what next?

So today, I returned to Mulago. My roommate Rose kindly kept me company. I admire her practicality, so it was great to have her company and insight.

Friday is screening day at the Uganda Cancer Institute. A series of health workers and survivors spoke to the 40-50 people, giving testimonies, giving instructions on how to breast self exams, on healthy diets, giving general info about the disease and treatment. Then the invited people from the audience to come up and teach to see if the info is being communicated clearly, which I thought was a wise strategy.

A lot of ngos have used theater to raise awareness on AIDs and the woman, Margaret, who runs the survivor group here wants to use theater to raise awareness for breast cancer. Cancer is so new here and the funding for non-infectious diseases is only beginning to get more attention. I am going to write a script for her this week. This week is also the two year anniversary of mom's death, so a nice gift to me to feel like I have something to do with my hands. This woman Margaret impresses me. She's sweating of flu and running around processing papers, assisting with screening, outlining the play. She mentions that her cousin took her to a church who wanted to pray for her instead of a mastectomy and she tells the preacher, no I'm going to get this treatment. It's not the defiance that impressed me. It's the explanation she gives. Everyone wants to help. They don't want you to have to go through something like getting your breasts cut off. They just don't know how to help.

The other project that I committed to today: I'm working with some members of Theater Factory to tour a comedy about post-election violence in Kenya to schools, Crazy Storms. To give students a picture of theater as rigorous and as local (not just Shakespeare). Theater Factory is a weekly comedy show that's been running at the National Theater for 7 years. They create an impressive 14 new sketches each week based on newspaper articles. Their work is tight and professional, with vital and imaginative physical comedy.

I came home today and before I had even taken my backpack off, bent over my computer and was attacked by children. A 5 year old begins combing my hair and the three year old smudges her thumb firmly across my forehead. Can you ask her why she is doing that? It's the sign of the cross. She says it's so bugs don't bight you.