Omushomesa’s Inspiration

There’s Polona from Slovenia who likely doesn’t even know she has a namesake in Uganda! This volunteer stayed with us at Lake Bunyonyi from December 2007 to March 2008 … and in addition to all the good work she did, she also happened to inspire an omushomesa!

Omushomesa? A literal translation is “teacher”, but in this case we are specifically talking about Christian teachings. And to be really precise, we are referring to Medard Tumwesigye who served at Bufuka Church of Uganda around that time. He liked Polona as a person but they weren’t particularly close — he just found her name very cool and when a daughter was born into his family soon after, he decided to borrow it. Pronah Natukunda is now a big girl, awaiting her Senior 4 school results.

Medard paid us a visit last week, and surprised us with the Polona story. Bufuka was one of the many postings in his religious career; he has worked at 11 churches so far. As a lay leader he was in charge of the Anglicans on our peninsula for a couple of years, before the bishop decided he needed his services elsewhere.

Compared to a priest, an omushomesa is less formally educated. Medard only went to school until Senior 3 and then poverty stopped him. However, he had a passion for the Word and for guiding people to a better life, so he entered the ranks of lay leaders. He lived with us in the community, with his family in tow. He hoped his parishioners would bring some money, vegetables and other gifts every Sunday, and diligently did his work throughout the week. (If you are not conversant with Anglicanism, you can imagine him doing priestly stuff).

We remember him as a real man of God, leading with compassion and understanding. He gave us some of those years when engagement at Lake Bunyonyi was easiest and most productive. Because a good-hearted omushomesa can really make a difference … (For instance, another colleague of his would report us to his superiors for sexually-suggestive dancing when some visitors showed the kids Macarena!)

Next year Medard will turn 60, and that is the church retirement age. But he has a new calling already: he will run for the leadership of his subcounty. Godspeed, omushomesa!

photos by Miha Logar and from Medard Tumwesigye’s archive