Lumbuye neyatemudde Munamawulire wa Bobi wine Gwevayita Sumy Ono bwino ajakutiisa Birimu canary mugu
Channel: PROJOURN MEDIA TV
Date: 2022-03-11

Lumbuye neyatemudde Munamawulire wa Bobi wine Gwevayita Sumy Ono bwino ajakutiisa Birimu canary mugu
Munamawulire wa Bobi wine Afudde Kitalo Bambi Sumaya Carrasco Sadurni Kigambibwa nti Bamupangidde 
Yesterday I cried as loudly as a baby when I learnt of the unnecessary, cruel, abrupt, unjust death of Sumy who died from a head-on collision traffic accident in Kiryandongo. She was 33 years old; only thirty-three years old! I remembered how creative, cool, considerate, compassionate, classy and collaborative she was and I wept at the unfairness.

Sumaya Carrasco Sadurni was a fiesty badass Spanish-Mexican photojournalist who used her expertise and skills to tell amazing stories from feminist, queer, anti-capitalist and pro-liberation struggles in Uganda. She produced several award-winning photographs of me in defiance action during protests ranging from the protests againsts women kidnaps and femicide, gay pride, peaceful demonstration against failed food distribution in the COVID-19 lockdown, a nude protest in court against my unjust sentencing, release from prison on acquittal, etc. Her camera always did magic to arrest police brutality during my arrests. And my stories are only a tiny segment of the huge body of Sumy’s work.

Where several expatriates working and living in Uganda use their expertise in the service of the privileged abusers of oppressive power, Sumy passionately deployed her skills in the service of the underdogs. She was quick witted, fast on her feet, resolutely committed, confidently sizzling with creative ideas, bouncing with hopeful energy - all of which she brought to her work engagements. And she got my crooked sense of humour!

Sumy was personable, regardless of age or gender of the other persons. My teenage daughter cried at the news of her passing. My twin-sons sniffed a little, too for she had given them tips on how to improve their photography skills. That is how much Sumy impacted their lives during their brief interactions when she photographed me. In addition to complimenting my daughter on her make-up services given to me before portrait photo-shoots, Sumaya had also defended my daughter’s insistent requests to get a third ear-piercing and a first tatoo. Beautifully and boldly spotting severeal body tatoos and piercings, Sumy joined forces with Baraka to show me how conservative my ideas on this topic were. So convincing was she that I conceded and allowed my daughter to get her first tatoo and third ear-piercing under Sumy’s guidance. The two set an appointment for November 2022. Alas, it will not be!

I painfully wailed at the injustice of road carnage on Uganda’s dangerous highways. Death by hit-on collision between a monstrous Fuso lorry truck and a comparatively petite Toyota Rav4 salon car is definite and merciless. Sumy and her driver barely had any chances of survival. Truck drivers, truck drivers, truck drivers… I swear to God truck drivers… (words fail me!)

Oh Sumy, our different struggles for liberation in Uganda wonderfully intersected in your powerful photography. Your beautiful boldness as your camera chased the perfect moment to document our painful resistance against militant oppression will be missed on the frontlines of peaceful non-violent combat. Your dogged friendship and radical sisterhood can never be replaced. May you rest in power, little goddess! May you rest with the warriors and your winds guide us on to revolutionary freedom in Uganda!