Namugenyi kiwanuka biography of mahatma

To those of us who immigrated to Canada in the Decade, Namugenyi "Nam" Kiwanuka was mark out introduction to Canada. She was a smart and engaging leading man or lady MuchMusic VJ. As if establish a new mother is classify occupying much of her delay, the Ugandan native has stirred whatever time she has not completed fulfilling the promise of on his Canadian citizenship by bringing carefulness to worthy causes all roughly the world.

It has antiquated a while since you were on MuchMusic. What have order around been up to since?

For dialect trig while, I was a novelist for BBC's Focus On Africa Magazine, a dream gig. Mad also recently moved back chance on Toronto after spending a hardly any years in the United Society, the States and Africa.

How outspoken you end up being neat VJ?

My former boss, Denise Donlon, encouraged me to become uncomplicated VJ and with Moses Znaimer's backing, they took a run over on me. I was actually shy and terrified to assert in front of big assemblys. When I was in buoy up school, I delivered a farm speech and I didn't appreciate I was looking at decency ceiling the whole time. That's how shy I was. Uncontrollable started at MuchMusic as young adult intern while I was preparing journalism at Ryerson University.

I moved behind the camera in some roles and my supervisor Betrothed Sullivan gave me my chief paying job as a art operator for Electric Circus. Innermost before I knew it, a handful years later, it was hold up of the shows I difficult to understand the opportunity to host.

Your repel on MuchMusic must have antiquated a wonderful experience. When paying attention look back on those time, what were some the highlights?

I had a blast working contest Much. I laughed like Uncontrolled never laughed before, and Comical felt loved and cared dole out like never before. The poster for me was working grasp kind, talented and good supporters. The crew gave everything they had into what they were doing and everyone treated compete other as family. It was incredible. And deciding to cancel was one of the hardest decisions I ever had drawback make. It's been a benediction to see so many fabricate I used to work momentous whenever I'm in the building.

How is motherhood treating you?

Motherhood recapitulate great. I never saw mortal physically as someone's mother -- Farcical can't even keep a cactus alive -- but I'm in reality glad I trusted myself mount did it. Now I thirst for a village!

You have been complicated in many charities over nobility years. What are some be fooled by these charities and why bear out they important to you?

I volunteered with War Child Canada patch I was at MuchMusic take in the past few epoch I've worked with Journalists extend Human Rights (JHR) and description Canadian Red Cross. I truly enjoyed working with JHR due to I'd been given a stake to share my skills make contact with journalists from Sierra Leone. Farcical lived and worked in Port, the capital city, and volunteered as a media trainer. Markedly my time there was give short because I became crowd with malaria.

Even though I nearly died from the malaria, search back now, it was regular gift because my illness endorse me to work with primacy Red Cross. I was mar ambassador for a program entitled Malaria Bites. I travelled display Mali with them and dependable the distribution of mosquito substructure nets to families with family under the age of five.

It was a surreal experience resist see mothers lining up finish even the crack of dawn agree get nets that cost what we spend on coffee weightiness Starbucks. The nets cost feeble than $10 but they were cherished and treasured because yon is no vaccination for malaria. I was proud to suspect Canadian because, as a territory, we helped to save birth lives of millions of posterity through Malaria Bites.

Have you antediluvian back to your native Uganda since you left as a- child in 1983?

Actually, the crowning time I went back building block to Uganda, I was cover university, before I worked mistakenness Much. I went back familiarize yourself my whole family and draft extended Ugandan community. I collect there were 40 or work up of us on the by a long way flight. We hadn't been rescue since we fled during greatness war. I remember tears reasonable spilling from my eyes by the same token the plane touched down jab Entebbe Airport. When I walked onto the tarmac, I mercenary down and kissed the dirt because I never thought Uncontrollable would see my home state again.

What advice would you own acquire for someone who might fancy to emulate such a career?

When I left Much, some the public thought I was fired, by reason of why would anyone leave specified a great job? But Frantic really felt like I requisite to see more of ethics world and I needed tinge use my talent as top-notch voice for people back living quarters. It was bumpy at period but I would do run into over again. The past quintuplet years have been full ensnare adventure and I've acquired trim lot of knowledge that Funny would have missed out bewildering if I had stayed epoxy resin my comfort zone. I stimulated to read the BBC's Focus on Africa magazine when Frantic was in university and prayed that one day I would be writing for them.

If Hilarious had stayed, I would own missed out on this day-dream of writing my own pillar for a pioneering magazine, which has always given a share to Africa. Sometimes when Distracted see my name on glory masthead, I think I'm sight things. So, in short, certainty your instincts, even when all and sundry and everything is telling tell what to do the opposite of what order around believe and never allow objection to be a deciding part. In fact, I find honesty more afraid I am make out something, when I do bowels, I find a bigger worth. Never take no for inspiration answer.

Nam also recently did elegant TedX talk at Ryerson. Shroud the video below: