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LESSONS. Do you know the difference between a man and a male? Dennis D. Muhumuza explores this.
Did you know that not all males are men? There’s a huge gulf between
the two, as I learned at a recent Men’s Conference facilitated by Eric
Ssetuba, head of Men’s Ministry Makerere Full Gospel Church.
Accordingly, a male is created but a man is made. When a child is born
with a penis, he is male but it takes years of training and upbringing
and a track record of application for him to be considered a man.
What a male does
A
normal male above 18 years or even less can make a woman pregnant but
it takes a man to make a father. A male panics and disowns the pregnancy
but a man takes responsibility and cares, after birth he raises his
child until maturity and independence. He is involved in all the circles
of growth of his children and knows how to discipline his sons into
manhood, whereas a male leaves all decisions to his wife and when the
wife is not there his maid takes her place, including bedroom matters.
These are the kind of males who have no self-control so they could rape
and defile to satisfy their carnal appetites.
A saying goes, no
matter how tall your father is, you must do your own growing. Males grow
only in bodies and not in character. What women call the “mama’s boy”
falls in this category.
He is a cry-baby who does not know how to
assert himself or make manly plans. He runs to his mother for
solutions and cries when pushed to the wall by circumstances. A man has
the ability to stay calm when the going is tough. He is the
problem-solver who keeps his family afloat amid the storms of life. He
is the leader and provider and all his moves factor in the wellbeing of
his family and dependants. He also prepares for his exit through savings
and investments so that when he is gone his family will not suffer.
You
have heard of “absentee fathers”. Those are males, not men while a real
man creates bonding time for his family no matter how busy he is. He
does not bring office work to his home because it is family time. This
is when he helps his children to do homework, prays with them and
listens to them. He remembers their birthdays and attends school
visitations. A male thinks buying toys for his children is enough.
Consequently, cartoon characters become the role models of his children
and they grow up weak like reeds that are tossed about by the wind.
Make family time
A
man does not only work hard but also teaches his children early to
embrace hard work and a saving culture. He involves them in budgeting
for the family so that they can learn how to spend responsibly. A male
on the other hand provides everything children ask for without question.
He is the kind who buys a smartphone for his six-year-old son with
limitless Internet without activating parental controls. It is also this
type of male that forbids his sons from working; everything is done by
the maids. In future these children fail to adapt to the hard and often
harsh realities of life and turn to drugs and become, in hip-hop
parlance, “messed-up hommies.”
Work for survival
Before
dawn when the real men are throwing away blankets to go and hustle,
that is when the male snuggles further in and snores. When he finally
wakes up, his “proggie” is all about going to the nearest sports betting
centre hoping for a quick kill and thrill. Such often sponges off his
sisters or rich mother to keep going. A man, even when he is not
employed starts something or volunteers somewhere because he must earn
his bread and be useful in society. Are you a man or merely male? If you
are male, start on a new journey to manhood. Bravo to real men!
Fulfillment
A
man also sets goals and runs after their fulfillment resolutely. Goals
about his health, finances, spirituality, morality and security. He
knows it is in the fulfillment of these goals that he can contribute to
his society because he knows life does not revolve around him alone, so
he tries to impact the world in everything he does. Thus he acquires new
skills to retain his cutting edge, and surrounds himself with people
that bring out the best in him. Males don’t care about legacy; they are
the heavy drinkers, chainsmokers and squander their time with loafers
and comfort themselves singing the Solomonic song which they sadly get
out of context, “enjoy today, for tomorrow you die!” Alas they die with
inner regrets, having left no legacy at all except a legacy of careless
living.
--Sunday Monitor, August 7, 2016
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Monday, September 22, 2014
Facing the knife is macho
Dennis D. Muhumuza shares why circumcision is manly and not for the fainthearted.
Don’t be deceived; circumcision remains a macho thing regardless of where it is done. Some say that only cowards go to hospital and real men face the crude-looking traditional knife as used live among the Bagisu. But as I found out on August 19, and in the three weeks of throbbing pain and discomfort that followed, even medical circumcision is not for the fainthearted.
 |
| A wooden phallus showing the beauty of a circumcised penis |
But the doctor who welcomed me that morning allayed my fears saying the circumcisers were experienced experts who had no record of messing up. He held a wooden phallus depicting the beauty of a circumcised male organ. He articulated the rewards of circumcision: it being a HIV/Aids preventive measure, hygienic benefits and better sex. He was so convincing that had he pulled out a knife then I would have faced it without anaesthesia.
