They Never died before.

The other day, I received news that a childhood friend had passed on. A few weeks before this, I lost a brother and in the same month, members within my professional and social circle had “Rest In Peace” messages on their WhatsApp statuses towards the soul of one comrade who lost the battle that ended her days at a time she was meant to appear for her Law Development Center oral exam assessment. Or so i understood it.

These deaths were closely felt than so many that happened much earlier as these were people I had either grown with or whose life stories were easily relatable. This gave me a lot to reflect on. My mind has been busy. Death today seems so close which wasn’t the case a decade ago. At least for me and I dare say, many of my age-mates.

I remember my days growing up as full of dreams and hope. I and my brother Bulukuku Daniel went to almost the same schools save for our O’levels. At both Shimoni Dem School, as we Shimonians called it, before it’s land was ‘sold’ and then after at Nakasero P/S, we used the walks to the taxi stage or to and from dad’s office to plan or envision the future.

These walks were past very big government offices, embassies, hotels and expensively built places. We wanted to build the nice houses we saw. Drive the good cars we saw and also be as big as the men we met especially the very many that dad seemed proud to introduce us to.

It wasn’t just me and Dan that dreamt. My friend Kabonge Francis with whom we crossed to Nakasero P/S with also had big dreams. The one I mostly remember was to be a big man in government and he seemed to be convinced I would be a politician.

In fact he always called me honorable till our days at Makerere University where he seems to have given up on this faith. While at Makerere University, despite the very demanding nature that law school was, there was still room to dream.

For instance, I and Ongom Daniel Azik another brother I spent most of my adult education life with always took time off the busy demands of the law to admire the future.

We engaged in so many intellectual debates at campus, attended various talks and were part of different intellectual forums like the Mulungushi club- a pan Africanist platform. These gave us hope and fueled our dreams. We kept these big dreams for our selves and kept inspiring each other to keep soaring high.

While I am not a honorable and Kabonge stopped actually calling me so, he is currently employed as a government office holder in one of the powerful government offices in Kampala. He was happy to take me around during my last visit to his workplace. His current placement I believe is not so far from the big dream he had.

I was into leadership during my school times. Campaigning and loosing but somehow the school administrations always deemed it necessary within themselves that I be a leader and I always found my self holding office. Infact When we changed to Nakasero P/S, I stood for an elective post of Speaker that very year and I lost.

The school administration however thought it best to make me an Assistant Education Minister and I, a P7 pupil, was an assistant/state minister to a cabinet Minister who was in P5. This was a true test of my leadership and service spirit for it meant putting aside pride and answering the call to serve. I guess always calling me honorable was Kabonge’s way of motivating his friend.

In my O’level i was a deputy speaker of the Student’s council of Kibuli. S.S. Being the ‘biggest’ O’level officer in the council carried an extra social honor of chairman quadrangle. Quodi as we called it was the O’level boys dormitory and for me this is perhaps one of the most consequential leadership journeys I have undertaken. We did so much good that I am proud of but that will be a story for another day.

I only regret to say that i was blacklisted and couldn’t return back to kibuli. The work we did as the student’s council involved taking a risk of service which at times meant disrupting unfair and abusive practices against students especially towards the most vulnerable senior ones and stubborn adolescents by a section of the student leaders in charge of religious affairs .

It also involved confrontation of religious extremism cases by this same group that often claimed to be acting on behalf of and for Islam. A number of school administrators agreed with the student’s council on how student offenders ought to be handled as against the Kangaroo courts that the student religious leaders operated deep in the nights characterized by senselessly beating up their fellow students that were suspected of misconduct.

For instance the then Careers’ master Hajj Ndifuna was a no nonsense man who wouldn’t tolerate any Indiscipline be it from student leaders disguised as disciplinary action towards student offenders. Such sober judgement was important In enforcing sanity. So in Kibuli the student’s Council would be equated to the Human Right’s commission or Parliament that plays an oversight role.

Being at the forefront of this leadership cost me and the price was being forwarded for blacklisting by this very powerful religious body which unfortunately had a powerful audience with the school administration since it is a religious based school.

Once one was blacklisted, you would not return for A’level even when student leaders and sports personalities almost had an automatic return to the school and more especially if you had passed with a first grade. I was also baptized congress man by my fellow S.4 class mates. I don’t even know where this name came from but I now realize that these were all calls to leadership which most times manifests in political arenas thus the Congress man and Honorable tags plus my school administrations always appointing me a prefect even when I never went through the ballot.

In those good old and first days of living, it was forgivable for one to imagine that life was a given. That we would live for longer years and have all the time to be the people we wanted to be, for systems to right themselves and for opportunities of service to find us. Today it appears every minute counts. One must utilize all that is at one’s disposal to make the best use of what is available and what time they have.

It is nolonger time for dreams but for doing. We don’t have to envision the arena because we are now facing it and there is an urgent call to enter the arena right now!

It is clear, life is just a number and everyone has got theirs. What we do now until then when the hour comes calling is what will matter then. A life of impact onto others is to live a meaningful life.

As young people, ours today is to make happen those dreams that we had before today. A more just world, an equitable community, the Africa we want or even be the brother, father and friend you always desired.

It is important that you find fullfilment in living because to live is a privilege and one that unfortunately doesn’t exist forever. To live is to walk even in very tough and slippery mud without the fear of falling. It sometimes means to risk it all.

Diogo Eric