apagefrommunakusbook

                                                     

Modern technologies are connecting all people worldwide thus reducing the world to a global village. This shrunken world is highly competitive and it is not lost on me that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown also changed how we live and work.

In this 21 st century, driven by science and technology, things change very fast, requiring workers and employers to be more creative and innovative to remain useful and relevant. There are no more permanent jobs or skills.

For those in their thirties and forties who are trying to build their careers and personal lives, a highly competitive environment puts them under immense pressure. Available data shows that in Uganda, 400,000 thousand students graduate each year to compete for a mere 100,0000 jobs available in the formal sector!

I have watched my children, their friends and other young men and women struggling to carve a path though this ‘rat race’ in human life. Sadly , it has become an exhaustive, repetitive  lifestyle that leaves them with no time for relaxation or enjoyment. For the majority , this competitive struggle to get ahead is caused by fear and uncertainty while for a few of them it is caused by greed. It does not stop at the workplace but filters down to how children are being raised. Young children are taken to schools and enrolled in various courses and classes to turn them into all round students. They perform under great expectations and pressure. In the process, they lose their childhood and potential and their mental health is badly affected.

The psychologist would remind the parents that every child is different and unique and that children should be allowed to perform without pressure and also be allowed to explore the world. They should be supported to enjoy their childhood.

Children should be left to make their choices and have their choices respected. Parents should guide these little ones into a good future and encourage the children’s interest and encourage them to work hard and to love what they do.

For these young parents, I would draw their attention to the significance of “ me time’’ in one’s tight schedule.

“ Life is like running a marathon. Train for endurance not speed.’’– Unknown

In a world that is highly connected and apparently  never sleeps, one needs time to be alone. Spending time alone with yourself allows you to reboot, meditate, focus and be more creative and productive. Being away from it all reduces the distractions and interruptions.

Women in particular, as the natural Caregivers and nurturers in our communities, have many demands made on their time by family, friends and careers that they may fail to find time for themselves. And when they do, they tend to feel guilty about it.

The psychologists never cease to remind us that each one of us needs time to look within herself/himself to know who he/she really is.  Knowing your inner thoughts and beliefs, your gifts, talents and weaknesses and embracing them, helps you to act authentically and results in meaningful and fulfilling lives.

As children we very much want to please our parents then our teachers and later as teenagers we want to please our peers mainly because we want to belong and even fit in. We step into predetermined roles that in a large measure come to define us. Between 30 and 40 years of age, we go through life being guided by our ambitions, desires and aspirations.

After 40 most of us throw away the cultural and society conditioning and embark on a journey to find our own way of expressing our uniqueness in the world. Through our identities and vocations we express who we are.

The Merriam – Webster dictionary defines Self –awareness as an awareness of one’s own personality or individuality.  Psychologists refer to this state as a state in which oneself becomes the focus of attention. It involves being aware of the different aspects of the Self including traits, behaviours and feelings. It is about understanding your own needs, desires, failings, habits, why you feel what you feel and why you behave in a particular way and everything else that makes you, you.

“ I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am , the more I will respect myself.”- Charlotte Bronte.

 Self-awareness is a challenging and a lifelong effort. Through the experiences we go through: loses and achievements, failures and successes and how we respond to them  and our interactions with other people and how we respond to them , help us to explore and understand ourselves . We find the Self- the inner you. We act on what we get to know about ourselves and use it to change ourselves for the better. The inner you has to be constantly renewed and healed by connecting to the mind, soul ,  and heart .

The Benefits of self-awareness/Knowing yourself.

“ I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.” – Hermann Hesse

Knowing your inner self is essential for you to live a more meaningful and satisfying life. It helps you become more objective about yourself. Other benefits include:

• Having a clear sense of purpose- you get to know your purpose and direction in life. You get to know what is important to you and what you hope to achieve.
• Self-acceptance- you understand that you are not perfect but have strengths and weaknesses. You recognize the form of your own beauty, whether it is the beauty of your body, mind or your character. It helps you to gradually become honest and authentic.
• You build strong relationships- the more you know and understand yourself, the more you get to understand others and the more you can influence them positively.
• Experience greater well-being. The more you are in touch with your soul, the more you recognize the great worth within you, you begin to respect and have reverence of oneself.
• Happiness- you align your thoughts, actions with your core values.
• More creative and productive- When your mind, your soul and heart are in harmony, you are more focused, imaginative and creative. You create things out of who you are organically.

       How to increase Self-awareness.

