Nkuba Kyeyo: Stories from America
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Date
2011
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An International Review
Abstract
O n a recent trip to Uganda, the kind he takes at least once a year, Angelo Kaggwa carried a backpack and three suitcases. The backpack contained everything he needed for the few days he would be in Kampala, and the suitcases, heavy with an eclectic mix of goods, contained nothing that really belonged to him. The suitcases would stay in Kampala, empty, their con- tents distributed among relatives and friends for whom he had carried Christmas presents. The backpack would return, only less heavy. “I never came back with my watch, my shades, and a pair of shoes,” says Kaggwa. “Someone would come to me and say, ‘That’s a cool shirt. Can I have it?’ I managed to bring my shirt back. I also managed to bring my blazer back. At the end of the day, I don’t really care. I am privileged to be in a position where I can share with friends and family.” Kaggwa’s tale is typical of immigrants who, once they arrive in America, find themselves caught between taking care of themselves and fulfilling their obligations to their families back home. Satisfying such obligations can be both gratifying and painful. For Kaggwa, a humble man who speaks in the polite language of “sacrifice” and “help,” it is a burden to be accepted with humility, which is to avoid saying no to those who expect to hear yes.
This is not always easy. In Kampala, people have been conditioned to think of overseas workers as the nkuba kyeyo, a Luganda phrase that immediately conjures up images
of fortune and misfortune, envy and resentment, all at once. The term is a sad, painful reminder of the indignity suffered by Ugandans who make a
living overseas—a powerful, if inaccurate, depiction of life abroad. The
name imagines a conversation in which a Ugandan, recently returned from
overseas, is asked what he does for a living, how he makes a lot of money.
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Citation
Muhumuza, R. (2011). Nkuba Kyeyo: Stories from America. Transition: An International Review, (106b), 72-87.