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Oucha gets copyright for Aids anthem
Mr Patrick Donald Oucha, 52, who has climaxed his mission of redeeming humanity from the HIV/Aids scourge by composing an anthem. PHOTO /Abubaker LUBOWA
What you need to know:
Patrick Donald Oucha says through the Anti-HIV/Aids anthem he is fulfilling a call from God to serve humanity.
After traversing all corners of the country to sensitise the public on HIV/Aids prevention, Patrick Donald Oucha, 52, has climaxed his mission of redeeming humanity from the scourge by composing an anthem.
The Anti- HIV/Aids anthem is generic with intriguing dictions to comfort, console and encourage everyone to appreciate and increase efforts in fighting HIV scourge which claims about 21,000 lives annually in the country.
Mr Oucha, an activist who grew up as an orphan, says the anthem is one of the ways he is fulfilling a call from God to serve humanity.
The anthem, which has four stanzas, inspires people to adhere to pillars such as abstinence, voluntary counselling and testing, adhering to medication, the timeless methods proven to be effective in curbing the virus.
“Keep on fighting, let life flow, don’t die young, why die young?” the second stanza of the anthem flows.
It continues in the third stanza: “Come closer God, Aids will vanish, heal those infected, and bless those affected.”
Information from gazettes.africa.com, the continent’s largest digital collection of free African Gazettes, says the anthem was gazetted in the Uganda Gazette of March 18, 2005.
“This anthem came out the compilation of all sorts of things. It summarises everything that HIV/Aids is about. In 2003, I composed the anthem while in 2004, I tested it across Uganda,” he says.
The anthem was gazetted on March 18, 2005, in the Uganda gazette.
“It was subsequently copyrighted on April 13, making it an intellectual property or an asset valued at $5.5b,” Mr Oucha adds.
The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) confirmed this.
“I was born in September 1968. My father, Patrick Donald Ngarombo, was a police officer at Kiira Road Police Station [in Kampala] while my mother is Lucy Opira, both from Nebbi,” Mr Oucha says.
Sadly, he says his father didn’t live long to raise him.
“My father died in 1970 and we had to relocate to Nebbi District where I grew up [partly],” he reveals.
With sounds of the city still haunting his spirit while in the village, the activist says in 1982 at the age of 14 years he forged his way back to the city.
This, he says, was after he had completed his primary education at Abok Primary School in Pakwach.
“I came back to Kampala with support of my uncle, Mr Patrick Okumuringa, a former State minister for Public Service. I grew up in his home in Kololo,” he explains.
Education
Oucha went to Kololo High School for O- Level and completed in 1986.
In 1988, he joined Kitante Hill School for Higher Secondary Education.
“I went to England where I studied Business Administration at the American College in London. I also studied several other courses with lots of training in journalism at national and international level,” he recounts.
Upon completing studies, he returned to Uganda in 1992 to pursue his passion of creating a better community.
By 1994, he was fully involved in HIV/Aids activism while working with Safe Life Uganda, a civil society organisation.
Around the same time, Oucha was a reporter with Daily Monitor.
“I describe myself as an energetic African who is highly inspired to fight HIV/Aids and all sorts of anti-human issues,” Oucha says.
He reveals that he didn’t practise business administration because he didn’t secure a job.
“Activism is inspiration. To be an activist, you deliver an assignment on behalf of God not on your own behalf and you follow God’s instruction. Even when others are having fear, you have courage,” Mr Oucha says.
Between 1994 and 2010, Oucha with support from the government and donors had traversed thousands of schools sensitising the masses on the HIV fight.
“I covered over 3,000 schools and presented information about HIV/Aids prevention on over 20 FM radio stations. I went to schools like Ntare, Mbarara High, St Joseph’s College Ombaci, among others,” he says.
Reminiscing on his life and activism journey, Oucha says it has been bumpy and jam-packed with financial insecurity.
In the middle of the mission, Mr Oucha says he started composing the anthem.
He adds that activism has robbed him of family time.
“I appeal to President Museveni to help me with a car and fuel card to ease my movement. I also need my security to be improved because of increasing kidnap attempts on my life after I got the copyright for the anthem,” he adds.
The anthem
One moment, someday!
HIV/Aids will surrender
Crave A.B.C, VCT, ARV’s...
Go test now!
Keep on fighting
Let life flow
Don’t die young
Why die young?
Come closer God
Aids will vanish
Heal those infected
Bless those affected
It’s your family weapon against aids!!!
Widows, orphans, widowers
Aids will surrender
One moment, someday
All will rejoice
