Africa-Press – Seychelles. At the just concluded Obulo Bwaffe Festival, one of the biggest topics and conversations was about legacies. A lot of this was about documenting women doing amazing things and ensuring their works are passed on to the next generation.
Over the years, topics about women who have been erased by history have been uncovered and Hollywood has had a field day documenting these.
From women such as Katherine Goble Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan whose story was brought to life by actors Teraji P Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer in the film Hidden Figures to Major Charity Adams and Lena Derriecot Bell King whose achievements were spotlighted by Kerry Washington and Ebony Obsidian in Tyler Perry’s Six Triple Eight.
The film follows the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black, all-female battalion, in World War II. The release of films such as Hidden Figures and Six Triple Eight continues to prove that more women, despite their contributions to science and the arts, have been generally forgotten.
Which is the reason in Uganda, Portia Uwera and Keisha Kenyangi are dedicated to documenting Ugandan women doing great things.
For Uwera and Kanyangi, the need to have exceptional women documented drove the twins to start the Because of Her annual exhibition.
The exhibition, in its forth year, was celebrating women who have been change makers in education, media, philanthropy and healthcare. The exhibition was organised by Because of Her, an organisation that preserves the achievements of Ugandan women.
According to Uwera, our society is rich in culture, and women have played a pivotal role in shaping it. Unfortunately, their contributions have often been left undocumented, and their stories and wealth of knowledge remain untapped and kept out of the public stage.
“Because of Her, we recognise women who have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for women in Uganda and society at large,” Uwera said.
The exhibition has over the years celebrated Uganda’s first women, these included the first lawyer, first doctor, first graduates and first academicians, among others.
The exhibition
Unlike the past years where the showcase has been held at the Uganda Museum’s vintage car exhibition hall in the main exhibition hall, this time round, they curated everything at Makerere University Art Gallery. The Uganda Museum is currently undergoing renovations.
This year, Uwera and the sister went for both celebrated women from Uganda’s history and new change makers.
For instance, Joan Kembabazi, the founder of Gufasha Girls Foundation, a non profit community working with girls and their communities to end child marriages.
Then there is Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, a Ugandan veterinarian and founder of Conservation Through Public Health, an organisation dedicated to the coexistence of endangered mountain gorillas, other wildlife, humans, and livestock in Africa.
The exhibition pays attention to areas such as sports, where Ugandan Olympians have been documented, even those that did not really represent Uganda, but the standout is Paralympian and swimmer, Husnah Kukundakwe.
The swimmer has represented Uganda at the World Para Swimming World Series 2019 in Singapore, and the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships.
In 2021, she represented Uganda at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Japan and recorded her personal best (PB) in the 100m Breaststroke.
Kenyangi says they are a family that loves history, which inspired them to launch an exhibition that celebrates milestones of women through history.
“But you will also notice that history about the achievements of women is blurry,” she says, adding that when one learns about their history, they can achieve and change a lot for the future.
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