certain facts.
One of the facts is that we always have to work twice harder. And that is the price we must pay in the short term. And if we do pay that price now, then our children or the generation that follows will not have to pay the same price.
I have always told friends that it is the price we pay for rebranding. I remember one day I was on an online call that had project managers from all over the world. Some of us had been selected to talk about our projects in just five minutes. For that specific year, I was the only person from Africa with a presentation.
I logged in much earlier, kept testing my internet, got the best background and was ready. When my time came, I almost forgot to unmute and they were about to pass me over. But when I got to speak, I was speaking not just for Ortega but for the Ugandan brand, for the Black brand, for the African brand. In those five minutes, I gave that slide my blood, sweat and toil. I have always made one commitment to myself, if I have a stage, I must always make the most of it.
I never want to be the reason the next Ugandan is despised. I have always seen my duty to Uganda, to Africa, to this Black skin as struggle for excellence. It is only by making a commitment towards great things that we can claim the brand of greatness.
At the end of that online event, the guy who had convened it had only one name to remember. He kept referring to Ortega in his closing remarks. The thing is that as Black people, as Africans, as Ugandans, we must always see ourselves as a potential source of a fire. That our single acts, our single efforts, could be the fire that spreads and liberates the continent. If we can commit to a journey of excellence, we could probably liberate the African brand in our life time.
Yes, we need to make money. We need to pay the bills, we need to survive. But as we do all that, we have a brand to build, we have a generation to liberate, and we have a duty to play. A duty to Africa, a duty to Uganda, a duty to this Black skin.
I had never been conscious of my Black skin. But the first time I went to Europe, it really dawned on me, everything about how this skin is perceived, the treatment, the subtleties. On that day, I made a commitment not only to myself but to my people, my family, the generation that will follow that we shall die trying to rebrand this skin.
I do not believe in the concept of getting a seat at the table. I have always believed in setting up my own table. It may take long, months or even years, but when you build your table, there is no better satisfaction.
And for far too long, we have always spoken about these things and almost did nothing. The time is now to stop asking and actually get to doing something. If not now, when? If not us, who? In the coming weeks, will be announcing what I am doing from my front, what we are really doing about it from our circle of competence. And we hope we can move together on this pursuit.
