Mwanyinaze | Mama | Senga | Jajja | Mukwano
The People Collector
Beautiful Beginnings
Adalina Winifred Nakku Lubogo was born to Taata Daniel Kawesa and Alice Deezi (Daisy) Nansikombi Kawesa on 24th August 1933. She was the second child born to her parents. Last year, she celebrated 90 years with family and friends at two colourful functions. She was at her best; cheerful, healthy and bright.
Adalina was afflicted with whooping cough when her mother was pregnant with her brother, Fredrick Kawesa, who Adalina affectionately referred to as “little bro”. Four-year-old Adalina then went to live with her paternal uncle, Taata Walusimbi and his wife, Maama Ekiriya (Claire) her “second” parents. This stay became permanent.
Growing up in the Walusimbi home with her cousins, Catherine, Alice, Eclas Ssenoga, Marjorie, Sam, Eva Namisango, Nankya and later, her brother Fred., Adalina enjoyed a happy childhood showered with love and care. She was raised in a nurturing environment that left a lasting impact. The Walusimbi’s instilled in her the values of love, community, family and hard work, which have defined her throughout her life.
A family filled with love
Adalina met her husband, William Wilberforce Lubogo (RIP), at a party celebrating Uganda's Independence in 1962 and got married on 4th January 1964. They had two children Ivan and Dorothy (RIP). Although William passed away eight short years later, she fondly remembered him as a loving and supportive husband and provider. Dorothy was a very calm, gentle girl who had many friends, and followed in the footsteps of her mother by joining Gayaza High School for her secondary education.
Ivan has been the candle in Adalina’s life. He has consistently showered her with love, care, support and ensured that she lacked for nothing. She has also shared a very strong and loving bond with her grandchild (Ivan’s daughter), Sanyu, with whom she was planning a kwanjula ceremony which was to take place in Lukuli, this August, to coincide with her grandmother’s birthday. Adalina has been excitedly working on beautifying the garden and looking forward to a colourful function.
Adalina was born into a large extended family, that was always a source of joy. By the time of her passing, she was the matriarch that instilled values of virtue, honor, unity, and positivity in the family.
She had hordes of friends from all walks of life who became family. To her, family extended far beyond the traditional confines.
A wealth of relationships
Adalina treasured relationships over material wealth. Her warmth and generosity earned her a diverse 'collection' of people, including family, friends, neighbours, and community members. This inclination towards nurturing relationships was influenced by her early childhood experiences with her supportive family. One particular treasured friendship was with the Late Catherine Kisumba, Adalina’s cousin who was a constant presence in her life until her (Catherine’s) death in 2018. Their bond, formed in childhood, continued through their adult lives, offering mutual support through life's ebbs and flows.
A Rich Menu of Schools
Adalina’s education began at Mengo Girls’ School and continued at Gayaza Primary and later Gayaza High School. It was at Gayaza High School where she learned important life lessons beyond academics, such as prayer, sharing, kindness and empathy, home making, and leadership. Gayaza is also where she was encouraged to explore her artistic talent. She was so grateful for this gift that last year, she requested that the collections made during the Thanksgiving service on her 90th birthday be donated to the Gayaza High School Art Room. After Gayaza, she pursued Fine Art at Makerere University, earning first a Certificate in Fine Art, followed by a Certificate in Education.
Adalina’s Professional Pursuits
After Makerere University, Adalina went on to teach Art at Gayaza High School and later, Lubiri Secondary School. She was later appointed a director for Nommo Gallery where she ensured that works of local artists were always exhibited. She was also an active member of the Crafts Section of the International Women’s Organisation.
Adalina’s Leisure Interests
• Gardening: Adalina loved gardening, tending to a variety of plants herself and sharing seedlings and plant knowledge with visitors. Her garden is a testament to her generosity and love for nature.
• Pets: Adalina had a close relationship with her pets, including dogs Digida, Snowy, and Yogi, and a cat named Lulu. They provided her with companionship and were an integral part of her home.
• Art: As an artist, Adalina created unique art pieces and has been instrumental in promoting local artists through her work at Nommo Gallery and other initiatives.
• Volunteering: She actively volunteered at the Kampala School for the Physically Handicapped where she taught crafts-making to the children.
Adalina and her Community
In whichever community Adalina lived, she always played an active role: When she lived in Bunamwaya, she established the Bunamwaya Mother-to-Mother group that made crafts from local materials such as banana fibres, papyrus and palm leaves. The members mostly sold their pieces to the International Women’s Organisation. Adalina also helped the women set up a popular weekly market where they would sell each other their extra garden produce to each other.
When she moved to Makindye, Lukuli, her home at the time of her passing, she set up another women’s group, the Makindye Mother-to-Mother group that regularly met in her kitchen to weave baskets. Driven by her need to share with others and to spread goodness among people, Adalina also ran children’s art classes at her home.