The psychologists advise us to increase our self awareness by practicing the following every day:

1. Devote time to yourself- everyday spend time with yourself by reading, writing, praying and connecting with yourself.
2. Mindfulness practice- pay attention to your inner state and external experiences occurring in the present moment. It can be done through training or by practicing meditation.
3. Keep a journal- Record your thoughts, feelings, ideas and important decisions. It helps you to process your thoughts and to connect with yourself at a deeper level. It helps you also to track your progress in life.
4. Train yourself to become a good listener- Listen beyond the words. Listening to others makes you a better listener to your own inner voice and you become your own best friend.
5. Feedbacks- have the courage to ask what others think of you- at home, at work and ask the friends you consider important to you. As you learn about yourself, you also learn about others and how they respond to you. Use the objective feedback to change yourself for the better. The more you accept yourself, the more accepting of others you become.

Researchers have proved that the best way to get to truly know yourself is to disconnect from it all; people, gadgets and be alone with yourself.

In the Bible, on several occasions, Jesus Christ would go off alone to pray and refresh himself.

A day before he chose the twelve disciples, he went up a hill to pray and spent the whole night there praying to God.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Carl Gustav Jung.

As a daughter, wife, mother, friend, medical doctor and member of my community, I used to find it difficult to make time for myself. As I grow older, I have found it easier to find time to give to myself without feeling guilty. I developed it gradually after I recognized that I was not indispensable, neither could I be available 24/7 nor do everything. I learned to prioritize to free up time to focus on the 20% most important things in my life. I learned to delegate tasks and to empower family and friends to do things for themselves. I have learned to set boundaries and limits to safeguard myself against burn out.

I regularly give to myself by reading the Bible, reading novels, listening to good music, country and  oldies tunes.  I am a keen gardener too. I tend to my vegetable garden and small orchard. Right now I have a graviola/soursop tree bent with spiky green fruits. I cannot wait to eat them and share a few with friends.

Walking about in the bush in the village is a privileged experience that enables me to connect with the beauty of nature and to find my place in the universe. It feeds my soul.

My best time with myself is when I wake up as early as 5am to write a chapter for a novel or a post for the blog for two and half hours. By that time it is peaceful and calm as most people are still in bed and the deafening noises of the boda bodas– motorcycle taxis, are also silent. I try to pack in as much as I can before the sunrise. Thankfully, the ideas flow freely. I am strongly focused as I paint on the day’s blank canvas using all the colours of the rainbow. I tend to be more productive and effective at this quiet time. At that moment in time, I am fully conscious of who I am and what I am doing.

I have come to understand that all human beings are born to be creators of things including their own lives and that the most magnificent works are created only when the mind, soul and heart are working in tandem. The works themselves are an expression of who we are at that moment in time. When the mind and soul are at odds, we live a life of struggle. Many people pass through life not knowing who truly they are and what they want out of life. Sometimes the people around us influence us to the extent of suffocating who we are or the choices available to us are limited. We miss out on expressing our wholeness- not expressing what is most unique about each one of us towards making a better world.

“ We are alive or dead according to the condition of our Souls.”- James Hillman

The Soul is the most creative and transformative part of ourselves.

And Ralph Ellison said: “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.’’ 

Being in touch with your Soul awakens your imagination and this drives you to find meaning and beauty in your life. Life ceases to be a struggle and instead things flow easily.

According to Wikipedia, the multilingual free online encyclopedia, One of the mottos inscribed on the 4^th century BC Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece was : “ Know Thyself.’’ The ancient Greek philosophers, Socrates and Plato often referred to this motto in their works. Essentially it served to draw the attention of the worshippers entering the temple to the fact that : When you know and understand yourself then you are able to understand other human beings better.

After all, much of our lives are created collectively not individually.

QUESTION:

Do you set aside “Me Time” every day  to get in touch with your Soul? Have you started creating beautiful things authentically from your Soul?

Those working in the advertising world know better than any of us that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image. A simple image  can bring out character, emotion and colour into the message we want to convey.

“ A picture is worth a thousand words.’’– Fred . R.  Barnard advertising executive.

Human beings have five primary senses namely sight, sound, smell , taste and touch. We use these five senses to collect information about our environment and send them to our brains for interpretation. This serves one main purpose – enabling us to survive in our environment. Sight is our dominant sense while hearing is the most sensitive. About 80% of what we learn from the world around us is due to perception, learning, cognition and activities are mediated through vision. A child learns from those around her/him mainly by observing, listening and imitating.

In today’s world of consumerism, manufacturers and service providers have to compete to capture our attention. They study our behaviour then target us with well designed, clear messages and bold colours. They do this consistently to increase our awareness about the products and services- influencing our behaviour and creating familiarity. Living in this era of digital marketing and online advertising, outdoor advertising like use of billboards, banners and signs usually in public areas are still very effective in capturing people’s attention and conveying the intended message aiming at motivating consumers to take the intended action.

