May your soul rest in everlasting peace dear Mrs Morel. Wanalobi died in a motor accident near Iganga, according to a report my friends sent me Monday. My heart is down because Mrs Wanalobi had a hand in building the road to this precious blog. She alongside George Watika taught me English Literature at Nabumali High school- some close to a decade ago. My class gave her the name of a woman in the novel.
Mrs Morel is the protagonist in D.H Lawrence’s novel “Sons and Lovers”, an account of a painful life of a simple woman married to a cruel miner and drunkard. Their house conflict leads to disjointment and Mrs Morel transfers her passion for husband to her two sons; William and Paul. The love for sons and love for mother makes all intimate projects of both William and Paul fail...until the death of William, death of Mrs Morel herself and that lonely world of Paul.
Madam Wanalobi’s test for Mrs Morel’s characters and love for the book itself compelled my class to let her have the woman’s name. Wanalobi was also a sports loving woman and served as house mistress for Hannington girls. I also belonged to Hannington house although I put on Banks T- Shirts and spent most of my better times in Annex Baghdad with the bad boys.
All the good life was there for us in school until the strike of 2004 that brought ruin to the institution. To recall the strike, some unserious policemen grabbed me, Jude, Obi and other innocent fellows at dawn while catching up with sleep at a kafunda in Nabumali trading centre (koona) after a painful night of fire and police tear gas at school. Students flew like guineafowls into the nearby bushes when police stepped in to avert the situation. But boy, the girls who started this strike faced the ramification beginning that very night. Police and other opportunists were reported to have raped young things in the bushes as a prerequisite for not being detained as a suspect.
Poor me with sleep on my face was also grabbed because I took refuge in a wrong place. It was Jude’s Kafunda. The boy had a suspension from school after he was found openly enjoying some new student (some one’s daughter) down the swimming pool area -behind the geography room. Jude was to go home and call his parents, but he preferred renting a room at koona so he can pay somebody later to play as a parent at the time for reporting back. Unfortunately, the strike came when girls went batty over the absence of mere piped water yet we also had bore holes and nearby wells.
Driven we were in a police vehicle to the head teacher’s home. Fortunately Mafabi did not find any fault in the boy from Abim; my other colleagues were also acquitted except Jude because of his love making scandal. H/M told police to proceed with Jude to Central Police Station (CPS) in Mbale town so he can make a statement like a strike suspect. Jude did what police wanted, but trust me -he was innocent. Then, when free things become costly is when Obi asks the police carryng Jude for a lift to town so he could go to the park and go home. Boy, police drove Obi and Jude whole-sale paka CPS and forced all to make statements of suspected students involved in the strike. The problem was that Obi did not have any thing for kitu kidogo, he had to suffer locally.
Today what I know about Nabumali is that the 2004 strike that brought down the giant administration structure demoralised teachers, parents and bright students from subscribing to any development in the school. Nevertheless, the school still boasts for its products -some very significant citizens of this country and beyond. Some of the alumnae include; the late John Garang, former vice president of Sudan and leader of Southern Sudan, Dr Beatrice Wabudeya, Minister for Kampala Capital City Authority, Justice James Ogoola, Acting Justice of the supreme court of Uganda, James Waphakabulo (RIP) former Foreign Affairs Minister of Uganda, Lt Col. David Oyite Ojok former army chief of staff in Uganda, Aggrey Awori , former Minister for ICT and member of parliament in Uganda among several others.
This Saturday as the school’s alumnae gather to celebrate 100 years of Nabumali existence, I hope they’ll raise enough funds to support the reconstruction, I hope they’ll also observe a moment of silence in respect to fallen colleagues like Mrs Morel who was both a former student and teacher. I wish well all those who will endeavour to attend this historic event and I will watch from Karamoja because our roads here are terrible!
Mrs Morel is the protagonist in D.H Lawrence’s novel “Sons and Lovers”, an account of a painful life of a simple woman married to a cruel miner and drunkard. Their house conflict leads to disjointment and Mrs Morel transfers her passion for husband to her two sons; William and Paul. The love for sons and love for mother makes all intimate projects of both William and Paul fail...until the death of William, death of Mrs Morel herself and that lonely world of Paul.
Madam Wanalobi’s test for Mrs Morel’s characters and love for the book itself compelled my class to let her have the woman’s name. Wanalobi was also a sports loving woman and served as house mistress for Hannington girls. I also belonged to Hannington house although I put on Banks T- Shirts and spent most of my better times in Annex Baghdad with the bad boys.
All the good life was there for us in school until the strike of 2004 that brought ruin to the institution. To recall the strike, some unserious policemen grabbed me, Jude, Obi and other innocent fellows at dawn while catching up with sleep at a kafunda in Nabumali trading centre (koona) after a painful night of fire and police tear gas at school. Students flew like guineafowls into the nearby bushes when police stepped in to avert the situation. But boy, the girls who started this strike faced the ramification beginning that very night. Police and other opportunists were reported to have raped young things in the bushes as a prerequisite for not being detained as a suspect.
Poor me with sleep on my face was also grabbed because I took refuge in a wrong place. It was Jude’s Kafunda. The boy had a suspension from school after he was found openly enjoying some new student (some one’s daughter) down the swimming pool area -behind the geography room. Jude was to go home and call his parents, but he preferred renting a room at koona so he can pay somebody later to play as a parent at the time for reporting back. Unfortunately, the strike came when girls went batty over the absence of mere piped water yet we also had bore holes and nearby wells.
Driven we were in a police vehicle to the head teacher’s home. Fortunately Mafabi did not find any fault in the boy from Abim; my other colleagues were also acquitted except Jude because of his love making scandal. H/M told police to proceed with Jude to Central Police Station (CPS) in Mbale town so he can make a statement like a strike suspect. Jude did what police wanted, but trust me -he was innocent. Then, when free things become costly is when Obi asks the police carryng Jude for a lift to town so he could go to the park and go home. Boy, police drove Obi and Jude whole-sale paka CPS and forced all to make statements of suspected students involved in the strike. The problem was that Obi did not have any thing for kitu kidogo, he had to suffer locally.
Today what I know about Nabumali is that the 2004 strike that brought down the giant administration structure demoralised teachers, parents and bright students from subscribing to any development in the school. Nevertheless, the school still boasts for its products -some very significant citizens of this country and beyond. Some of the alumnae include; the late John Garang, former vice president of Sudan and leader of Southern Sudan, Dr Beatrice Wabudeya, Minister for Kampala Capital City Authority, Justice James Ogoola, Acting Justice of the supreme court of Uganda, James Waphakabulo (RIP) former Foreign Affairs Minister of Uganda, Lt Col. David Oyite Ojok former army chief of staff in Uganda, Aggrey Awori , former Minister for ICT and member of parliament in Uganda among several others.
This Saturday as the school’s alumnae gather to celebrate 100 years of Nabumali existence, I hope they’ll raise enough funds to support the reconstruction, I hope they’ll also observe a moment of silence in respect to fallen colleagues like Mrs Morel who was both a former student and teacher. I wish well all those who will endeavour to attend this historic event and I will watch from Karamoja because our roads here are terrible!
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