Molding Experiences

I t was his last year at Budo Secondary School. A thrill of resolve seized Samson as he received word that he

had been granted a six-year scholarship to the famous Makerere Medical School. Few things could have brought greater happiness. Within himself he promised

’ to make his parents and his countrymen proud! Still elated over his medical scholarship, Samson

mused over a quote that had become a favorite of his: “Great people are ordinary people with an extraordi- nary amount of determination.” He reminded himself that it’s “not enough to desire, but you must have the dedication to achieve that desire.” Years later he was to refine and focus this early philosophy in a speech to a student assembly of Ugandan youth: “We must generate and sustain the desire to discover. To reach our true potential. Then we must dedicate ourselves to that concept. Determination will then give us the victory in the achievement of our desired goals. But only if we are dedicated and resolved never to surrender.”

So many life experiences taught him determination. Early in his educational experience he attended a small boys’ school. Here he started out in a group of about 100 boys, all of whom wished to be successful in life. Though each had varying motives and talents, they shared a mutual desire to succeed. As the group pro- gressed from one educational level to another, the

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number became smaller and smaller. Until finally the original group of 100 was reduced to only a handful that had attained a significant level of education. Finally, out of the original group, two made it to Makerere. Looking back, Dr. Kisekka said, “Only two succeeded in coming to Makerere-one of them died, and the other is myself.”

He never blamed them, nor did he feel they had to go the way they did; but it concerned him that so many just fell by the wayside and never became anything. This taught him that much in life is decided by your deter- mination and the way you look at things. Reflecting back, Dr. Kisekka feels blessed and special to have reached that point. “Now, I’ve always thought when I was at Makerere, that I was the only representative of those 99 boys who started and studied together. It made me serious. It caused me to act more responsibly. I said to myself, ‘I can’t behave like any ordinary person; I am representing the 99!’ That thought would often cheer me up and motivate me.”

What made the difference between Samson and the other 98? Surely there were a variety of factors. Granted, most of the 98 boys may have led very fulfilling lives; success is often relative. But years later a more mature Samson would say that he considered the problem a fundamental one. “Some were just lazy! Some became discouraged at injustices. Some didn’t persist because they thought the sacrifice too great. And some who wanted quick money took the shortcut to success.” But not Samson.

So it was with great pride that Samson informed his parents and family of his acceptance to Makerere. His desire for education was being fulfilled, and now he was

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going to be a doctor. In this way he could best serve his people, because everywhere he looked he saw a need for medical care and health education. There were many hospitals, many British doctors, but never a representa- tive number of Ugandan doctors to treat their own people. Further, there wasn’t a single Ugandan doctor who had been gazetted, or announced, in the official medical journal. Medicine seemed the most viable way for Samson to satisfy his desire to serve.

Despite his elation, he felt a tinge of sadness as he thought about leaving Budo. He had spent three good years there. He had taken on the mantle of true man- hood there. But there were a lot of sweet memories to carry with him. Surely God had smiled on him. The scholarship he had won to Budo -a respected second- ary school with an impressive list of graduates-allowed him to leave Ngogwe Primary School and to be exposed to a whole new world of opportunities. “Yes, it was heaven-sent.” There was little chance that he could have made it without the scholarship, for money remained scarce.

One of his most distinct memories at Budo was what he later referred to in speeches as “Holy Week” - the week of initiation that students go through when they first arrive. “When I first came to Budo, there was a rigid transformation of all the new students for one week, known as the ‘Holy Week.’ This led the students to a state of what we humorously call ‘Budoism,’ wherein anyone leaving Budo would feel a part of the Budo team, that they belonged to the Budo institution.” Later as prime minister he made a wider application of that experience: “I wish to use that simile to demonstrate my feeling toward Uganda. We need to have a new and positive national spirit that will transform the Ugandan

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society. We need to develop an attitude of positive Ugandanism so we might feel toward our nation as the students felt toward Budo. That would be a fundamental change toward creative development as opposed to the debilitating backwardness that we must constantly resist.”

Samson’s mind recalled the many challenging but enjoyable studies. He particularly liked mathematics, geography, and science. He found history to be inter- esting, too, because it helped him to better understand how things became the way they are. He read widely and found it easy to adjust his study habits according to the academic demands.

Then there were sports. How he enjoyed them. Away from the books, he loved to be out in nature playing football. He liked to win, but competitive sports also taught him how to lose. Referring later to the thrill he derived from sports he termed sportsmanship a “science and a philosophy.” He went on to underline ways in which the field of sports can teach us to balance our views on winning and losing: “An important ele- ment in the philosophy of sportsmanship is accept defeat with grace and class. Participation and teamwork are the most important aspects, and they should be valued and nurtured whether we win or lose, whether we experience defeat or victory. I would stress that fair play and the proper attitude are most important.”