Writers are being constantly reminded to write with brevity- brief, simple and concise. Be objective and focused; avoiding verbal clutter. Practice a bit of “Kiss: keep it Short and Simple.

“If It is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out .’’– George Orwell

In this post, I have  decided  to express my thoughts loudly throug some photographs from my collection.

Nature:

SUNRISE OVER  the Atlantic ocean in Cape Town , South Africa.

Table Mountain overlooking a calm ocean

Midmorning  by Lake Nalubaale.

TIME CHANGES US:

Maama at her best.

 Seasons change

Harsh winter is usually followed by a glorious Spring. 

There is a Time for Everything

A time to sow and the time to harvest.

Last but not least, let me briefly talk about two important elements that affect how we navigate the ever changing Digital world.

Working online or offline is the order of the day in this Digital era. Nearly every online activity leaves some form of digital trace: digital footprint. This data is stored by third-party services and is relatively permanent. It includes website visits searches ran, social media posts , comments or any other interaction. It can reveal a lot of personal information about you. Once data is made public or semi-public the owner has very little control over how it can be used. it can be abused. It can be used to distort or destroy your reputation, relationships and employment opportunities both negatively and positively. We are advised to minimise our Digital footprints.

http://www.keeper security.com advises us to reduce information publically available about ourselves. Among the actions that we are advised to take to limit data that is left behind after working online are:

• Use tighter privacy settings
• Use strong passwords
• Delete accounts
• Delete social media accounts
• Limit your online accounts.
• Always to update your software. Not updating the software for your computer or mobile phone increases their risk for a cyberattack.
• Restrict mobile app permissions.

While trying to protect and reduce our Digital footprints, we have also to prepare ourselves for both the potential of positive and negative effects of Artificial Intelligence ( AI).

Computer scientists have long been in the quest to  develop machines that control the world- machines that can see, read and at least appear to think. This is what is called Artificial Intelligence(AI). AI is gradually empowering people in a myriad ways. It has the potential to make the world  a better place like increasing the access to education and health care  but at the same time , it has the potential to be grossly abused if not well regulated worldwide.

We have to brace ourselves to accept and work with AI experiences. As of now, Computing power can be used in many things like : 

AI can write anything for you.

It can outperform  many humans

AI can generate photographs, videos- creating pictures of events that have never happened. It can generate made- believe photos and videos.

This potential comes with new challenges as well as opportunities.

We live in a world that changes so quickly; knowledge changing fast. AI

  is here to stay and demands that we minimise its potential for abuse worldwide immediately.

www.linkedin.com.  The largest  professional network on the internet

 suggests the following actions:

1. All countries should establish clear legal frameworks that foster responsible AI practises.
2.  Promote education and awareness and encourage international co-operation in a manner that benefits society while safeguarding human values and interests.
3. Label synthetic AI generated content to distinguish it from human –created content. It has the ability to mislead and misinform thus threatening both individual  and democratic institutions at large.

In today’s fast-changing Digital world; flooded with information and an  explosion of video content, the mantra of “ less is more’’ defines effectiveness. Research has shown that the average human span is low: around 8 seconds. It is now a daunting task to capture and retain viwers’ attention. The viewers need concise, focused simple message: easy to understand and remember.

Both writers and content producers have this daunting task to deliver the message quickly and effectively.

“ Transformation is not a future event ; it’s a present activity.’’- Jillian Michaels

QUESTION: How are you navigating the digital transformation for your development and success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape?

Ngugi wa Thiong’o  is considered to be East Africa’s leading novelist. 

By sheer coincidence, he is a graduate of Makerere University College of the early 60s and has been writing since then.

His first novel: Weep Not Child was published in May 1964 !

Like in any other industry, writers grow over time; maturing to become society’s influencers and catalysts of change.

A book or a short story that a writer writes and publishes at a particular moment in time, reflects the overall maturity of that person and how he/she interprets society at that moment. One good reason to keep writing.

As Ngugi wa Thiong’o clearly puts it in these quotations:

“Write write write again , and you will get it right.’’ In short: write and write makes it right.

“All that mankind has done, thought, gained or been; it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books.’’

Writing is a skill that requires a tremendous amount of practice to become the best of the best.

 The writer Malcom Gladwell popularised the 10,000-hour rule of guided practice for anyone to become a master of a skill. 

I have been running a personal blog since 2016; to hone my writing skills, to build up a readership base and to connect with writers. I use my wealth of knowledge, skills and experiences to impact readers in my small way. Getting feedbacks from writing groups and readers has helped me tremendously to grow as a writer.

I attend writing workshops and conferences in my quest to become a master. Last week I attended a three days’ international conference to celebrate Abdulrazak Gurnah as the first East African writer to win the Nobel Literature Prize (2021).  It was organised by the Uganda Women Writers’ Association- FEMRITE, founded in 1995.

