To Leave Something Behind

While riding with a friend a few days ago, I played my favourite sportify country list! Not long after, Sean Rowe’s ‘To Leave Something Behind’ came blaring through the speakers! 

 

Midway the song, my friend commented ‘This is a sad song’ and ‘I don’t like listening to it’ he subtly protested. 

 

I come from a small home. My mother was the only other occupant in that home and together we formed an impressive team! No one has ever and I believe will ever illustrate ‘trying to leave something behind’ more than my mother.

 

A semi illiterate orphan and barely out of her teenage, my mother found herself in an abusive marriage! In her early 20s she left that marriage.  After a brief period, she tried her luck again at a romantic relationship only to be abandoned by the man she had sired a kid with! She was only 25. 

 

In today’s world, some 25 year olds will be nursing hangovers every weekend if not every morning, yet my mother chose to hold two jobs to ensure that she feeds and fends for me. 

 

I am not overly ambitious and do not chase wealth as a goal. I just want to change the story line! I want to win the battles that my mother never won! I want to leave something behind, in honour of my mother’s efforts. 

 

I am not striving to make a name for myself. I am not interested in being a celebrity or the most known architect that ever lived in Uganda. 

 

Leaving something behind isn’t about me but about us! I want to leave behind children who can nurture others.  I want to leave behind individuals who understand the importance of giving others hope.

 

Leaving something behind is not about a good life for me and my children but about a better place for everybody that comes after me. 

 

In trying to leave something behind, I am attempting to create a world where the value of us is more than possessions and the social rank that comes with them.  

 

Like Sean Rowe, I desire to leave something that will make the world a better place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is calling 'Mzungu' being Racist

My answer is No and this is why. I recently returned home for the summer holidays and literally walked into this row (some white friend is complaining about being called ‘Mzungu’) by kids and adults alike. Coincidentally, I had just returned form Accra in Ghana where I had spotted a letter to the press complaining about the same thing, - apparently someone was unhappy about being called Oburoni (the equivalent of Mzungu in East Africa). Anyone who has been to this dusty town of ours knows what this term means. The children will cry out ‘Mzungu how are you’, the vendors will call ‘Mzungu come and buy’ and some naughty men will propose to white women by calling them Mzungu (you must have heard of the local hit ‘Omwana w’omuzungu by the late Paul Kafeero’. Now, I do understand when white folks complain about a title that classifies them by race, especially when they come from the politically correct communities of UK that think that calling me black is being racist. I have been in t...
Read more

FORTY THINGS ABOUT ME

Turning 40 is meant to be a time to assess where you’ve got to in life and to measure your achievements against your youthful dreams. A lot is said about turning 40, some of it scary. I woke up today expecting to experience some of those things. It was like any other day in my life. I looked in the mirror; there were no obvious signs on my face to show that I am 40. My yesteryear memories began flashing before me as I recollected. I thought of how lucky I am today, to have the most amazing wife and be a proud father of four! While I was still contemplating my past, I thought of the 40 things that have come to define my life thus far. Even I found some of them interesting (and surprising): 1. I have no fear of caterpillars, chameleons or lizards but I would not sleep in a house with a snake that has not been killed. 2. And I’m neither superstitious nor religious! 3. My wife and mother are the most important women in my life. 4. I did not celebrate my birthday until I was 15, even then...
Read more

Getting Married in Buganda

On a number of occasions, friends and relatives have approached me to help them wade through the intricate matters of getting married in Buganda.   Overtime, I have noticed that many are not even aware of the simplest and obvious steps like initiating contact with the girl’s family.   I write this commentary to try and explain the simple but lengthy process of getting married in Buganda.    My post is not based on extensive research or study but rather on what I know and have learnt over the years.   A few years ago,   I used to officiate at Baganda traditional marriage ceremonies (okwanjula).  I wish to declare that I am not an expert on Buganda culture, nor am I a specialist in Buganda traditional marriages; my involvement at such a high level (omwogezi) was at best accidental, although we shall keep that story for another day. Initiating Contact Getting married in Buganda is seemingly easy but folks complicate it for unknown reasons.   Ye...
Read more