One
of the core values of the school that accommodated me for my high school was
freedom. This freedom albeit expressed freely had a cap to it; you had to
assume responsibility in its exercise. So the very moment you were in the wrong
and opted to pull out the freedom card, you would be quickly reminded that the
school is not a haven where freedom thrives unchecked, rather you needed to know
that there were particular confines that you wouldn’t overstep. It is this
freedom that gave birth to various proto-types, that allowed ideas to germinate
and nourished the tendrils of our mental creepers. We came up with bizarre ideas,
some materialized but like any institution, some never saw the light of day.
Around
the fifth month of 2013, two very brilliant club presidents (Geography and
Wildlife) sat down and conceptualized an idea. This was no common idea and it
threatened to attract even the big shots in government but most importantly it
targeted the big, upper class and high end schools which would without doubt be
a massive achievement if pulled off. The dates were attached and the letters
dispatched. Today I refuse to discuss that event but I will talk about the
concept because it was what propelled
many of us to the ground we stand on today. The long and short of the proposed
event was to have schools gather for a quiz, atleast that is what we the
outsiders know. But this event or rather the idea (because the event may not
have happened) is very important because it was the foundation of the famous ‘5
Arts Friday weekly quiz’ which is famous and infamous depending on where you
sat.
Because
majority of the class were interested in sitting for the Makerere University
Law School Pre-entry two years later, we thought it wise to start our
preparations as early. Every Friday evening (during prep) our class would be
looking forward to this highly competitive quiz that involved politics,
religion, entertainment and sports. The most knowledgeable on the respective
subjects would prepare questions for the class and the winning column took the
bragging rights for the week. It is not surprising that this was the only prep
that got 100% attendance from a class of just 36 and with time, some of the
members from the science class started joining in! The results were not
inch-perfect but of the 20 that sat for the pre-entry test, 15 of us got in
without trying hard.
Even
when we got to university, that idea two years ago was not about to fade. The two
presidents (of Geography and Wildlife who were now emeritus) summoned us once
again, this time it wasn’t for a quiz but it was to find a solution to
something more complex than everyday quiz questions; we needed a very quick
turnaround for our Constitutional Law coursework. That gathering is very dear
to me for various reasons but the standout is that it was the springboard for
the very many other things that were to come in the future. The family grew bigger
with time; it was no longer only for those who sat through the memorable Friday
night quizzes but for many others who were happy to associate.
As
a way to look back at the times gone by, to remind ourselves of the happy and
difficult times I was happy to welcome the family I got while I was far away in
school to the family where I was born and raised. It wasn’t the first time I was
welcoming them but the circumstances of the previous time were less happy. The Igbo
people say that when kinsmen gather in your compound to watch the moon, it is
not because they can’t see it in their own compound but rather it is good for
kinsmen to meet.
That
event that was planned for May 2013 may never have happened but the parturition
of that idea by those two presidents (Mugerwa and Courage) is worth looking
back to because for me it birthed a family and it may be what we stand on for
generations to come.
Blessed week ahead!
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