Next, I was counselled and HIV-tested by a doctor who asked me to be honest and tell him how many times I have had sex this year, and whether I used a condom. The way he talked you would think I’m a sex machine with unrivalled notoriety for hanky-panky.
After that, I was shown into a small room to remove my clothes and wear a circumcision gown. Therein, I found a plus size boy of about 12 who looked dead-frightened and asked me in a shivering voice if I thought it would hurt. Obviously he had been dragged to face the knife.
I was moments later stunned to discover that the physician who was going to circumcise me was not only female but also a ravishing beauty. My eyes quickly run to her fingers looking for a wedding ring. Alas! her hands were gloved. She looked me in the eye and ordered me with professional authority to lie on my back on the operating table. I lay there in utter surrender, spread my legs and closed my eyes praying that her first touch would not make my body react. “I’m going to anaesthetise you and it won’t hurt thereafter,” she said tenderly, like a mother to her beloved child.
Three times I felt dizzying pricks of injection at the base of my sexual organ and wanted to yelp like a little girl. But I remembered a Mugisu young man somewhere who as the traditional knife descends sharply on his foreskin is not expected to wince no matter the pain. What I was facing in the hospital paled in comparison, and that helped me to face my trial with courage.
The procedure took about 20 minutes. I was then ushered into another room where a doctor advised me to clean my member with salty water twice everyday and to let the stitches come out of their own accord. I was also strongly warned against having sex before six weeks have elapsed, and to use a condom in the first six months after that.
The pain began on my way home. Ceaseless, stinging pain like red ants were mauling me beneath the bandages. For the next fortnight, I could not walk. And I could not sleep. It would get worse while passing urine. The morning erections brought unbearable pain too. I was swollen. In panic, I called one of my doctor friends, who brought me some liquid with which to cleanse the wound and powdered antidote to apply thereafter. This really helped. At the end of the third week, I began wearing trousers again and going about my business without pain.
Today I’m glad it’s all over. The three-week discomfort and pain helped me to rediscover my ability to endure. I feel better, cleaner and stronger. Circumcision regardless of where it’s done is truly a rite of passage that turns big boys into real men.
--Sunday Monitor, September 21, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Pneumonia kills more children than malaria
New evidence shows that pneumonia kills more children than malaria, measles and HIV/Aids combined. Though preventable, the disease remains neglected mainly due to ignorance of its causes and immediate symptoms, writes Dennis D. Muhumuza
In the acute child care unit of Mulago Hospital on Thursday mid-morning, a child of about five years lay in a slanted little bed; eyes sunken, pain all over his face, lungs visibly stiff. He was using a lot of energy to breath in what the doctor called “in-breathing.” Every time he did, his skeletal lungs expanded and contracted in a violent and alarming manner. A tube run from a container fixed to his bedpost, into his nose and directly into the blood vessel on his wrist. He was on oxygen which if removed, would make breathing difficult: “The oxygen is piped and must pass through water because if you don’t make it a little bit humid, it becomes dry and it dries up the chest,” explained the doctor.
Like tens of others packed in health centres countrywide, this child was battling a very painful case of pneumonia and would stay up to three days on oxygen depending on the severity of the disease. Unknown to many, pneumonia kills more children than measles, HIV/Aids, and malaria combined, according to a report, Progress For Children on www.unicef.org.
According to estimates from the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), pneumonia kills over two million children in the world under the age of five every year. That is about the population of Kampala.
“Pneumonia is actually the leading infectious cause of death in children, contributing to about 20 percent of all under-five mortality rates. That translates to about 20,000 Ugandan children dying of pneumonia per year,” says Dr Eric Wobudeya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital Complex. “It’s a severe disease yet it has not been given the priority it deserves.”
This is because there has been little input to understand the grim disease. In fact, the first study, what Dr Jessica Nsungwa Sabiiti of Ministry of Health, called “A verbal autopsy” was only recently conducted around the country to determine the number of children the disease kills annually. The report is yet to be released.
