First Word: Speak out!

Once, my boss, a very accomplished person who I respect very much, told me “part of the problem (in this case, referring to the workplace and results from the workers) is that people do not speak out.” He was referring to the matter of settling for grumbling about issues to the people who do not matter, either for fear of stepping on toes or simply, not wanting to take up the fight.

You could argue that this is a largely Black Man problem too, both on the individual and national level. My Very-Respected-Person went on to illustrate to me the difference it makes when the first person to spot a problem speaks out to the people who matter and could make a difference. He recounted countless instances where there were a number of issues only brough to his attention by foreigners (usually) that had short stints at the workplace.”These were things we could have done something about in a snap if our attention had been drawn to them, but no one spoke out. Instead, they grumbled amongst themselves about them. And of course, nothing changed,” he said.

My Boss will be happy with the woman we are featuring this week, Judith Lucy Adong, who has not only made it her business to speak out, but to also say things as they are, without fear, favour or coating. A Ugandan-born playwright, Adong has ventured into topics like homosexuality, and her disagreement with the way the government handled the resettlement of the LRA rebels with her plays. Sour subjects in this country, but she spoke out anyway. Read her full story in our main feature.

In other news, we tip you on how to wear the oh-so-controversial colour, yellow. Controversial because people do not even know whether it is stylish to be wearing it or not. In fact, some (ignorant) revellers will even go ahead to label you NRM when you show up in yellow. But there is nothing wrong with yellow. In fact, it is one sure way of lighting up, without fail. Only problem with it is you risk coming off too hot or cheap, if you are not sure what you are doing with it. You will therefore want to read our fashion story this week to gather a wealth of knowledge on how to mellow in yellow.

Meanwhile, Min Atek laments about the month of January, and our parenting story delves into the whens and whys of teaching your child to save, a must-read for any parent seeking to instill financial capability skills in their future generations.

Then ladies, on a very serious note, retain a life outside your relationship. I know the more in sync your lifestyles are, the better it is for a relationship. But I have also seen women who after, for some reason, have separated from their spouses, are left without friends, favourite hangouts, foods, fun...generally, they have no life outside that relationship! If you ask me, that is unhealthy! Get a life outside your love relationship!

erukundo@ug.nationmedia.com