sabeoh: March 8th, 2016: In honor of all the...

sabeoh:

March 8th, 2016: In honor of all the Wonderful Women out there…

Everyone sang along as their bodies swayed with the synchronized rhythm among us; a song to the tune of “I Believe I Can Fly,” beginning with those very words and continuing with lines about being happy, healthy, empowered, and a stigma being erased from society. A song about menstrual periods had all 50 people in the room repeating these lines passionately and powerfully. The members of our school SHAPE Club, boys and girls aged 8 to 16, danced between the facilitators, hip-hop activists from my secondary project, Platform 503. As the energy of the room crescendoed to a degree as strong as the room would allow, in walked the cameraman and reporter for the region’s biggest television network to document this Re-Usable Menstrual Pads (RUMPs) workshop. Fast forward to a moment from his interview with me hours later after covering the event:

He asked something about where this project will go, especially because I am only here for two more years. “What do you see as the long-term goal for this RUMPs project? How can you inform as many girls as possible about this?” he asked.

I explained that we have a motto in Platform and in hip-hop across the world: Each One, Teach One. Every person who learns something has the responsibility to go and teach it to somebody else. “So when you go home you will teach your sister, your wife, or your daughter someday. Then they will teach somebody else who will teach somebody else. We are all ripples in this ocean of change in the world.” And it starts now.

It starts with saying the words “vagina” and “breasts” without feeling ashamed or immature. It starts with explaining that every woman’s body is different and that hymen does NOT equal virginity. And most critically, it starts with the explanation that every person has their physical virginity and their spiritual virginity and while someone may rape you and steal your physical virginity, there is not a person in this world who can take your spiritual virginity from you. It allll starts with workshops like these: discussing sensitive topics in a comforting way through poetry, rap, dance, and graffiti.

This workshop was incredible. Every energizer, song, story, fact, and detail was shared with detail and care. There was love and support in every person in the room but most importantly, there was confidence. Confidence in the boys and girls that they could stay in school and make money. Confidence in every member of Platform who facilitated and did so with such ease and enthusiasm you would have thought this was far from their first RUMPs workshop. And an unexpected yet profound confidence in myself not only for the future of this project the next two years but for the future of these children and youth long after I am gone. Watching my friends who have become family in Platform 503 and seeing my pupils who have nearly turned into my own children in SHAPE Club reassured me that Arua, Uganda, and the world have some bright leaders emerging from within.

The 30-minute television segment aired today and while I realized that I am medium awkward at all times, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The footage was played (and will continue to air) on BTN and anyone who tunes in can learn how to make a RUMP which is wonderful. Yes, many people have access to television either in their homes or within walking distance so this can reach a huge audience. Beyond that, the whole region can see the great work that Platform 503 is doing and the absolutely marvelous humans who devote all their time and energy to this inspirational group.

I’ll be able to post the video of everything soon enough but until then here’s a little snippet:

“So what message do you have for our viewers who are watching this right now?”

“Let girls learn. Let boys learn. Let kids learn.” We need to get our children in school and we need to do everything we can to keep them in school. They our leaders of tomorrow.

And for every woman out there, whether in Uganda or America or anywhere in between, who has ever been laughed at or made to feel different because of your body - keep on, keepin’ on girl. If someone laughs at you for your period, I hope you laugh right back. You are natural and healthy and beautiful. Blood is a sign you are alive and most importantly, that deep down we are all the same. Ama wuro tualu. Happy Women’s Day!