As a paediatrician heading the ministry’s programme for the management of childhood illnesses, Sabiiti agrees that pneumonia has not been given enough emphasis because of the push given to malaria – long viewed as the number one cause of death in Africa. So malaria monopolised nearly all medical attention but all that is changing because with the help of the Global Fund, the effectiveness of the interventions put in place (mosquito nets and the new drugs) have weakened the severity of, and significantly reduced the proportion of patients dying of malaria.
After the examination of 2,080 children under the age of five in Mulago Hospital, it has been established that pneumonia is more common than malaria and needs to be dealt with before it wipes infants of the face of Uganda.
Things have not been helped by ignorance and the misconceptions surrounding the disease. Many times people say pneumonia is caused by cold – that if you don’t wrap your child in as much warmth it gets infected. Others are known to get painkillers and to administer all sorts of syrup or cough mixtures when a child begins to cry and cough and the temperature shoots off. The truth is that pneumonia is an infectious disease caused by bacteria and sometimes viruses.
Signs of pneumonia
Cough, fast breathing and high fever are signs of pneumonia and your child should be taken to the nearest health unit for proper treatment. These symptoms defer from those of the elderly where headache, chest pain, lung congestion and sometimes nausea and vomiting are symptoms.
Health experts say indoor pollution caused by smoke from firewood, congestion, poverty, poor ventilation, malnutrition and staying in a poor place like slums are some of the factors that influence infection.
Although a big problem among children under five and the elderly, with the spate of HIV/Aids, not even the youths can be spared.
“Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) is the common cause of death in people with HIV/Aids but can be prevented with Septrine,” says Dr Wobudeya. He was quick to add that all forms of pneumonia, however fatal, are preventable when the disease is detected early and proper medication sought.
“Viral pneumonia is dangerous but the bacterial ones cause more deaths. And most of these are caused by two types of bacteria: Haemophilus Influenzae and Streptococcus Pneumoniae and both of these bacteria have vaccines and beyond the vaccines are other important preventable methods, for instance, if children develop measles, those children are more likely to get severe pneumonia, so if we immunise all our children against only measles we reduce the amount of mortality in pneumonia by about 10 percent,” says Dr Wobudeya.
“And in addition to drug treatment, a patient with pneumonia should stay in bed, eat healthy meals, and drink large amounts of liquids. With good treatment, it usually takes three days for patients to get better.”
Getting better is essential if Millennium Development Goal Four, which aims at reducing by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five by 2015, is to be achieved. There is however fear that it may take long to subdue this contagious disease especially with the fist of poverty dealing cruel blows in many households.
More troubling, according to Dr Wobudeya, is that pneumonia has become resistant to our simple drugs and yet chemotherapy which has helped combat the disease in the developed world are unavailable in government hospitals and poor clinics because they are expensive. While this poses no danger to the affluent who can rush their children to well-oiled clinics, the poor are left in despair because they cannot afford expensive treatment.
Kitagata Hospital, one of the biggest government hospitals in western Uganda, admits about 150 children suffering from pneumonia every month, according to its medical superintendent Dr Wilberforce Owembabazi, but the majority are those who don’t get to hospital.
This is a dire situation that the Uganda Paediatricians Association, whose major aim is to take care of the country’s children by ensuring they get good health care, may not handle on its own although it has rolled out an awareness campaign on child pneumonia throughout the country.
“We are working together with the Ministry of Health to prevent early neonatal death” [of babies aged 1-7months], says Dr Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka of the Department of Paediatrics Makerere Medical School, and the general secretary of the association. “Our aim really is to make pneumonia visible, do more advocacy and educate the communities but we are still limited by resources.”
The call by World Health Organisation (WHO) to have pneumonia managed at the community level has been heard by the Ministry of Health which is training nurses, nursing aides, lay workers and other volunteers in northern Uganda to become what Dr Sabiiti calls “mini-paediatricians.”
“You don’t need to be a paediatrician to manage pneumonia,” she said. “We are training them in using a respiratory timer developed by Unicef; we have taught them to examine the child and count the respiratory rate; and to ask the right questions from mother, and if the child is breathing faster than normal, has a cough then that child has pneumonia.”
The pain on the face of that Mulago child on oxygen is a haunting scene. Whatever means are used to scale up effective interventions; preventing death is all that matters.
--Daily Monitor, August 21, 2008
 |
| A child suffering from pneumonia at Mulago hospital |
Like tens of others packed in health centres countrywide, this child was battling a very painful case of pneumonia and would stay up to three days on oxygen depending on the severity of the disease. Unknown to many, pneumonia kills more children than measles, HIV/Aids, and malaria combined, according to a report, Progress For Children on www.unicef.org.