I consistently take part in writing competitions like the Commonwealth short story competition. It pushes me to write to a wider, diversified audience. It takes me out of my comfort zone.

I am a member of several Online writing cartels like The Write Practice, Yours2 Read and Two Drops of Ink. It has enabled me to connect with other writers worldwide.

I write short stories in between larger projects. It has helped me develop my own style.  Writing Short stories forces me to focus on writing clearly and consistently.  I am becoming a better writer. Writing has now become a practice to me. 

Flipping the coin, any writer who wants to acquire literary excellence has to become an avid reader.

 I consider consistent reading and writing as inseparable Siamese twins.

I read books by different authors and of different genres.

Reading expands my vocabulary and imagination widely. The more I read, the easier it becomes for me to create believable characters, to edit my writing pieces and enhance them. It also encourages me to take more risks in writing.

I gain valuable knowledge from each book I read and this is how I was turned into a global citizen long before the invention of the Internet.              

The more I read, the more remarkable I write.

I regularly read medical journals to keep abreast with new advances in medicine and science.

This is what I have been reading lately:

Protection, Patronage , or Plunder? British Machinations and (B)uganda’s Struggle for Independence by Apollo N. Makubuya

This is a huge book but very essential book that dissects the history of Uganda as a British protectorate for sixty-eight years and beyond. I chose to read it slowly and it took me three months to complete but it was worth the time and effort. What makes it unique is that the writer, a lawyer by profession, had access to declassified records that had been kept under lock and key in UK for over fifty years. Close to  our independence in 1962, many historical documents were shredded and burned at the Lugazi Sugar works and others were  packed in crates and damped  at sea to sanitize the colonial abuses.  The safe files were then shipped to UK and kept at a high secret building used by the national security organisations: M15 and M16.

Makubuya has ably used these recently declassified documents as he chronicles the events of the 68 years. Starting from the coming of the first Europeans: Speke and Grant who came looking for the source of the river Nile in 1862. Followed by the Europeans’ Scramble for Africa in early 1885, that created new boundaries which divided ethnicities with no attention to their rich cultural and social bonds. The scramble contributed to the civil conflicts which have lasted up to today. The British wanted to gain control of Uganda mainly to control the source of the river Nile, the lifeblood of Egypt which the British occupied in 1882. They expanded their influence in East Africa and elsewhere to acquire raw materials that could be exploited to fuel the industrial revolution. After colonisation, they concentrated on spreading Christianity, finding new wealth and new trade routes and consolidating their power.

By late 40s, the bataka/clan heads in Buganda had started agitating for control of their land and by 1952 Buganda kingdom, driven by its fear of being included in an East African federation before the clarification of its position in a united Uganda, stood up against the colonial Governor.  This culminated in the first exile of King Edward Mutesa 11.

By 1955, the cost of maintaining the empire had become enormous and draining on a Britain that was  recovering from the effects of the World War 11. From 1955-1975, a period that came to symbolise the Wind of Change, Britain was forced to let go of the colonies and territories one by one. In the process, the administrators of the Uganda Protectorate hastily put together a group of small states into one Uganda with hardly any negotiations, terms or agreements. 

At Independence, the first Prime Minister:  Apollo Milton Obote, took over a country loosely held together.

Four years later, the fight for power and control had begun and since then Uganda has been a troubled country. There was a military coup in 1971, a liberation war in 1979, a military coup in July 1985 and a  military takeover in January 1986. Uganda has had nine heads of state in the 61 years of Independence.

I have lived through all these post-independence reigns of terror and wars. Our generation considers itself as the Troubled one.

Reading this well researched and thoroughly written history book has helped me understand Uganda’s past clearly. I was able to understand and question some of the decisions taken by those in authority then- the colonial administrators, the collaborating chiefs and the self-interested elites. It is a must-read for all Ugandans from an early age. All aspiring politicians must read it. Understanding our past will free us of it and calls for every well-meaning Ugandan to be responsible, to look at opportunities of using our past to negotiate for a future that embraces us all. We need to do things differently including solving the long standing issues of the Buganda question, land distribution and the effective decentralisation of power.

I cannot wait to read Makubuya’s next big book: THRONES & THORNS.

Kizza Besigye And Uganda’s Unfinished Revolution by Daniel K. Kalinaki

It is about the revolution that was triggered by the need to transform Uganda’s old political order that had enabled the rigging of the 1980 general elections. The Luwero-based guerrilla fighters led by Yoweri Museveni had good intentions of finding a most stable, inclusive political system for Uganda. It was a five year protracted guerrilla war that ended with their defeat of the old order on the 25^th January 1986. The fighters promised us a fundamental change in the political, economic and social areas.

