Kitagwenda's Diplomat 🎆🇺🇬🇹🇿🇲🇿

Last month, @CIVICUSalliance brought together the African cohort of Communicators for Civic Action for an insightful learning experience in Johannesburg. Through sessions facilitated by abracademy, we explored narrative shifting, storytelling and building successful advocacy campaigns. We also had the opportunity to listen to and learn from the experiences of senior civic actors whose stories offered valuable lessons on civic action and social change. It was a meaningful opportunity to learn, reflect, connect with fellow communicators from across Africa and strengthen how we tell stories that inspire action.

Papa, when I was told that you had attended that meeting, I told my colleagues that you were obeying powers and principalities, just as you have always taught us. But when I listened to your submission, I was heartbroken. The fact that it was another pastor who spoke about political prisoners, while you, my spiritual father who leads one of the largest youthful congregations said that “PLU is not known to be an abusive and subversive party,” broke my heart even more. Papa, you know that the young people in your church are informed and intelligent. They have phones. They see the videos of abductions involving men in military uniforms acting under the authority of the very people you were praising. Papa, you teach us to let God fight our battles. Yet at that same meeting, you raised the issue of Gashumba’s statements about our church before PLU leaders in a manner that sounded like you were asking them to take action against him. Papa, you have hurt thousands of young people, including those who may never have the courage to write a post like this. We forgive you. We will still come to church, sit in our usual seats, worship God and listen to your sermons. But Papa, forgiveness does not mean we were not hurt. And remaining in church does not mean we agree with everything you said. @Phanerookampala