According to estimates from the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), pneumonia kills over two million children in the world under the age of five every year. That is about the population of Kampala.
“Pneumonia is actually the leading infectious cause of death in children, contributing to about 20 percent of all under-five mortality rates. That translates to about 20,000 Ugandan children dying of pneumonia per year,” says Dr Eric Wobudeya, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital Complex. “It’s a severe disease yet it has not been given the priority it deserves.”
This is because there has been little input to understand the grim disease. In fact, the first study, what Dr Jessica Nsungwa Sabiiti of Ministry of Health, called “A verbal autopsy” was only recently conducted around the country to determine the number of children the disease kills annually. The report is yet to be released.
As a paediatrician heading the ministry’s programme for the management of childhood illnesses, Sabiiti agrees that pneumonia has not been given enough emphasis because of the push given to malaria – long viewed as the number one cause of death in Africa. So malaria monopolised nearly all medical attention but all that is changing because with the help of the Global Fund, the effectiveness of the interventions put in place (mosquito nets and the new drugs) have weakened the severity of, and significantly reduced the proportion of patients dying of malaria.
After the examination of 2,080 children under the age of five in Mulago Hospital, it has been established that pneumonia is more common than malaria and needs to be dealt with before it wipes infants of the face of Uganda.
Things have not been helped by ignorance and the misconceptions surrounding the disease. Many times people say pneumonia is caused by cold – that if you don’t wrap your child in as much warmth it gets infected. Others are known to get painkillers and to administer all sorts of syrup or cough mixtures when a child begins to cry and cough and the temperature shoots off. The truth is that pneumonia is an infectious disease caused by bacteria and sometimes viruses.
Signs of pneumonia
Cough, fast breathing and high fever are signs of pneumonia and your child should be taken to the nearest health unit for proper treatment. These symptoms defer from those of the elderly where headache, chest pain, lung congestion and sometimes nausea and vomiting are symptoms.
Health experts say indoor pollution caused by smoke from firewood, congestion, poverty, poor ventilation, malnutrition and staying in a poor place like slums are some of the factors that influence infection.
Although a big problem among children under five and the elderly, with the spate of HIV/Aids, not even the youths can be spared.
“Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) is the common cause of death in people with HIV/Aids but can be prevented with Septrine,” says Dr Wobudeya. He was quick to add that all forms of pneumonia, however fatal, are preventable when the disease is detected early and proper medication sought.
“Viral pneumonia is dangerous but the bacterial ones cause more deaths. And most of these are caused by two types of bacteria: Haemophilus Influenzae and Streptococcus Pneumoniae and both of these bacteria have vaccines and beyond the vaccines are other important preventable methods, for instance, if children develop measles, those children are more likely to get severe pneumonia, so if we immunise all our children against only measles we reduce the amount of mortality in pneumonia by about 10 percent,” says Dr Wobudeya.
“And in addition to drug treatment, a patient with pneumonia should stay in bed, eat healthy meals, and drink large amounts of liquids. With good treatment, it usually takes three days for patients to get better.”
Getting better is essential if Millennium Development Goal Four, which aims at reducing by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five by 2015, is to be achieved. There is however fear that it may take long to subdue this contagious disease especially with the fist of poverty dealing cruel blows in many households.
More troubling, according to Dr Wobudeya, is that pneumonia has become resistant to our simple drugs and yet chemotherapy which has helped combat the disease in the developed world are unavailable in government hospitals and poor clinics because they are expensive. While this poses no danger to the affluent who can rush their children to well-oiled clinics, the poor are left in despair because they cannot afford expensive treatment.
Kitagata Hospital, one of the biggest government hospitals in western Uganda, admits about 150 children suffering from pneumonia every month, according to its medical superintendent Dr Wilberforce Owembabazi, but the majority are those who don’t get to hospital.
This is a dire situation that the Uganda Paediatricians Association, whose major aim is to take care of the country’s children by ensuring they get good health care, may not handle on its own although it has rolled out an awareness campaign on child pneumonia throughout the country.
“We are working together with the Ministry of Health to prevent early neonatal death” [of babies aged 1-7months], says Dr Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka of the Department of Paediatrics Makerere Medical School, and the general secretary of the association. “Our aim really is to make pneumonia visible, do more advocacy and educate the communities but we are still limited by resources.”
