Personal initiative - hallmark of the Arts!
WRITING is an art. I am a little bit dismayed, that some of the things happening in the field of ‘literary developments’ in Northern Uganda Schools, seems to be pre-designated to discourage ‘literature’ among pupils and students in Northern Uganda.
One wouldn’t envisage it otherwise! Given certain negative factors often highlighted in the newspapers.
In the ‘Daily Monitor’ report seen in this picture below, it is disturbing to note that, a Schools ‘Essay writing competition’ targeting lower education and, above all organized by ‘Bank of Uganda’, should end on such a note.
[By Cissy Makumbi – Daily Monitor Monday August 1st, 2016 – in part reads]:
It is not so easily believable, that this actually happened in Gulu. The story of writing in the Acholi land Northern Uganda has very fertile roots in the personifications of these great Acholi sons, who did it all in ‘the box’ as it were; poet ‘Professor Okot p’Bitek’ rip (Song of Lawino and others), Professor Ocitti JB rip (Acholi Stories), Professor Dr. Alexander Odonga rip (Acholi Fables), Onyango KuDongo (topics on Luo) and, many others known and unknown Acholi writers, who over the many-many years, were the early generation contributors’ to ‘literary inspirations’ in the Acholi land.
What moves me to come-out, and weigh-in on this matter, is the simple fact that – going by the little detail report I captured off the pages of the Daily Monitor – the BOU essay writing project should have been fully embraced by the local Schools.
There is certainly no ‘but you see…’ lame excuses here. I am another personification of the fertile roots of writing in the Acholi land, and I did it all outside the box! So how do Acholi pupils and students chicken out of an essay writing competition?
I think, unfortunately, many people are not telling nothing at all… if that impress upon you anything at all! How do whole and entire regional schools be termed “Dodgers” of a Bank of Uganda essay-writing project? Where do all these proud and ‘GREAT’ fathers, sons and daughters actually materialize? If suddenly, not all their children feature on such schools creative essay writing challenges…
The finding I bumped into sometimes ago and, banked off – only to have reason to recollect it this morning, does not impress me! Nor does it challenge me either. As a writer of a researched book – all these anger me.
One S4 student recently impressed me though – donning a T-Shirt with the inscriptions [School Writing Club] – she instantly grabbed my full attention.
I was walking to Gulu town from the direction of St. Mary Hospital Lacor [my village home side], and so were a group of three or four girls. I strike conversation with the T-Shirt girl…
“I am a member of our School Writing Club because I want to become an Author” she says it so powerfully I, actually laughed and, believed her!
“What is your name?” I ask
“Jud Piyoo” came the toothy all inspired reply – we talked at length and she exhibited character and composure. I liked her straight and felt fatherly to her.
By the time we reached the Customs Corner roundabout, she had passed my basic test on reading, by narrating the “Merchant of Venice”. A child of the arts, I finally conclude and qualified her.
How then does this Bank of Uganda schools essay writing challenge draw nothing from Gulu schools, but “Dodgers” who must be “punished?” According to the Daily Monitor piece.
“Not all that glitters are gold”! So goes an old adage.
If the story of the Gulu BOU essay ‘dodgers’ might stick, then Gulu and indeed, the sub-region as a whole has a very prickly observer – watching over its literary developments with ill intentions. Or, these might be the new signs and symptoms of a very bad disease killing formal literary developments.
I am an Author [The Water Trap] who developed as a freelance writer – I walked [off-the box] all my reading and writing life. People who are overcome by their own achievements as [in box developed] – often downgrade me “The Water Trap – was not written by him,” they say! I was for a while psychologically reduced to nothing by the doubting Thomas’s vainglory…
Now I am all positive - these are all non-performers and breeds of the jealous – Sir Samuel Baker SS recently closed down! Some students in jail… aha ha ha… I know these are sons of very proud parents!
I am self-published, though the Thomas’s want to belittle what I have so far achieved and accomplished, I can defend my own book anytime, anywhere… so really, whose children are the “dodgers” – and who are their bizzare teachers anyway? Talk about pride and prejudices, in the sometimes-stark stupid fields of education in Uganda…
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