Since then, the population has seen some good transformation of the political and economic systems. There have been some bad ones as well; the initial four years in power has been extended indefinitely by the removal of the presidential term limits and age limits. This has created a big gap between the people’s expectations and satisfaction. By the end of 2000, Kizza Besigye was forced by the prevailing circumstances to step up and take action. He offered himself as a presidential candidate, opening up opposition within the originals of the revolution.

The revolution has continued to evolve but from 2001, it has pitted President Yoweri Museveni against Kizza Besigye for the presidency as the government became less democratic, less effective in dealing with and managing society’s concerns and wellbeing.

Some of the original fighters interpreted Besigye’s daring move as “jumping the queue’’ of succession. From 2001 to the general election of 2011, the two fighters hotly contested against each other as Presidential candidates. On each occasion, Besigye and his loyal followers believed that the outcome was a result of the captured systems by an individual. Besigye petitioned the election results of each season in the Supreme court on the basis of rigging, the electoral processing not being free and fair and the violence unleashed on the opposition. The presiding judges agreed on the compromises and malpractices of the electoral process but by a simple majority, they did not consider the flaws big enough to warrant nullifying the results. Having failed to change the government through the vote , Besigye turned to weakening it by  leading  a campaign of defiance and resistance.  The combined power of the military and the Presidency would do whatever it took to contain Besigye.

The country is surely sliding back into inequality and impoverishment. Corruption has become ingrained in all systems and the political patronage has silenced many. Graft has eaten away services and the social fabric.

Sustaining the revolution is becoming increasingly difficult as solutions to the greatest challenges faced by the ordinary people like unemployment, poor education, poor health care services, poor housing and sanitation, poor transport systems and adding value to the majority of the people through economic prosperity and wellbeing is more talk than action.

This is why Besigye as one of the original fighters and among the architects of the Movement’s  Ten-Point Political Programme, categorically states that Uganda’s revolution is far from complete.

Kalinaki as an accomplished journalist of the time, did a remarkable job in piecing the story of the revolution and of the two protagonists together. Intellectually stimulating, easy to understand and follow.

Reading Kizza Besigye’s story soon after reading Makubuya’s Protection, Patronage or Plunder,

was a sheer coincidence but it ended up being very beneficial to me. Each book boosts the credibility of the other. In the last chapter of Makubuya’s book he suggests ways of how after understanding our checkered past, turbulent history and being liberated from it, we must all take the responsibility to look out for opportunities and new possibilities to negotiate for our collective future.

Similarly, in the epilogue of Besigye’s book, after going through a litany of arrests, torture, humiliation and defeats while fighting to oppose the system headed by the incumbent President, he clearly points it out that: Uganda’s revolution that begun in 1981, is far from complete.

He knows for sure that this revolution will never progress to completion until pivotal reforms in politics and governance are put in place by all well- meaning Ugandans led by the opposition or movement or both. Readers are left with the responsibility of doing something different for their country.

Failing to do this, like the Medusa head of Greek mythology, our past will keep raising its ugly head into the present; essentially leaving us in the past and influencing our future. 

Robert Heinlein rightly said: A generation which ignores history has no past and no future

QUESTION:

What do you have to say about this quote in relation to our prevailing circumstances?

We have all had them in our midst- all round students who seem to excel at everything they choose to do.

According to the literature review by UNESCO about gifted children, gifted children is a broad definition that includes intellectual, academic and artistic prowess. Each child is unique in talent and ability but when addressing giftedness, a holistic approach to intelligence, academia and creativity has to be taken. 

The ancient Greeks believed that wisdom and intelligence were important in society in that gifted people could use their intelligence and wisdom to impact the world. A few such people dared to  challenge  existing systems. In Greek mythology; the story of Arachne (Greek name for a spider) which has several versions; in one version, this exceptional weaver dared to compete with Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war and handcraft and herself a weaver. Arachne won the contest, enraging and offending goddess Athena so much that she transformed Arachne into a spider to remain a weaver for all her life!

Reading around gifted children I came across three websites among them https://www. davidsongifted.org run by the Davidson Institute of University Nevada, Reno campus.

 The Institute has been in existence since 1999 and its main goal is to identify, nurture, accelerate and support gifted children in USA to reach their highest potential.

Among the common traits of gifted children: 

• They have the ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers.
• They have surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age
• A strong sense of curiosity
• Absorb information quickly and can find simple patterns in complex information; connecting seemingly unrelated aspects.
• Are enthusiastic about unique interests and topics.
• Creative problem solving and imaginative expression
• Have a mature sense of humour,
• Socially aware, aware of global issues.