The call by World Health Organisation (WHO) to have pneumonia managed at the community level has been heard by the Ministry of Health which is training nurses, nursing aides, lay workers and other volunteers in northern Uganda to become what Dr Sabiiti calls “mini-paediatricians.”
“You don’t need to be a paediatrician to manage pneumonia,” she said. “We are training them in using a respiratory timer developed by Unicef; we have taught them to examine the child and count the respiratory rate; and to ask the right questions from mother, and if the child is breathing faster than normal, has a cough then that child has pneumonia.”
The pain on the face of that Mulago child on oxygen is a haunting scene. Whatever means are used to scale up effective interventions; preventing death is all that matters.
--Daily Monitor, August 21, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Teeth-whitening: Is it worth the cost?
The first thing you notice about a person when he opens his mouth to have a conversation is the teeth. Healthy bright white teeth always get extra attention.
Many people may not know, but doctors say teeth are by nature supp
osed to be greyish yellow, not 'snow-white.' This means that most people who are unsatisfied by the colour of their teeth might, in the real sense, have healthy teeth.
But drinking too much coffee and wine and smoking affects the colour of our teeth and because teeth darken with age, most people are rushing for all kinds of expensive 'whitening tooth pastes' to wipe off those little stains.
Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help one get this great smile. You have seen those Hollywood celebrities on television and wondered how blessed they are to have such dazzling teeth. For some, they are God given, while for others, it's all about teeth -whitening.
Singer Britney Spears and star actress Julia Roberts have done it. And so when they smile, you go "wow!" The magic lies in those teeth- whitening products and treatment. And right now, as dentists will tell you, the business is booming here. A good number of dental clinics in Kampala can now offer teeth- whitening sevices.
Teeth whitening is a procedure to whiten teeth by applying a solution of hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent to the outside surface of teeth. Dr Fred Semakula, a dentist at Victoria Medical Centre, says there are several products on the market such as whitening toothpastes, over-the counter gels, strips and trays.
But whitening is not recommended for everyone. One needs to consult a dentist before doing it. Dentists say it is ideal for people with healthy, unrestored teeth and gums. Individuals with yellow tones to their teeth respond best. Dentists advise that whitening is not recommended for children under the age of 16 and pregnant women.
How it is done
Medical websites clearly describe how the whitening treatment is done. Dentists whiten teeth externally or internally. The external process involves using what is called "the nightguard system" in which a dentist "makes a tray from an impression taken of the patient's teeth, so that the bleaching gel can be applied very precisely on the teeth without touching the gums."
Then there is "heating the bleach gel so that it acts more quickly on the discolouring molecules within the tooth." This technique can be used to "lighten the tooth internally and bring the colour closer to the colour of the surrounding teeth."
The results vary, say dentists. For example, some patients will get much whiter teeth than others -something that has to do with the condition of the teeth, degree of the stain and the type of bleaching system used and for how long.
The downside to teeth-whitening lies in high tooth sensitivity and irritation of the gums. According to Dr. Semakula, tooth sensitivity comes about during the treatment. It emerges from an ill-fitting mouthpiece tray.
The good news however is that the side effects are temporary and will vanish in a day or two after the treatment. Besides, where the sensitivity of the tooth is high, it is advised that whitening products be used less often.
It is also expensive - You have to part with a minimum of Shs40,000 to 100,000 or more, depending on how effective you want the chemicals to work and where you receive the operation.
While some studies have since concluded that teeth-whitening is secure and dependable others disagree because it also been suggested that most whitening products will only remove surface stains.
BBC online further reported that dentists faced the risk of being sued for whitening people's teeth. The European Union was apparently worried about the "amount of concentrated bleach used in the treatment." They said it is "illegal to supply hydrogen peroxide bleach at greater than 0.1 percent" yet most teeth whitening products can contain 100 times that amount.
Is it worth it? So should you go for teeth whitening or not? You are the captain of your soul, so you decide. Toothpaste helps to clean and protect the teeth and can as well remove some stains to retain the natural colour as well. Teeth-whiteninging chemicals make them teeth whiter.
Professional teeth whitening is quite expensive but whitening toothpaste costs just a few bucks. And who wouldn’t want to make an impression with a great smile? Your pocket can help you decide.
