21 Questions With Rebecca Mweru Kabejja

Rebecca Mweru Kabejja is a Germany based Ugandan Feminist lawyer, a Pan-African Feminist and media professional. Kabejja is the host and producer of ‘A Good Day In Africa’, radio show, podcast and YouTube Channel that aims to change the negative African narrative.
In this lifestyle feature, she answers our 21 Questions.

1. Where are you right now, and what’s the setting like?
   I live in Hamburg currently but study my Masters in Public Economics, Law and Politics at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg located in a town called Lüneburg. Right now, Hamburg and Germany at large are too hot. The summer is more than I bargained for and I think I would prefer any other season to summer. Other than that, the social life is tracking back to the old normal as we can access public spaces, children are going back to school and people can travel within the Schengen region, all with a face mask.

2. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
   Most people listen to it but in my case, I also read it and that is the Buganda Kingdom anthem. During my highschool at Makerere College School, we used to sing this anthem for the Makerere Performing Arts (MAPA) competition but I had never really understood and appreciated the depth of each line and stanza of that anthem. Recently, someone whose work I admire and follow on Twitter tweeted about their love for the Buganda anthem so I decided to listen to it again. But I did not stop at listening, I also read it. And I will say it again, the Buganda Kingdom anthem is a very powerful anthem. It will trigger unknown revolutionary feelings within you. That anthem is the history, the present and the future itself. By the way, that person whose work I admire is called Bwesigye Mwesigire.

   

3. What trends are you loving right now?
   These may not be the “trends” you were expecting but for me it is social distancing and washing hands (hahahaha).  I am of the view that we should practice social distancing even after the pandemic because many of us have longed for that personal space be it in private or public spaces. And with washing hands, I am glad that many people are now doing this religiously and we should not limit it to the pandemic. People should wash hands even after shopping, catching a taxi, driving or when they have been a part of any event that requires washing hands after engaging in it.

4. What African music is currently on your playlist?
   My music is very intentional because I host and produce a show that is African centered so my music right now comes from all corners of Africa. Other than the usual favorite African artists,  I am listening to more music from French, Portuguese and Arabic speaking Africa because I am trying to look beyond the linguistic boundaries Africa was divided into. Coming from English speaking Africa, we tend to ignore music, films, literature e.t.c that comes from non-English speaking African countries. So the new entry on my playlist is “Te Amo” by a group called “Calema” coming from São Tomé and Príncipe. The song is in Portuguese and it is a beautiful song. I listen to Arabic music more as well because I am very aware of the existence of Black people living in Northern Africa that have been deliberately erased so listening to their music is something that helps me visualize what their lives are like.

5. Will you be voting in the next 2021 elections?
   I want to vote in the 2021 election but I do not know if I will be able to because of the current situation that has affected air travel.

6. Why do you think it’s important for women to take part in elected leadership?
   Other than women being citizens and stakeholders in their countries so the need for them to participate in their country affairs, women should take part in elected leadership because decisions affecting women should not be made without having women on board. I believe that the woman’s body is the most litigated body so having women take part in elected leadership will be them claiming their space so that they can participate in processes that make decisions on their bodies. Their participation in elected leadership from the local council to the Parliamentary level also shows how such processes disproportionately affect them compared to their male counterparts, which could also explain why women’s bodies are more regulated and policed than men’s bodies.

   

7. What is on your nightstand?
   My drinking water and eyeglasses (laughs).  Immediately I wake up, my hand stretches to the night stand in search of any of the two items.

8. What are the wardrobe staples you think every woman should own?
   There was a time I loved dressing up and if I had been asked this question back then, I would have probably said stiletto heels. But a year has passed and I have fully confirmed that I am more comfortable in a t-shirt and pyjama trousers that can double as indoor trousers as well. If dressing up mentally and physically stresses you, then this is the wardrobe staple you need. Probably, it is because I have a thing for nightwear and sleep because I have more than 10 pairs of nightwear.

9. Who is your fashion inspiration?
   I have so many people in my phone gallery who I don’t even know but because they looked good in their outfits, I couldn’t resist saving them in it. So I cannot really point to one, two or three people so I believe that anyone who looks good, has fun and is confident in the outfit that they wear, may inspire me. And honestly speaking, I doubt that anyone would want to inspire me because I have failed to uphold any fashion standard.

10. What is your beauty routine for a healthy nourished skin?
    I have no beauty routine because I cannot maintain one and to make it worse, I have sensitive oily skin but it has still failed to motivate me to maintain a specific beauty routine. So all I do is wash my face, cleanse it, apply toner and shea butter last.

11. What beauty products are in your make-up kit?
    Lipstick (I love the black lipstick especially), shea butter, wipes and drinking water. Drinking water is a must have beauty product especially during summer. The heat wave during summer will violate you so that drinking water will keep you hydrated every now and then.

    

12. What is your most treasured buy?
    That will be my MacBook Air. My old laptop stopped functioning at a very important time so I had to buy a new laptop and I decided to spend half of my savings on my MacBook Air. It was a sad experience but the gadget was worth it.

13. What are the 3 things that have improved the quality of your life?
    Reading (also discussing or engaging in conversations on content that I have read),  keep falling in love with yourself, your craft and your dreams and lastly, the realization that my love and friendship should be conditional.

14. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
    In someone else’s reality, you are their oppressor.

15. If you could swap places with one person in Uganda (living or dead) for a day, who would it be? Ugandans have lost faith in the education system, be it the teachers, the students, the owners of the schools, or the taxpayers so more than ever, I believe Ugandans need leaders that are equally invested in seeing an education system that affirms and re-affirms their humanity, history, dreams, hopes and futures. So because of that reason, I would swap places with the Minister of Education and Sports for one day. Other than that, I believe the work I am doing currently will one way or another also contribute to this change.

    

16. What apps can you not live without?
    Youtube, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and that is mainly because I have to keep marketing and talking about my work. I also have DW and DeutschLernen apps because I have to keep improving my German language proficiency.

17. What social media accounts are you currently following religiously?
    “Religiously”??!! No, that sounds scary and because I respect these people, I would prefer to say regularly and some of these include; @Nanjala1, @namlyd, @RosebellK @bwesigye @noname @ava, @shondarhimes and so many more.

18. What’s your favorite African holiday destination?
    There are so many beautiful destinations in the continent and I have not even traveled to a quarter of them so I do not want to draw a conclusion based on my few experiences that were actually limited within themselves. Anyway what even makes a holiday destination your favorite? I am actually convinced that what would make a holiday destination my favorite, would be it being all paid by someone else (hahahaha).

19. What is on your bucket list?
    I am trying to finish my Master’s dissertation and get that degree. While I am doing that, I am also trying to cultivate a healthy mental environment for myself. I fell in love with my dissertation topic and I want to maintain the same chemistry with the research process so my mental health is important for me to see that through.

20. What would people be surprised to know about you?
    I would say three things. 1) That I eat a lot of food.  People like asking me if I eat food because they are supposedly worried about my skinny self. The other is that my skinny self is a great dancer. Gurrrllll, I will shake my bones on that dance floor (hahahaha).  And I secretly wanted to be a rapper at one point in life.

21. What is the most Ugandan thing about you?
    Every time I get to a one-way road , I still look left and right before I cross that road. It is sad and I am trying to unlearn it but at times, I keep telling myself that me doing that, is taking a conscious action to stay alive. So looking left and right may not be that bad after all. It may not be  a “Ugandan thing” after all but rather a conscious action to stay alive.