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Ugandan North American Convention Reunites Childhood Friends

September 1, 2023
Eyobong Ita
154 Comments
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Madinah-Nakuya-l-and-Deborah-Jane-reunites-at-the-Ugandan-convention-in-Dallas-780x1024.jpg
Madinah Nakuya (left) and Deborah Jane reunite at the Ugandan Convention in Dallas, USA.

By Eyobong Ita

Deborah Jane boarded a flight Thursday morning at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. At about the same time, Madinah Nakuya boarded a flight at Denver International Airport in Colorado.

Jane and Nakuya have been friends since their teenage years in the East African country of Uganda, but they had not seen each other for more than two decades. For the first time in 25 years, the two friends reunited in Dallas Thursday as they arrived for the 35th Annual Ugandan North American Association Convention and Trade Expo at Hilton Anatole Dallas.

“Oh my God! When we saw each other, we just hugged nonstop, and up till now we keep smiling at each other because it’s been a lot of years of separation,” said Jane, one of the stars in “Immigration Nation,” the critically acclaimed award-winning Netflix documentary that took an unprecedented in-depth look at the inhumane world of immigration enforcement during the Trump administration.

“It’s like a dream come true; something I didn’t think would really happen has finally happened,” said Nakuya, who is attending the convention with her daughter, Melody.

Nakuya last saw Jane on Ugandan television after Jane had been viciously attacked with acid that left her temporarily blind with multiple permanent scars. For decades, Nakuya searched in vain for her and later concluded that she probably was homeless or going through hard times financially. Last year, Nakuya found Jane through an online publication and they reconnected over the phone but never met until now.

“We realized that we haven’t changed much; we still have the same characters regardless of age and all that we’ve gone through in life,” Nakuya said. We still have that spark; the teenage thing is still there, the jokes that we used to laugh at and all that are still there.”

Jane said the convention period is not enough for them to catch up on the past decades that they hadn’t seen each other, but the joy of their reunion is priceless,

“We’re just full of joy trying to connect all the years we’ve not seen each other,” she said.

Jane and Nakuya are among several Ugandans in the diaspora attending the annual convention organized by Ugandan North American Association. This year’s convention is the second for Nakuya and Jane, having made their debut in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

“It’s more exciting because we’re actually meeting others, so it’s revamping the whole memory of our high school,” Nakuya said.

“It’s more exciting because I have the company of my childhood friend,” Jane added.

From left – Deborah, Maureen, Jalia and Madinah at the Ugandan Convention in Dallas, USA

Ugandan North American Association, founded in 1988, is the largest non-political formal association of Ugandans in the Diaspora aiming to promote social, cultural, and economic development of the Ugandan Community in North America and beyond, according to a message on its website. There are more than 120,000 Ugandans in North America, according to the figure on the organization’s website.

“Conventioneers should prepare for a great networking and social experience with real-time updates on convention activities, ensuring they don’t miss a single thing,” Lambert Etibot, the organization’s executive secretary and convention’s chief operations officer informed Ugandans on the group’s convention website. “The nightlife will come alive with the best entertainment from our awesome lineup of local and international entertainers, cultural performers, and DJs.”

Major attractions include A Night on the Nile, a Saturday event featuring all-white attire with the Source band and top DJs performing at the ballroom party. Preceding the Saturday ball is the Pearl of Africa Night on Friday featuring cultural performances, music, dance, poetry, and fashion shows from local and international artists.

The convention also features some of Uganda’s political heavyweights, including Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Nobert Mao, the chief guest of honor at Saturday’s main event where he will talk about the proposed constitutional review and transition process in Uganda. Also, Lands Minister Dr. Sam Mayanja will speak on land reform, while Simon Mundeyi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will talk about immigration issues as they affect the diaspora. Also speaking at the event are Ambassador Robie Kakonge, Uganda’s ambassador to the United States; Ambassador Ruth Acheng, high commissioner to Canada; Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, permanent representative to the United Nations; Adomia Ayebare, minister of state for tourism, wildlife and antiquities, and Keynote Speaker Paul Kirungi.

One of the highlights of the convention is the election of a new president to succeed Henrietta Nairuba who has served the maximum two terms in office.

  • Eyobong Ita is the Executive Editor at Diaspora Gazette. He can be reached at itae@diasporagazette.com

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