Meet the latest member of
the In Movement Dream Team, Ssemaganda Jeff Kenneth.
At 20 years old, he is our
new receptionist and keeps the space at IM clean for the various programs we
have happening throughout the week.
And this is all after some
crazy stories of him coming back to the UG from South Sudan.
Jeff is in S4, meaning he
is currently in the process of sitting for his UCE, Uganda Certificate of
Education. These comprehensive
examinations span 3-weeks time in which he will complete ten exams in various
topics.
His favorite subject is
mathematics because it allows him to critically think in depth about how to get
the answer and he is in total concentration.
Jeff is from Kampala and thus
is part of the Baganda tribe.
He is the last born of
seven children, which immediately made me think of Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs and my Matthews family. For those
who are unaware, my Dad is one of seven and for as long as I can remember; all
of my aunts and uncles on that side have been paired with one of the dwarfs.
With my grandparents being
Snow White and the prince of course!
Jeff’s mom stays in
Kampala, just on the other side of town. When I asked about his dad he replied, “He
just went to go have a chat with God… But he is not coming back.” More about that later…
Jeff would not want to
choose a different name because he is so proud of the one he was given.
One word to describe him
would be change.
His wish is that one-day
he can stand in in front of a large number of youth and empower them.
Looks like you are already there!
Yo Obama. You might have yourself a protégé.
His favorite spot in
Uganda is Owino Market. This hustling
and bustling place is filled with market goods, everything from fabric and
electronics to fresh produce and tailors.
He spent a lot of time at Owino when he was young, as this is where his
mom was earning a living. It makes up a
large part of his memories!
If Jeff had to survive on
one meal for the rest of his life he’d pick posho and fish. Now while I love and respect Jeff, I can’t
believe he said posho. In my opinion
this is one of the most tasteless foods in the UG. Refined maize flour mixed with water to make
a mound of edible dough. It does keep
one quite full though.
His dream profession is to
be a videographer.
He would like to travel to
the USA someday as he has enjoyed the interactions he has had with Americans
thus far. Maybe he can also meet Bruno
Mars, who happens to be his favorite musician.
In his free time he enjoys
organizing his stuff, like, “Laying (making) my bed and cleaning my shoes.”
The happiest moment of his
life was when he went back for his education.
He had to stop studying after term one of S4 in 2009 due to lack of
money as his mom was severely injured when a car knocked her while riding on a
boda boda. He just went back to S4 this
year.
The hardest moment of his
life was the day he lost his dad. Jeff
was 11 years old and remembers the day vividly.
“He was sick with a fever and was feeling dizzy the morning it
happened. My mom advised that he not go
for work but he did not listen. While
walking through downtown he was hit by a speeding bus and died a day later due
to injuries.”
With 1,000,000 Ugandan
Shillings, he would first buy his mom a gomesi, the traditional dress of the
Baganda women. Then he would take her to
wherever she wants to go, which would most likely be a performance. Then he would save for the equipment needed
to be a videographer and graphic designer.
Then he would top it off with some fashion of caps and shoes!
Jeff’s words to the youth
are, “Be yourself. Believe in
yourself. No matter where you come from,
you too can be something.”
No comments:
Post a Comment