In Dr. Kisekka’s opinion, “sportsmanship can lead you down the path to good leadership-a commodity that Africa desperately needs.” Sportsmanship is a sci- ence, because it causes one to artfully put together the physical, mental, and spiritual to achieve success.“

In 1932 at the age of 20 Samson had not yet refined and synthesized his views as he has in later years, but

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even then he recognized those experiences as being the basis for a healthy and well-rounded life. The relay race taught him the necessity of organization, coordination, and teamwork. On the football field he developed confidence that with willpower and a set plan you can overcome deficiencies. “I found that on the football team there was hardly anyone who could play skillfully with his left foot. This would have been very helpful to win. So I made up my mind that I was going to use my left foot. Though it took time and practice on the field by myself, by the time I left the school three years later I could successfully play with my left as well as my right foot. I was young when I did that, but the confidence gained helps me now.”

The Makerere medical curriculum was difficult. But Samson had the advantage of a strong educational foundation in the British system, so he was academically prepared. Also, he was no stranger to hard work. He had to work to help pay expenses, and that caused him to place greater value on his time.

Dr. Kisekka has always been more of a doer than a talker. This is one element that is crucial to all of his prodigious achievements. When others were inclined to pontificate, Samson would be quietly accomplishing his objectives. His philosophy was “Give me the tools and I will do the job.” In every area this approach was obvious-his work in medicine, farming, construction, organization, and other entrepreneurial enterprises showed consistency in action, self-reliance, and deter- mination.

Further, he has an elemental approach to education. Education is either theoretical or practical. One will either study and learn purely for the love of knowing, or

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he will do so with the practical objective in mind of utilizing what he has learned for some desired end. He chose the latter.

To Dr. Kisekka, education is a means to an end; it was his modus operandi, a way of life. He views Uganda as in need of trained indigenous workers. And he views education as the most direct way of fulfilling that need. Having observed the shocking inequities in society between the haves and the have-nots, having witnessed abject poverty, he is convinced that only through education can the gap be bridged successfully.

He has incorporated good role models and studied the lives of great people. He cultivated an appreciation for greatness. And subconsciously, he has acted on the principle of assimilation through association.

He considers George Washington Carver worthy of commendation for his ingeniousness; Booker T. Wash- ington for his reliance on self-help; Mahatma Gandhi for his humane civil persistance; Florence Nightingale for her self-sacrificing service; William DuBois for his con- cepts on freedom and independence. He would later speak of Kenneth Kaunda for his courageous outspoken- ness; Julius Nyerere for his openness in leadership; Sandro Pertini for his magnanimous support of Africa. And he was often preoccupied with the biblical ac- counts of Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and most notably, Jesus Christ, who he rates as the divine quintessence of mature Christian leadership.

As is often the case in one’s educational experience, what a person learns outside the classroom is as impor- tant and sometimes more important than what he learns in the classroom. The educational environment often

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serves as a most effective catalyst. So it was with Samson and Makerere.

Samson did exceptional work at Makerere, and was labeled a model student. In his own words, he wanted to show the people that his brain was “very clear.” He developed a true respect for medicine, excelling in the field of anatomy. In fact, during his third year when a medical examiner visited Uganda from Nairobi, his teacher, who was very confident in his ability, asked Samson to give a demonstration of what he had learned. The visitor was impressed with Samson’s skills and how he had mastered his subject.

Samson was not surprised, for he had worked hard and studied long. “If I found the subject to be a bit difficult, I would adjust my time and concentrate more deeply on it.” In short, he spared no pains to succeed. In fact, he considers that that may have been one of his weaknesses. “When I start doing something, I just become very involved and much interested in it. It’s like I can’t help myself. I just do it more than anyone else. It’s the interest. The more I do the more I want to do. If it takes half an hour, two hours, two days- whatever. The harder it is, the more I want to do it.” Looking back over his life, he feels that perhaps he works too hard and doesn’t stop and relax enough.

Two months after becoming prime minister he was asked to speak to the staff and students at the new Makerere University. His pensive reflections on that occasion are revealing: “As my car drove through the main gate of Makerere University, I could not resist a strong mixture of deep feelings about the past, the present, and the future of this great institution of learning. The past seemed to present itself to me as

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vividly as if it were on a screen. I could see myself and my colleagues climbing this hill so many times during my youthful days as a medical student. I was now being driven as the prime minister.

“The title prime minister at my age and after so many achievements and so many disasters meant only one thing- overwhelming responsibility. The feeling of tri- umph and excitement vanished as soon as I felt the weight of this responsibility, but I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve my country at this level and at this critical time in the history of independent Uganda.”

Reminiscing, he quietly relived his younger days. An older, wiser Dr. Kisekka felt a strange fullness inside as tears filled his eyes. “What does the future hold? So much has happened to me and to my country since the happy days I spent here.”

The familiar sights of Makerere campus seemed to provoke many memories, both sweet and sad. Memories of men and women who once had walked this campus and, in the process, achieved academic heights and professional competence that they had used to serve their country faithfully. Many of them are no longer in Uganda-some had to flee, never to return. Others were cut down in the prime of their life.

Prime Minister Kisekka questioned the attentive audience of staff and students: “Will Makerere continue to produce men and women who will uphold and perpetuate the spirit of service to our people? Will this great institution of learning transcend its environment and establish great humane, academic, or technological ideals that our young scholars will always strive to achieve? Moral ideals of what is right and wrong are necessary in the guidance of our battered society. The

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university should have a role in the moral issues of society.” Only time will tell what the answer is.