Published in Sunday Monitor, November 26, 2006
Many people may not know, but doctors say teeth are by nature supp
osed to be greyish yellow, not 'snow-white.' This means that most people who are unsatisfied by the colour of their teeth might, in the real sense, have healthy teeth.But drinking too much coffee and wine and smoking affects the colour of our teeth and because teeth darken with age, most people are rushing for all kinds of expensive 'whitening tooth pastes' to wipe off those little stains.
Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help one get this great smile. You have seen those Hollywood celebrities on television and wondered how blessed they are to have such dazzling teeth. For some, they are God given, while for others, it's all about teeth -whitening.
Singer Britney Spears and star actress Julia Roberts have done it. And so when they smile, you go "wow!" The magic lies in those teeth- whitening products and treatment. And right now, as dentists will tell you, the business is booming here. A good number of dental clinics in Kampala can now offer teeth- whitening sevices.
Teeth whitening is a procedure to whiten teeth by applying a solution of hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent to the outside surface of teeth. Dr Fred Semakula, a dentist at Victoria Medical Centre, says there are several products on the market such as whitening toothpastes, over-the counter gels, strips and trays.
But whitening is not recommended for everyone. One needs to consult a dentist before doing it. Dentists say it is ideal for people with healthy, unrestored teeth and gums. Individuals with yellow tones to their teeth respond best. Dentists advise that whitening is not recommended for children under the age of 16 and pregnant women.
How it is done
Medical websites clearly describe how the whitening treatment is done. Dentists whiten teeth externally or internally. The external process involves using what is called "the nightguard system" in which a dentist "makes a tray from an impression taken of the patient's teeth, so that the bleaching gel can be applied very precisely on the teeth without touching the gums."
Then there is "heating the bleach gel so that it acts more quickly on the discolouring molecules within the tooth." This technique can be used to "lighten the tooth internally and bring the colour closer to the colour of the surrounding teeth."
The results vary, say dentists. For example, some patients will get much whiter teeth than others -something that has to do with the condition of the teeth, degree of the stain and the type of bleaching system used and for how long.
The downside to teeth-whitening lies in high tooth sensitivity and irritation of the gums. According to Dr. Semakula, tooth sensitivity comes about during the treatment. It emerges from an ill-fitting mouthpiece tray.
The good news however is that the side effects are temporary and will vanish in a day or two after the treatment. Besides, where the sensitivity of the tooth is high, it is advised that whitening products be used less often.
It is also expensive - You have to part with a minimum of Shs40,000 to 100,000 or more, depending on how effective you want the chemicals to work and where you receive the operation.
While some studies have since concluded that teeth-whitening is secure and dependable others disagree because it also been suggested that most whitening products will only remove surface stains.
BBC online further reported that dentists faced the risk of being sued for whitening people's teeth. The European Union was apparently worried about the "amount of concentrated bleach used in the treatment." They said it is "illegal to supply hydrogen peroxide bleach at greater than 0.1 percent" yet most teeth whitening products can contain 100 times that amount.
Is it worth it? So should you go for teeth whitening or not? You are the captain of your soul, so you decide. Toothpaste helps to clean and protect the teeth and can as well remove some stains to retain the natural colour as well. Teeth-whiteninging chemicals make them teeth whiter.
Professional teeth whitening is quite expensive but whitening toothpaste costs just a few bucks. And who wouldn’t want to make an impression with a great smile? Your pocket can help you decide.
Published in Sunday Monitor, November 26, 2006
Abstinence is the way to go
Sex is nowadays placed before us in form of pornography, erotic literature, sexual pictures and sounds on radio and television, and many have since argued that sexual restraint is almost impossible, writes Dennis Muhumuza
"If you didn't do drugs, nobody wanted to hang out with you because you were not cool," he said. "You've made the right choice to stop the HIV/Aids pandemic. Satan came to steal and destroy, it's behind everything but in Jesus there is abundant life."
It was a reawakening! That Saturday October 28, thousands of people, young and old, crammed Kololo Airstrip and later Makerere University main sports ground to celebrate abstinence, sexual purity and faithfulness in marriage as the only
effective weapons to wipe out HIV/Aids from the earth.
effective weapons to wipe out HIV/Aids from the earth.The 'Abstinence Pride', 'Break the Shame' concert purposed to "fight an enemy called abstinence stigma" after people who keep away from sex are called local boys, impotent, ridiculed, and despised and given names like Pope or Fara. The most shocking revelation was that girls are raped by men with a misconceived idea that raping an abstainer heals you of HIV/Aids.
