first off, i want to thank every one who called, texted and emailed to check on the Sseko team after hearing about the recent bombings in Kampala. your concern and awareness shows, that to many of you, Uganda is no longer an obscure, far away land. instead, it is a place that you feel connected to. when you heard the news of devastation, there were names and faces and lives connected to that place. we rejoice in the small part that we have been able to play in connecting lives across the globe.
the Sseko family is unharmed, but a little shaken up. more than anything we are mourning the loss of 76 lives of both foreigners and locals.
there were three bombs detonated by Somalian suicide bombers from Al-Shabab in two separate locations where hundreds of people where gathered to watch the World Cup game Sunday night.
along with the loss of innocent lives, we are mourning the hatred, fear and ignorance that these bombings represent. we are experiencing just a glimpse of the violent division that has plagued Uganda in the past.
there is a time for mourning. and we are there now. but there is also a time for hope, forgiveness, reconciliation and grace. and that is where we are headed. we believe now, more than ever, that we can fight hate, not with hate, but with love.
we believe that the end of violent acts of terrorism lies not in retaliation, but in education, enlightenment and reconciliation.
more than ever, in times of such great uncertainty, we hope to provide consistency, safety and an environment of conversation and dialogue. our desire is to consistently speak with a voice that challenges the notions of “us” verses “them” and to fight hard for the belief that there is intrinsic beauty and value in the human soul, no matter how buried it may be. we will fight hard, not only for this truth to be made known to our women and the Sseko family, but to to our larger communities, both in the US and Uganda. we hope that our small presence in our small corner of the world will continue to reiterate that truth.
if you are interested in learning more about the attacks, you can do so here.