A shadow was cast over his early years at Makerere that reinforced his commitment to medicine. His father died. Unfortunately, his death was unnecessary. More than 50 years later he thinks back over the event with some sadness: “At the time when I had just come to the university my father picked up pneumonia (a lung disease). He was brought to a Christian hospital. They had their mode of working. And when the British physician who looked at him noted that my father wasn’t his patient, he turned away. This doctor just left my father dying on the bed while he went 200 miles away on a safari just to look at animals in the game reserve. No one would aid my father. So I took him home where he died.”

Deeply hurt and grieved over his father’s death, Samson realized more than ever that Ugandans must get into a position to help themselves. Though he held no bitterness toward this doctor, he understood that peo- ple tend to look out for their own. “We must not be heartless. We must help anyone who needs our aid, but we also must look out for our own.” He never forgot this harsh confrontation with racism. “I said I’d rather do something better. I didn’t like the way this doctor treated my father. But he didn’t belong to my group, my people- that is why my father was neglected.”

Instead of letting this experience inspire hatred and animosity, Samson forgave the doctor; but he was determined to learn from that experience. He would establish his own hospital at which all people, regardless of their race and culture, could receive service. And Samson determined to give his very best to this calling,

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always remembering his father’s wise words about service. Samson felt he could best memorialize his father by giving unselllsh service to humanity.

Samson made it his business to take notice of people and then to act on those observations for his personal improvement. As graduation was nearing, Samson made an interesting observation: “While a medical student, I observed that many of the African students, especially the professionals, were not very successful when left to themselves. This puzzled me. My conclusion was that it was either the result of a lack of discipline [proper work habits] or a lack of management skills [administrative ability]. I was trying to cultivate proper habits, but I anticipated the same trap for me. So I determined to obtain management skills, something I was not receiving in my medical course work. Somehow I managed to take business economics and bookkeeping from an interna- tional correspondence school in Johannesburg, South Africa.” In his later years he referred repeatedly to this course as having been of enormous help. “This course has benefited me greatly as I engaged in various busi- nesses, private medical practice, hospital administration, and to establish the Kisekka Foundation.” People some- times marvel at the accoutraments of success. But they often have inconspicuous beginnings. Samson reaped much from his decision to enlarge his educational base.

Again and again in speeches and in writing, Dr. Kisekka has proudly spoken of the lessons he learned at Makerere: “Fifty years ago I was a student on this very hill, and was the head prefect of the then Makerere College, which over the years has been transformed into a university. The college then granted me a bicycle to use while I attended my medical studies at Mulago. I learned perseverance through my participation on the

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cross-country team. I learned teamwork as a soccer player on the Uganda team in the Interterritorial Foot- ball Gossage Cup competitions in East Africa. I also learned self-reliance through private correspondence lessons in business economics; I also learned the busi- ness way of tackling any problem. And the Scripture Union taught me what loving-kindness means. How- ever, this brief history is but a challenge to you young people who still have to learn to be useful to your community. You must attend to many facets of educa- tion that the colonial type of education does not prepare you for. If you are to lift the backwardness of the Third World, you must aspire to the type of education that will orient you for development, self-reliance, and mature leadership. Naturally, determination, sacrifice, and self- improvement will also be necessary.”

Graduation day had finally arrived. Samson’s heart was pounding so hard that he was afraid his classmate next to him could hear it. The year is 1938. Samson is 26 years of age. The place, Makerere Medical School. The occasion is the medical school graduation. And there it is! They’re calling his name-Samson Babi Mululu Kisekka! This was the culmination of a lifelong dream-he was about to officially become a doctor.* It was difkult, strenuous, at times even discouraging, but now it all seemed worth it.

Only a few years earlier a renowned international religious writer, whose writings Samson would later come to treasure, had this to say about accomplish-

* In 1938 Makerere Medical School was only awarding the Diploma in Surgery and Medicine. When the college later became a university, Dr. Kisekka took the examination and was awarded the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B., Ch.B.), which are necessary degrees for the practice of medicine.

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ments and noble ambitions: “Dear youth, what is the aim and purpose of your life? Are you ambitious for educa- tion that you may have a name and position in the world? Have you thoughts that you dare not express, that you may one day stand upon the summit of intellectual greatness; that you may sit in deliberative and legislative councils and help to enact laws for the nation? There is nothing wrong in these aspirations. You may every one of you make your mark. You should be content with no mean attainments. Aim high, and spare no pains to reach the standard” (Ellen G. White).

Thoughts on Personal Development 0 The person who works for development and

progress begins to make history, as opposed to simply being acted on by’ history.

0 To overcome one’s personal hang-ups and preju- dices is a sign of mature leadership.

0 Discipline can be achieved by doing small tasks and graduating to large ones.

0 The secret of motivation is understanding and sin- cerity, and to speak to people’s needs and desires.

0 There is nothing wrong with getting wealth. The question is how you go about getting wealth.

0 Happiness is not something to be pursued. Rather, it is something that comes from a good life.

0 Time/timeliness are the keys to a disciplined life. s. Kkkka

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