Gifted children tend to be overlooked in traditional classrooms but the Davidson institute works to identify them early in life and place them in a supportive environment to develop academically, emotionally and socially to their highest potential.

The Intelligence quotient (IQ) is used to measure a person’s reasoning ability or mental aptitude compared to a group their peers. It tests one’s ability to use information and logic to answer questions or make predictions. There are about 9 reliable, standard IQ tests but the most

 widely used are: the Wechesler Adult Intelligence Scale which takes 60-75 minutes to complete

 and the Stanford- Binet intelligence scale designed by Alfred Binet in the 1900s,the father of IQ tests.

Only those tests administered by a trained psychologist can provide reliable results.

Most people score between 70-130

110-119- above average

120-140- Gifted

Over 140- geniuses or profoundly gifted.

80-90- below average

Under 70- definite feeble-minded.

Terence Tao, a Chinese –American mathematician, is currently said to have the highest IQ score in the world, between 225-230!

Some gifted children have high intelligence test scores, others have high levels of creativity while others have the ability to focus on a task and a few have a combination of these three.

The last time I visited my grandchild at her international school, to celebrate Grandparents day, she was withdrawn- far removed from the enthusiastic, spontaneous and talkative girl I know at home. I could not put a finger on the cause of her despondency but I alerted the mother. Time has proved my fears right. She has just been promoted to a new class and has a new class teacher. She keeps telling her mother that she misses her previous teacher. She added that they are not learning new things and she was getting bored. She is no longer enthusiastic about going to school in the mornings.

She has always learned things fast, has a strong sense of curiosity- always asking “why’’ and “is that all?’’

She has an enviable memory. She enjoys being read to and working on puzzles but still wants to help in the kitchen. Most likely the new teacher is not bringing out the best out of her and the class work may not be challenging enough to her brain.

This reminded me of the characteristics of gifted children and the need for the education system to pick them and come out with programmes that stimulate higher education achievement and accelerate their progress. Otherwise they are suffocated early in childhood.

My country, Uganda, is among the least developed countries in the world and like all African countries, its education system focuses on equity and raising achievement among low performing pupils. Learning to read and write and do simple maths is the basic requirement for any child to navigate today’s increasingly globalised and competitive world.

A few countries in the world like Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Norway have come up with targeted education programmes to offer a conducive environment that raise the performance of gifted and talented children. The children go through the curriculum faster and explore the subjects in greater depths. Such programmes group the gifted children together, maximise the potential of the highest-attaining students, target their specific needs to increase their potential. When grouped together, they learn more from each other and even compete further.

 Proverb 27:17 says : People learn from one another , just as iron sharpens iron. 

Surprisingly, some innovative teachers in Kings College Buddo, the most prestigious co-educational school in Uganda then, recognised that they had a number of gifted boys and girls in their school. Since Uganda had no Education policy about such students, the teachers came up with their own programme mainly to offer a challenging curriculum to these high- attaining students.

 The top students in the first term of senior one were selected to participate in this Express programme as it was known by then. They were grouped together and started on a challenging curriculum that compressed the conventional secondary curriculum of four years into three years. They were also encouraged to join extracurricular activities like sports and music. True to form, these young students delivered; each passing on average five of the eight subjects taken by each student with distinctions (score of 75 and above). They went on to study for A-levels in the same school. They continued to perform brilliantly and many of them joined the then only national university, Makerere, for Medicine and agriculture and some joined the university of Nairobi for engineering, veterinary medicine, a few were awarded scholarships to study other professions like chemical engineering and dentistry that were not offered in other African universities of the time. The Express programme was started in 1965 when Ian Robinson was the headmaster of Kings College Buddo. It stopped in 1971 when Amin Dada, the then President of Uganda, expelled Asians from Uganda. Many expatriate staff in schools, vocational colleges and university left en masse between August 1971 and 1972.

By the time I joined the then only medical school in Uganda, in July 1972, I had the privilege to study with more than six of these gifted students from Buddo. They were younger than us who had gone through the conventional four years of secondary education. They were down- to – earth students, highly curious , questioning everything and had a sense of humour. They read voraciously and they  brought a lot of depth to the topics of anatomy, physiology, local and global politics that we discussed at the cadaver tables and in the students common room. They always wanted to understand the big picture while holding themselves and all of us to high standards. 

They pushed many of us to do more and become better students. It was a healthy competitive environment. They also learned something from us. The learning environment was tense due to the brutality and violence of Amin’s regime but we formed strong bonds and looked out for each other. Due to the civil strife, many of us left Uganda after internship in search of a conducive environment for career growth and development and both social and economic well-being.  

