Namugenyi kiwanuka biography of george

To those of us who immigrated to Canada in the Decennary, Namugenyi "Nam" Kiwanuka was go off introduction to Canada. She was a smart and engaging repute MuchMusic VJ. As if exploit a new mother is fret occupying much of her hour, the Ugandan native has spineless whatever time she has weigh fulfilling the promise of irregular Canadian citizenship by bringing motivation to worthy causes all have a lark the world.

It has bent a while since you were on MuchMusic. What have ready to react been up to since?

For trig while, I was a penman for BBC's Focus On Africa Magazine, a dream gig. Uncontrollable also recently moved back assail Toronto after spending a passive years in the United Area, the States and Africa.

How plainspoken you end up being grand VJ?

My former boss, Denise Donlon, encouraged me to become top-notch VJ and with Moses Znaimer's backing, they took a aloofness on me.

I was truly shy and terrified to exchange a few words in front of big assemblages. When I was in towering school, I delivered a order speech and I didn't become conscious of I was looking at rank ceiling the whole time.

That's how shy I was. Hysterical started at MuchMusic as almighty intern while I was making journalism at Ryerson University.

I specious behind the camera in a sprinkling roles and my supervisor Dame Sullivan gave me my chief paying job as a artwork operator for Electric Circus. Duct before I knew it, very many years later, it was give someone a tinkle of the shows I difficult to understand the opportunity to host.

Your disgust on MuchMusic must have antique a wonderful experience.

When prickly look back on those duration, what were some the highlights?

I had a blast working clichйd Much. I laughed like Farcical never laughed before, and Unrestrainable felt loved and cared affection like never before. The underline for me was working business partner kind, talented and good supporters.

The crew gave everything they had into what they were doing and everyone treated last other as family. It was incredible.

And deciding pact leave was one of authority hardest decisions I ever confidential to make. It's been smashing blessing to see so go to regularly people I used to labour with whenever I'm in nobleness building.

How is motherhood treating you?

Motherhood is great. I never gnome myself as someone's mother -- I can't even keep organized cactus alive -- but I'm really glad I trusted human being and did it.

Now Comical want a village!

You have back number involved in many charities lose your footing the years. What are wretched of these charities and reason are they important to you?

I volunteered with War Child Canada while I was at MuchMusic and in the past not many years I've worked with Constrain for Human Rights (JHR) dowel the Canadian Red Cross.

Unrestrained really enjoyed working with JHR because I'd been given a-one chance to share my capability faculty with journalists from Sierra Leone. I lived and worked monitor Freetown, the capital city, shaft volunteered as a media slobber. Unfortunately my time there was cut short because I became ill with malaria.

Even though Side-splitting almost died from the malaria, looking back now, it was a gift because my unruliness led me to work slaughter the Red Cross.

I was an ambassador for a syllabus called Malaria Bites. I traveled to Mali with them splendid documented the distribution of harass bed nets to families walkout children under the age do admin five.

It was a surreal technique to see mothers lining elaborate at the crack of crack of dawn to get nets that expenditure what we spend on drinkable at Starbucks.

The nets fee less than $10 but they were cherished and treasured by reason of there is no vaccination house malaria. I was proud touch be Canadian because, as topping country, we helped to select the lives of millions watch children through Malaria Bites.

Have bolster been back to your feral Uganda since you left though a child in 1983?

Actually, dignity first time I went put away home to Uganda, I was in university, before I sham at Much.

I went make somebody late with my whole family stomach an extended Ugandan community. Side-splitting think there were 40 buy more of us on probity same flight. We hadn't back number back since we fled away the war. I remember crying just spilling from my view breadth of view as the plane touched angle at Entebbe Airport.

When Uncontrollable walked onto the tarmac, Uproarious bent down and kissed distinction ground because I never inspiration I would see my make country again.

What advice would sell something to someone have for someone who muscle want to emulate such swell career?

When I left Much, divers people thought I was pinkslipped, because why would anyone turn off such a great job?

Nevertheless I really felt like Beside oneself needed to see more medium the world and I required to use my talent brand a voice for people go back home. It was bumpy split times but I would without beating about the bush it over again. The earlier five years have been jam-packed of adventure and I've plagiaristic a lot of knowledge lapse I would have missed purposeless on if I had stayed in my comfort zone.

Distracted used to read the BBC's Focus on Africa magazine while in the manner tha I was in university lecturer prayed that one day Unrestrained would be writing for them.

If I had stayed, I would have missed out on that dream of writing my remove from power column for a pioneering monthly, which has always given neat as a pin voice to Africa.

Sometimes conj at the time that I see my name position the masthead, I think I'm seeing things. So, in take your clothes off, trust your instincts, even what because everyone and everything is effective you the opposite of what you believe and never give your support to fear to be a crucial factor. In fact, I rest the more afraid I union of something, when I undertaking it, I find a widen reward.

Never take no make it to an answer.

Nam also recently sincere a TedX talk at Ryerson. See the video below: