“I will play Papa, I will be the Papa. Marietta will play mama, and all of you will be our children.” The conditioning of sexuality stands firmly on its very deep roots. You are supposed to wait until you are of age, hopefully someone of the opposite sex will choose you. You will get married…
Building a community of women that support each other
Kyeitembe, a small village located on the outskirts Kampala in Uganda is my home area. Our house neighbors farms and forests. Growing up in this neighborhood was fun. We often played hide and seek with our friends in the forests until it got dark. Mother always waited for our return with a big stick. My…
“Sexual Freedom”
“Sexual Freedom”, I read aloud the two words in front of my 70-year-old granny and I watched her shift uncomfortably in her chair, knowing then and there that my mission was complete. What mission was that I know you wonder, and the answer is very simple: I wanted to see whether or not my grandmother…
Love Positive Women
A disclaimer: I am not so young anymore. However, I go through these streets as the people’s favourite aunty, the coolest prevention activist, young people say I am “oppit”, or in more traditional lingo, “with it”. As February, the legit month of love, has come to an end, I’m reflecting on love, relationships, sex and…
Don’t let the Red of Valentine’s Day surprise you.
Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2016, my first time being in the big city, new friends, new environment, a new boyfriend and my first Valentine’s in varsity. Everyone was excited about the day, not to say I was not, I was but I was also nervous at the same time because I had just gotten a…
The jitters of having a Valentine on Valentine’s Day
The 14th of February is universally known as Valentine’s Day and in this particular year I had a prospective Valentine. I was coming of age, just approaching sweet 16 and Valentine’s Day had only just started to have meaning for me. There was a certain boy in my neighbourhood who had taken a keen eye…
From one sister to another
Hey little sis… This world comes with its challenges: some bigger than others but challenges nonetheless. But, the world can also be seen as your oyster. As much as that statement is cliché, it is very true. As a young girl, your main priorities were to go to school, get good grades and have a…
I choose to be alive
In October, most students are preparing for exams in South Africa but here I was contemplating suicide. I walked into the clinic with my friend as we always do when we go for our quarterly check-ups and I walked out a different person. My life was shattered when the friendly doctor told me I was…