| Ayele (my wife), Troy and I at lunch in Kampala 9 May 2015 |
Sometime last year, my wife and I had lunch in Kampala with Troy Buder. Troy was part of the Disney team who was in Uganda to shoot the Queen of Katwe. Troy, is a member of the Christian Sports Ministry and former professional Hockey player (the Christian Sports Ministry provides support to the Chess program in Katwe Uganda).
Troy told us of his Christian journey and work with the Christian Sports Ministry. Work that has now brought him to Uganda to make the story of Phiona Mutesi into a Disney movie.
And yesterday evening, we watched the movie and it left us in tears. The Queen of Katwe is about a 14 year old who was raised in Katwe by her single mother. Named Phiona Mutesi, this teenager who sold Maize will grow up to live Chess. With help of Robert Katende, who ran a Christian Sports Mission program, Phiona fell in love with Chess and went on to win a number of local and international tournaments.
The Walt Disney drama, described by one movie reviewer for Forbes online as ''downright terrific'' was by Disney/ESPN Films and starred Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, and Lupita Nyong’o.
Phiona proved that one maybe born in poverty and misery but we have a choice about what we do with our lives. My colleague Roberta Kabaramagi reminds us that "choice is precious" and this is so true of the of the choices Phiona Mutesi made. Choices that have seen a book about Phiona's struggles and triumph by Tim Crothers titled The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster. Now a two hour $15 million movie of hope and the power of character by Disney.
Phiona proved that one maybe born in poverty and misery but we have a choice about what we do with our lives. My colleague Roberta Kabaramagi reminds us that "choice is precious" and this is so true of the of the choices Phiona Mutesi made. Choices that have seen a book about Phiona's struggles and triumph by Tim Crothers titled The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster. Now a two hour $15 million movie of hope and the power of character by Disney.
Surrounded by hopelessness, Phiona chose to find hope in the game of Chess even when she could barely read, write or speak English. When hunger came knocking, Phiona chose hardwork by selling Maize and helping her mother to to look after two brothers even when her elder sister ran away with a boyfriend and came back pregnant. And when disappointment came by way of Phiona's loss in her first bid to become a Chess Master, Phiona choose perseverance and determination to try again.
What a true story of hope, hard work, perseverance and determination. Attributes that we can choose today no matter the circumstance we find ourselves. That is why the choice of Kampala Serena Hotel to take 50 children from Katwe to go watch the movie later this month is great. We hope that through the experience of the movie, these young lives will be changed by Phiona's story, we hope that the movie will provide the canvas for these fifty children to begin to paint a future that will be very unlike what was before the movie. A future of possibility, hard work and confidence.
The future of these fifty kids will also inform us that the best days of Uganda and the rest of Africa are ahead. That the ingredients of hope, hard work, perseverance and determination are the same ingredients necessary to build a Continent that for too long has been mired in poverty, misrule, squalor and economic decay.
On our part, our team at Franklincovey will emulate the Kampala Serena example and take 50 kids in each of the four countries of our operations- Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Togo. Our colleague Julia Nansubuga whose life work is to enable greatness in children will only be too happy to lead this effort to touch 200 children.
There is something else that the movie did to me. It challenged me to be bold and reach out to the communities around us. Around us are opportunities to use what we have to touch lives. As a team we need to hold steadfast to the commitment we made last week Friday to volunteer the equivalent of half day per week provide support the public school about 10 minute walk from our office.
We can bellyache the problems around us or we can commit to make a difference. And as Robert Katende as shown us it takes a deep interest and an unwavering desire to overcome the odds to make good things happen. We can be cynical about decades of failed state structures and corrupt public institutions or we can choose to focus on what we can influence. Indeed that which we focus on expands.
Let us resolve to encourage our young people to commit to succeed despite all odds. The type of commitment which W.H. Murray, the Author and Scottish Mountaineer wrote about when he said “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Francis Egbuson
Kampala, Uganda
November 17, 2016.
