“Mwanithu, Kabugho
(Dear Kabugho)
Wughende Ghusome, Kutsibu
(Go and study, hard)
Kundi ebibuya biri embere
(Because good things are ahead of you)
Wughende ghusome wangasabiryako
(Go and study to partake of them)“

Why Kabugho?

May 2, 2022, is the launch date of Project Kabugho. The spirit of this project is the several social limitations that different generations of women have faced in Uganda and the tragedy of the untapped potential of the millions of women who live(d) without going through formal education. Kabugho is the name given to the third daughter born to a couple among the Bakonzo people of Uganda. The Bakonzo name their children according to their birth order. Masika, Biira, and Kabugho are the first, second, and third daughters respectively. In this song, each of those names represents a different generation of women, and the generational inequality that they’ve experienced in accessing opportunities, in this particular case, education. The song is a call to the younger generation of women, “the Kabughos,” to embrace education as their surest tool of overcoming many of the challenges that were faced by our foremothers and grandmothers who never accessed education.

What’s Kabugho About?

The song is a conversation between a mother and her younger daughter Kabugho. The mother expresses her deep sorrow at what befell her elder daughters Masika and Biira who dropped out of school. She then implores Kabugho to take away her sorrow by staying in school until completion to be able to overcome the tragedy of the untapped potential of her elder siblings, Masika and Biira, who dropped out of school due to succumbing to HIV/AIDS and child marriage respectively. The mother tells her daughter Kabugho examples of very successful women from the local community whose lives were transformed because of education. Kabugho’s mother then asks her to look up to these role models whose lives were transformed because of completing school.

In the final analysis…

The striking message of this song is that education levels the playing field for girls and women and when a girl drops out of school for any reason, it’s a tragedy because of their lost potential. Girl child education is an indispensable first step in overcoming generational gender inequality. The other message is that girls need role models to look up to in the pursuit of education to help them stay focused. Strong role models have a lasting effect on the scope of a girl’s dreams and goals in life. This song is a call to every girl to stay in school and emulate the educated women in their community to be able to achieve their dreams.