There's Hope

When I was partnered with In Movement: Art for Social Change, I was elated.

When I was told that In Movement transforms youth using the arts, I was skeptical. 

“So you are telling me that you can take a youth who barely speaks up and fails to make eye contact and use creative writing and music to make them confidently speak in front of a group?!  Yeeeeeaaaahhhhh.  Oooohkaaaaay.”

Let me stop here and say that I never once doubted the ability, commitment, education, and work of our amazing facilitators… It was just difficult for me to imagine this.

Most of the youth I work with at In Movement have completed the program and are already equipped with these skills.

I have yet to see it happen from the beginning.

That was until last week.

The founder of In Movement wanted us to organize a residential arts camp, which a Spanish photographer would document and put on an exhibition with hopes of getting our work recognized by others.  Ideally resulting in international support and funding.

Last Monday the In Movement Dream Team: Grace, Bagonza, Tush, Rachelle, Oscar, Davis, Devis, Mark, Ruth, Maria, and myself set off for Hope North Secondary and Vocational School in Bweyale.  What should have been a simple 4-hour journey turned into a 7-hour adventure since our drivers decided to take the western route filled with road humps and bumpy dirt roads.

We arrived to the vast flatlands of northern Uganda, speckled by grass thatched huts, a beaming sun, and smiling faces of dark skinned children.

The school is a simple place… Brick buildings making up the two blocks of classrooms and a beautiful art center that holds the work of students. 

After unpacking the two matatu’s full of supplies, we were able to wash off the layers of dust and hang up our protective bed nets that would protect us from deadly malaria. 

We then got to meet the youth!

We entered into the art center to see the faces of our new sons and daughters.  We offered some words of excitement, introduced In Movement in a creative way, and ended the night in a song.

The next morning was what we call our powerful beginning and essentially offers the youth a chance to feel included and welcomed.  We created a group rhythm, which allowed for everyone to feel apart of the family, reviewed our goals and theme of camp, creativity is wealth, and added to our community agreements, played name games so that we did not refer to everyone as “you” during the week, decorated our journals, got to know individuals on a more personal basis through our milling activity, reviewed our expectations for health and safety, introduced the members of the Dream Team, talked about how we can appreciate others through the use of special beads, and found out who belonged in whose family.

The following days offered workshops in our six medias of music, dance, drama, creative writing, visual arts, and circus.  They also included community dialogue, gender discussions, quiet time, free time, family group time, and evening activities. 

You can note from the schedule above that none of the sessions focused directly on public speaking or self-esteem.  The 2-hour sessions were 120-minutes of learning a dance routine or coming up with a drum line, nothing that included a chalkboard with a facilitator lecturing on a particular topic.

Let me pause here.

During our family group time on Tuesday, many of my kids could not and would not look me in the eye.  When they spoke it was as if they were whispering.  They were timid and shy.  They did not want to participate for the fear of being wrong.

Come Friday evening’s family time when I asked my family if camp was worth it, all of them smiled with affirmations.  They said had it not been for In Movement they would still be looking at the ground when asked a question.  The girls said they would still fear putting on trousers.  The boys said they would still be uneducated about gender and unsupportive of their female counterparts.  They said that because of drama, visual arts, and teamwork in the various workshops that they have been able to step out of their comfort zone and into their power as a phenomenal woman and an amazing man. 

Saturday evening at Open Mic Night, one of my girls Florence was the emcee.  Out of my 7-person family, she was definitely the most quiet.  I challenged her to take on this role and I was astonished by her confidence.  With the microphone in hand, she brought energy to the space.  She showcased her new skills by leading activities and ensuring that everyone was having a great time. 

At the end of the performance, we had our gratitude circle and towards the end I was approached by Florence.  She explained that had it not been for camp, she would have not known her potential as a young woman.  She explained that because of In Movement and because of camp, she will pursue her goals and share her knowledge with others.

The moral of the story… Arts have the power to change people.  This work is vital for the future… And it doesn’t matter if it is in the rural north or the urban capital city of Uganda.  It doesn’t matter if it is in a developing country or a developed country.  The potential for change and transformation is crucial to understanding oneself.

That night after the kids went to bed we danced and drank wine until the wee hours of the morning.  The founder of the school, Sam Okello, bought everyone wine and the favorable local gin, UG Waragi.   We shared dreams and visions.  Mr. Okello is a well-known man in Uganda and internationally.  He is an actor and artist, having played a part in The Last King of Scotland alongside Forest Whitaker, and has put out several musical albums.  He is an incredibly witty and funny man with the vision to help others.

The week was an incredible opportunity that opened my eyes and my heart.

The week reassured me that this is the work I want to pursue.

The week reassured me that Uganda is full of so much hope.