This article was first published in the New Vision on Wednesday, November 3, 2021
By Henry Nsubuga
September 28 will remain a day to remember for Ethan Charles Mufuma. The 13-year-old pupil of Uganda Martyrs Namilyango Junior Boys School won the 2021 junior category of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.
Mufuma’s poem, Okware Our Pandemic Epic, beat 13,050 other entries by children below 14 years across the participating countries.
Nathan Mckenzie, the chief operating offi cer of the Royal Commonwealth Society, announced Mufuma as the winner during the virtual declaration by the Commonwealth essay writing committee in London recently, saying Mufuma’s poem was chosen by two panels of judges.
“The first panel of judges sat in Nigeria and unanimously agreed that Okware was the best piece. The second panel that sat in London had no doubts either,” he said.
This was the second time Mufuma was participating in the competition. However, he was sceptical about winning.
“I read the history of winners and saw that it was Singapore and other countries of whites. In Africa, I saw Ghana in the runners-up position,” he says.
Writing The Winning Poem
The 2021 theme was; Community in the Commonwealth, with each category having a specific topic.
Mufuma chose the second topic that was to “tell a story of how you or someone you know helped others during the pandemic”.
“It was difficult to convince my teacher, Moses Kibuuka, who is also my editor, that the topic I had chosen could generate good ideas worthy of representing the school. It took two weeks of discussion with my editor and later I started building verse by verse,” he recalls.
It took over a month to write the poem.
Having sat Primary Leaving Examinations last year and scored aggregate 5, he wrote to his teacher after being announced winner, saying although he had disappointed him by not scoring aggregate 4, this was a golden compensation.
“It hurt me a lot after failing to make it to the list of people who scored aggregate 4. Yes, I missed a national record, but I have an international victory,” he says with a smile.
Mufuma says because his win is the first of its kind, he wants the education ministry and President Yoweri Museveni to recognise the award.
“I will be honoured when President Museveni accepts to host me for a luncheon. I dream of becoming a cardiologist and aim at getting a government scholarship,” he says.
Mufuma wants to save the parents of children with congenital heart complications from flying to India for surgery. He dreams of offering such services in Uganda.
Editor, Father Overjoyed
Kibuuka, Mufuma’s teacher and editor, says he is overwhelmed by Mufuma’s success.
“It makes us one of the youngest in the race, and again, winners. What a record!” the excited teacher says.
He says while the English language must be spoken and written, in Uganda, it is only for passing exams.
“When you are teaching pupils language, let them speak, write and compete. When you are on a weighing scale, you will find your standing,” he says.
Mufuma’s father, Wilson Mufuma, says his son has brought happiness to the family. Both father and son had never travelled abroad, but will soon be flying to London to pick the award.
In The Beginning…
Mufuma started creative writing in Primary Five at Namilyango Junior Boys School, where he contributed to the school termly newspaper, Namilyango Times.
His first poem, titled Chinese Bamboo, was written on the subject of patience. He says it takes farmers four years watering a Chinese bamboo seed before it germinates.
“Seeing my poem published gave me courage. I also read lots of work from other writers, from my schoolmates, national newspapers and magazines,” he says
Okware Our Pandemic Epic (Excerpt)
Welcome to my village Known but not much The village of Okware Okware our pandemic hero
Okware our pandemic mirror
Whose story’s sweetness Deserves every Commonwealth ear
Ear to the ground, I shall narrate it all
My village Asila
Ignorant we were about the pandemic
Carelessly we lived with no panic
Too strong we thought we were
With bodies resistant to illnesses
Illnesses including pandemics
To us,
It was a disease of the Whites
Okware smelt a rat
And without seeking extra support
Okware launched campaigns and campaigns
First,
Connected a community radio
Loud enough with clear audio
Morning, midday and evening
Okware cautioned the residents
In my native language,
Okware met everyone
Bridged the gap between myths and facts Spoke deep and wide about the pandemic
Every community member shifted the mind
In no time, we started to mind
Minding the Standards
Minding the Operations
Minding the pandemic Procedures
On his flat tyre bicycle
Okware fetched water
Dug from his pockets and bought soap
Supplied it to the elderly community Reached them hut to hut
Cautioned them to stay home Enlightened them on the killer pandemic
But never stopped preaching hope
Okware, misinterpreted by the police Arrested and accused of politics
That he was carrying out campaigns But even in prison
Okware kept to the reason Alerted the other inmates about the pandemic
Urged them to create a distance
Prison, turned a pandemic school
Okware, released after community demand
Never shifted his stand
Continued with pandemic lectures
Continued with that generous heart
Shared every little bite
His garden turned a community donor
His farm remained a living hope by all
All, including the haters of oneness
How he discovered herbals
Only heaven can tell
All we saw him do
Was distributing leaves
Calling people to steam
Steaming became steaming
Solely, Okware remained the community hope
All he went through, none can tell
How he learnt tailoring
Heaven is the witness
All we saw were masks
Masks in colours and sizes
Labelled ‘save life first’
Thousands of masks he made
Preached instructions on how to use
And the pandemic avoided
Asila
His doubters became believers
His haters turned lovers
Men in political power joined Okware
Together we made an army
And kicked the pandemic beyond repair Secured our hope, raised growth
Worked in solidarity, in unison
And the community sang ‘Okware, Okware Okware’
Read full poem the e-paper www.epapers. visiongroup.co.ug
About The Contest
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition started in 1883. Every year, participants from all commonwealth countries take part in two categories, that is, junior (below 14 years) and senior (14-18 years).
The winner and runners-up in each category win a trip to London, where they spend a week touring different attractions before the awards ceremony.
In Uganda, 48 learners participated in the 2021 competition.
Sr Immaculate Nabukalu, Mufuma’s headteacher, says other writers recognised from Namilyango Junior Boys are; Michael Victor Mugerwa, Verity Muwanguzi and Emran Mulindwa who are silver award winners. Hilary Ssekiranda won a bronze award and Humphrey Muwanga a certificate of participation.