Silence descended upon Kampala when pastors led gatherings into a solemn prayer: "We've gathered here seeking your face Lord. Our land is diseased with HIV/Aids. Our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers have died. Forgive us Lord for making the young people take it that it's okay to have sex," they pleaded. "We don't want to die dear Lord. The Bible says that 'If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and repent and turn away from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and heal their land.' Heal our land O Lord!" the Christians pleaded.
In another sombre incidence, Billy, an American, told an emotional story of how he used to be a drug addict living with his "girlfriend as hippies". In the end, he contracted HIV/Aids, which he has painfully lived with for the last 25 years.
"If you didn't do drugs, nobody wanted to hang out with you because you were not cool," he said. "You've made the right choice to stop the HIV/Aids pandemic. Satan came to steal and destroy, it's behind everything but in Jesus there is abundant life."
Break the shame
In a rare show of solidarity against HIV/Aids, universities and secondary schools, corporations, NGOs, musicians, politicians, civil servants and security personnel wore the full armour of God to stand against the evil of the devil and matched from the Constitutional Square all the way to Kololo Airstrip as chants of "Abstinence Oyee, Break the Shame" permeated the air.
When Jamaican singer Papa San, the self confessed "fisher of men" performed his popular song Jesus Makes Me Smile Again, the congregation, now electrified, screamed in chorus, "Jesus makes me scream again, Jesus makes me laugh again…."
That people most, of whom prior to the concert were sexually active chose to renounce their ways and testify about their determination to commit to a sexually abstinent lifestyle, was great tidings as the struggle to eliminate HIV/Aids continues.
Muthoni Wakuthi, a student of Kampala International University, said she was abstaining because God exhorts us to be sexually pure, while Peninnah Kahangirwe said she keeps away from fornication because her parents, who she's very proud of, are amazingly faithful to each other and believe in sexual purity.
"I don't want to let them down," she said.
According to Julius Mutabazi, an education student at Makerere University, "sex in marriage is the greatest of all because it is pure and it leaves you with no guilt pangs in your conscience. I'm determined to wait for it because I'm obligated to be truly faithful to my future wife."
He however, acknowledged that often the temptation to trample upon abstinence is very strong and overwhelming but somehow, he is still steadfast and by the grace of God, this far he has come.
Mary Ariho from Gayaza High School said that this was not the time for her to indulge in sex but to concentrate on her studies and work toward the fulfillment of her dreams.
Stanely Twareba, a lecturer at Uganda Christian University described himself as "a senior bachelor" who will get married soon. All this time, he said, he has been abstaining to honour Christian values and for fear of death from Aids.
Sex is nowadays placed before us in form of pornography, erotic literature, sexual pictures and sounds on radio and television irrespective of our age, and many have since argued that sexual restraint, especially among young people is almost impossible.
In response, Pastor Thomas from the US alluded to the great Biblical men like Daniel, Meshach, Shadrack, and Abednego, who he said, abstained from good food and bowing to King Nbuchadnezzar's idols. Jesus too, he said, abstained from violence and sex all His life even when he had so many beautiful women lying at his feet.
"When you abstain, you go through fire but it's worth it," urged Thomas. "Abstain from everything that will keep you down: sex, drugs etc. and your life will be much better."
"The youth are our wind of hope to combat and demisfy this pendemic," said Bushenyi district Woman MP Mary Karooro Okurut, representing First Lady Janet Museveni. "You should raise the abstinence flag higher and wear the badge without being afraid. If the spirit wills, the body will. God will back up your resolve and there is nothing to be afraid of and there is everything to be proud of in abstinence."
Glorifying sexual purity
Gospel musicians from far and near (7 Simple Pieces from Hawaii, Papa San, Limit X, Committed, Pure Souls) captivated the crowds with songs celebrating and glorifying sexual purity and the values of patience, perseverance, and faithfulness.
At the end, many people had gathered that haphazard sensual indulgence devastates us and that it was paramount to enjoy sex only in holy matrimony. Later people left with broad smiles having washed from their souls the dust of promiscuity.
Published in Daily Monitor, November 12, 2006
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