Humanist

My thoughts on “Tears & Triumph – My life with Yoweri Museveni and Others” by Onapito Ekomoloit; which according to its book cover is described as “a glimpse of Uganda’s journalism and politics in the late 20^th and early 21^st Century.”

First, I loved and enjoyed reading Tears & Triumph. I am likely to read it again in its entirety and to regularly use sections of it as a reference resource. I found it to be a good cultural anthropological text and which historicises transformations in Iteso culture as it interacts with other cultures.

Tears & Triumph is a memoire which captures the life journey of Onapito, whose formative nurturing and socialization are rooted within Iteso culture. I too belong among the Iteso, the people of the fifth largest first nation of Uganda and so, I loved reading about my people.

“The Iteso – Fifty years of change in a nilo-hamitic tribe of Uganda,” authored in the 1950s by J.C.D. Lawrence, is my favourite book on and about Iteso, before my time and that is based on empirical evidence. Tears & Triumph, set from the 1960s to date, nicely complements “The Iteso” as a valuable empirical documentation of Iteso culture for posterity.

Onapito’s book left me feeling giddy about how aspects of Iteso culture are sustaining. He ensured to include Ateso, the language of Iteso, words and phrases, to carry the narrative of Tears & Triumph. By including Ateso and explaining meanings in English, in Tears & Triumph, he contributes to slowing down the complete ethnocide of Ateso.

I loved how Onapito acknowledged and weaved into his book’s narrative the Iteso extended family. I came away in awe and appreciation to learn from Tears & Triumph that Onapito is truly among a generation that “it took a village to raise the child.” A cultural practice I wish Iteso should not let disappear.

Central to Onapito’s life journey, within and without Teso, the geographic area claimed owned by Iteso, is the essence of the positive power of extended family. Through Tears & Triumph I got a glimpse of how Iteso navigated and continue to navigate ‘post colonisation’ and exogenous cultural systems taking root.

Be that as it may, if I were among those consulted about the design of the book cover for Tears & Triumph, and my opinion counted, I would have recommended a solo image of present day Onapito to carry the front cover. Like the one that appears on the book’s back cover.

In which case, if it were my decision, I would place the image on the from cover of Tears & Triumph as the opening one for Chapter 24, that is where it is best suited.

Similarly, I would have advised a sub-title which emphasises that the book is about “the rise of a struggling boy from Teso.” On the front cover, “my life with Yoweri Museveni,” stokes expectations that for me were not met by the book.

I would have kept “my life with Yoweri Museveni” away from the front cover and included it as climatic surprises within the book. It is a huge achievement for one whose life journey begins as Onapito’s and triumphs over significant adversity, but the gist of Tears & Triumphs is not really about it perse.

Tears & Triumph is a great book. More concisely branded it may open a wider readership for it. I highly recommend it.

Now, truth be told, it is one of my goals for the year 2024 to read at least one book a month and for which I author a book review. As in author a total minimum of twelve book reviews this year. We are in to the second quarter and I have only begun to fulfil my goal. Gosh!

My inspiration to begin, is that recently, I moderated a panel discussion at the launch of the “Audacious Women’s Business and Life Accelerator.” One of the tools that Eseza Mulyangonja and her team are emphasizing and are using to focus their clients who have invested in the Accelerator is intentional annual, monthly, weekly and daily planning. And to hold oneself accountable to plans made.

Kudos to my learning at the launch of the Accelerator, I am inspired and reminded to hold myself accountable to my 2024 goals; hence this is my first of twelve book reviews that I plan to author in 2024. Please hold me accountable.