As I write now, one of them is a clinical pharmacologist in Townsville, Australia, another is a paediatrician/neonatologist in Toronto, Canada, another recently retired after working with the giant Pfizer pharmaceutical company for some decades, another one has been working as a surgeon in the Critical Care speciality at the Lincoln hospital, New York City and another has been practicing as a gynaecologist in South Africa since the days of Apartheid. He had incredible courage and determination to repeat his postgraduate degree from Makerere which was by then not recognised in South Africa!

 Only last week, we buried here in Uganda, a world renowned cardiac specialist who was based in Sydney, Australia for over three decades.

In my school, a prestigious girls school which was predominantly run by young women from the Church Missionary Society of Britain, only one student was allowed to cover four years of secondary education in three years. She was a profoundly gifted student who needed to be occupied with a challenging curriculum.  The headmistress had wanted a few of us who used to finish our assignments early and ended up being idle and naughty, to be considered for the three years’ programme. She was overruled by the majority of the teachers.

 The children of the digital technology- driven 21st century have a lot of stimulation around them in the form of computer tablets, smart phones and TVs. They learn faster by reading, watching and listening to audio clips. They are forced to think fast and do more for themselves as long as this global access to knowledge is not abused.

As for my fast – learning grandchild, the parents and her teachers have to work out a programme that keeps her engaged, encourages her to explore more, be creative and answers her many ‘’Why’’ questions. It may require a change of schools.

“All great men and women are gifted with intuition. They know without reasoning or analysis what they need to know.’’ – Alexis Carrel

QUESTION:

How are you daring to be “you’’ by breaking the conventional ways of doing things?

Growing old is a privilege that is not enjoyed by everyone. Having said that, the number of elderly people in the world even in communities of the least developed countries like mine, has continued to rise for decades. World Health Organisation statistics show that in 2022 there were 771 million people aged 65 years and above globally, accounting for almost 10% of the world’s population. This segment of the population is expected to rise to 16 % in 2050. 

 United Nations defines an elderly person as anyone who is over 60 years of age. WHO regional office for Africa set 50 years as being old age in the Sub- Saharan Africa.

 Advances in science and medicine have allowed many people to live longer. As people are living longer, their wellbeing and dignity has to be ensured. As we grow older, we suffer decline in our physical and mental capacities and this results in challenges and opportunities. There is an increased demand for primary health care and long term care.

United Nations declared 2021 -2030 as the decade of healthy aging mainly to bring everyone on board : governments, international agencies, professionals, private sectors and communities to improve the lives of older people , their families and communities. Healthy longevity.

The elderly have to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse. They should be treated fairly regardless of age. They contributed to the development and growth of their communities and countries during the active part of their lives.

The 5 most crucial rights of the elderly as par the UN guidelines include:

• The right to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms                              
• The right for care                     
•   The right for self-fulfilment                                
•    The right for Dignity – full respect for their beliefs, needs and privacy
• The right to make decisions about their care and the quality of their lives                    

Due to improvement in health care and hygiene, universal education, improvements in the environment, sufficient food, healthier lifestyles and better economic development, Uganda’s life expectancy has continued to rise from the 50s to date. It has risen from  an average of 49.16 years  in 1971 to the current 62.9 years for males and 67.2 in females according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics population projections Reports of 2015-2050.

 The HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 80s and 90s had lowered it to 45.72 in 1991, wiping out the gains that had been made since independence.

 The 2 year long COVID-19 pandemic killed more people aged 60 and above due to chronic underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cancers.

Since December 1990, 1st October has been celebrated as the UN’s International Day of Older Persons to recognise the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives.  The theme varies from year to year.

The theme for 2023 was : Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons : Across Generations.

As early as the 2nd September 2023, my four years old grandchild had invited me to join her celebrate the day of grandparents at her preschool, Inyana International School in Kiwafu, Kansanga. With her reassuringly innocent smile she had indicated that I had to be there on that day. The official invitation from the school came later.

On the Friday, 29^th September 2023, I dropped everything to be at Inyana school by 10am. I was simply dressed in an olive-green dress, light green jacket and pair of low-heeled beige shoes.

Amazingly, Nanziri’s paternal grandmother had beaten me to it!

We were warmly received by our grandchildren who looked very much alike in their red T-Shirts over black trousers and black shoes. The teachers were also in red and black.

The grandparents were of all ages and sizes; some were dressed in the colourful African prints, traditional busuti but majority were elegant and vibrant in the modern dresses and suits without neck ties. There were two couples from the Far East.

 There were two young couples of my daughter’s age. Later I learned that the grandparents lived far away from Kampala so the parents had chosen to stand in for them. It worked wonders for their children.

The grandchildren sang songs for us then accompanied us to their different classes to look at their books and creative pictures on the walls. Each guest was given a card put together by the grandchild.

Under the eyes of her teacher, Nanziri was not as spontaneous as she usually is at home.

It drizzled and we sought shelter in those small classes. We squeezed ourselves on

 the tiny chairs and desks! It all seemed so long ago since I last sat on such  a small – sized chair!

“Something magical happens when parents turn into grandparents.’’– Paul Linden

The school arranged for each student to take three photographs with each of  her/his grandparents. These were later sent to us on the parents’ phones.

I remembered I had a few photos of my classmates in Junior school and senior school. Some were taken during the school plays that we used to perform at the end of each year. Over the years I have come to treasure them immensely.

By the time we left at 12:30,  a few of the youngest grandchildren were crying for their grandparents and were being calmed down by the class teachers. Nanziri had joined the boys racing big trucks on the floor.

I left the school happy and content for the attention we had been accorded. I was also hopeful for the future as it dawned on me that a part of my history would no doubt form a part of Nanziri’s future.

For over 35 years we had been putting others first: spouses, children but at least for now someone was putting us first. 

Back home, something kept nagging me: in the forty visitors at the school the majority of us were women. Not more than three couples had come in as grandfather and grandmother.

What I had noted was not an exception; globally, females tend to outlive the males.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Population Projections Reports 2015-2050,

those aged 60 and above make up about 3.7% of the population and the majority of these are female.

The few times I have accompanied my mother to collect her monthly Elderly allowance of 25 thousand UGX (6.67 US dollars), a privilege only for those aged 80 and above. They make up 0.4% of the population :81,600 males and 122,400 females.

By simple observation, the majority of these are females even in our communities. This is how it has been since I was growing up in the 60s.

Countries with highest life expectancy at birth in Africa are:

Algeria 77 years, Tunisia 76, Egypt 70 and Senegal 69 compared to Japan’s 84.

Japan is a country with the world’s lowest birth rate(1.26 in 2022) translating in only 771,000 births,  and the highest number of older people: 29.1 % are aged 65 and above. 1 in 10 people in Japan is aged 80 or older. The working –age population pay more to support the elderly- costs of health and retirement programs.

Even in this oldest population, 51% are females while 48.7% are males.

Scientific studies have tried to explain the gender difference in life expectancy.

At birth, generally there are slightly more male births than female births- about 105 boys for 100 males. For unknown reasons, the “Y”- chromosome bearing sperm is more likely to fertilise the female egg than the “X’’- chromosome bearing sperm.

 The female species has two “ X’’ chromosomes compared to the males one who has “X’’ and “Y’’. The  extra X chromosome in the female acts as a genetic reserve when a genetic mutation occurs on one of the genes.

 The biological protective effect comes into play from puberty (10-14 in girls and 12-16 in boys).  The female species starts producing the female hormones the main one being Oestrogen and will continue until menopause 45-55 years. The male produces the male hormones the main one being testosterone.

 Researchers have shown that Oestrogen protects the women from premature heart disease-it lowers the “bad’’ cholesterol, LDL, in the blood which clogs the arteries and results in arterial stiffening. Clogged arteries cause reduced blood flow to the heart and brain causing heart disease and stroke.

On reaching menopause, the ovaries stop producing the female hormones; the oestrogen deficiency causes the risk of cardiovascular disease to increase in women.  The women gradually catch up with the males.

3. The social factors affecting longevity.

In most communities, men tend to take up the most dangerous jobs like construction, truck driving, logging, mining, fishing and working in the armed forces. Such jobs increase their risk of early deaths. Generally, men take more risks than the females making them more susceptible to life-threatening injuries.

Lifestyle plays a part, as men tend to smoke more than females and to abuse alcohol and drugs. This increases their risk for heart disease and cancer.

Women are the primary care providers – taking care of children , the sick and the elderly. They visit clinics and hospitals more often than men. They tend to build up information and awareness about diseases resulting in better health seeking behaviour than the men.

Men tend to visit health facilities late for chronic diseases or cancer.

Women tend to form strong social groups in their communities. They share stories and information and build each other up unlike males of their age groups.

 Sadly, in Uganda, 228 women die in labour or in pregnancy-related complications per 100,000 live births. However, education and economic empowerment is gradually helping women to control their fertility.

All the elderly in our communities should be treated with respect, dignity and be made to feel that they still matter. Celebrating them often offers them an opportunity to engage actively with the people around them. An inclusive community helps to foster a sense of belonging and acceptance- feeding into the mental and emotional wellbeing of each individual.

“ Nothing is a waste of time if you  use the experience wisely.’’- August Rodin

QUESTION : 

 How often do you take off time to listen actively, connect and share thoughts and experiences with those older than you or younger than you with the aim of fostering understanding between different generations and finding areas of common interest?