In addition, she and her friends the MacMinns, an expatriate couple, and several other members of the community established Hope Clinic in Lukuli, Nanganda. The facility started humbly with very rudimentary equipment and offered limited services. It was later supported by the International Women’s Organisation and, almost 25 years later, it stands as a great service to the community.
Her passion for uplifting the welfare of the underprivileged in the community won her accolades, including a Vocational award from the Rotary Club of Kampala Central, in recognition of her volunteer work with the students and staff of the Kampala School for the Physically Handicapped, which espoused the rotary values of service above self.
Adalina’s life was a tapestry of love, resilience, and community, reflecting her profound impact on those around her. Her pragmatic and positive attitude towards life; her love for family and friends; her busy life; her hobbies all combined make up the person of Adalina. Through nurturing relationships and spreading warmth, she created a legacy of affection and unity. She left a positive mark on each life she touched and was many things to many people: a daughter, a sister, a mother, grandmother, a friend.
We are grateful for the wonderful life she lived and are blessed to have had her in our lives; our Matriach and ‘people collector’.
Fare thee well our lovely Ade; heaven has gained an Angel.
Gallery
Memory wall
You were always there for so many of us, right from the early 1970s when my Brother Mark and I were in Preparatory School with Ivan and Dorothy (MHSRIP), through to our adulthood. Your love, warmth, kindness and compassion, the hallmarks of your life, shall never be forgotten and serve as an example of how one should lead a rich and fulfilled life.
Rest in Peace, yours was a life well lived.
Derek, Sarah, Keith, Jessica, Erina and Elijah Kayanja
May you always know that your loss has deeply affected those you leave behind. To have known you was to stand in the presence of kindness, compassion, generosity, and helpfulness.
Your life was a blessing to so very many - and you remain forever in our hearts.
Now as you take your place beside our Creator, we bid you farewell Nyabo. Until we meet again.
Gladys Nalubowa Kalema-Zikusoka, Lawrence, Ndhego and Tendo Zikusoka
She was many things to different people - all genuine and sincere.
Her energy was infectious as was her smile. Her service was selfless. She was among the few people who lived each day to transform the lives of others and herself without expecting any rewards from people.
Unknowingly to her, she became a beacon of love, hope, service and resilience.
She was the true portrait of a daughter, sister, friend, teacher, wife, mother and grandmother.
She did all these as a woman of God and then as a an old girl of GHS and a decent human being. She has left the world a better place than she found it.
I for one and a few of my peers have had the privilege to know her closely since she was the Patron of our our Brownies Club in Gayaza Primary School!
Discipline, honesty and integrity, loyalty, gratitude, punctuality, caring for one another, team work and inclusiveness have always been her badges of honour. No doubt they rubbed off to those she touched. I am very happy that she shaped us at that tender age!
As we mourn her passing, we are comforted by God who gave her to us and by knowing for sure that Mrs. Lubogo empowered all those she touched to go on comfortably without her. She made sure of that.
The values and principles she instilled in family members, friends and her students will remain our GPS.
Thank you most sincerely, Mrs. Lubogo for:
Showing us the meaning of loving God , ALL his people and Nature.
Giving to others without maiming them or taking away their dignity.
Wearing the apron of humility to serve others with joy and gratitude.
Staying useful and relevant in our communities as the years go by. Lifelong learners.
Having fun in life every day.
The treasure trove of memories that we have created together all these years, will keep you alive in our hearts.
May the angels in heaven receive you with a lot of joy and fanfare.
Jajja Ada, there's a lot you taught me and inspired me to do that I will not be able to share with you the way I've done for the last however many years. But your influence will live on in the people I have the privilege to teach just like you taught me, and I know you are proud of me because you never hesitated to tell me. You were loved, and you are missed, so much. Thank you for being who you were, to me and to so many other people.
I love you. Rest in peace 🙏🏽
Thank you for your warmth, your smile and for the ability of making us feel so special around you. Still at a lose of words to encapsulate how you made us shine.
Thank you so much for the memories.
Rest in Peace 🙏🏼
My mind is just flooded with memories, from birthday parties at her home, to tougher times when Dorothy was ill in Bristol, and I visited her with my sister Hansa, to various celebrations and visiting her at her home. Through all those, there were a few constants: Mamma Ada's smile, her love, her teasing, her generosity, her welcoming nature, her firmness and her compassion. She wanted to share her passion for art and there I was such a disappointment. My ability on that area is less than zero. My one saving grace is that my daughters, especially Katalina liked making jewellery and she was keen to pass on her knowledge to them. My last conversation with her was a discussion about Sanyu's upcoming kwanjula and a book of crafts she wanted to use for the craft lesson at the school of the handicapped.
In all my missing my god mother, I have hope that we will meet again.
Miriam Wambuzi Kawuma
Adelina has been the best senga you can think of and a loving and very involved jjaja. We will miss her greatly.
Rev. 14:13.
More time, more laughs, more memories, more love, more moments where I could share my life with you. I admire your strong will, resilience and courage to keep going regardless of what life brought you. Thank you for sharing your heart, transparently and holistically. I can hear your voice as I write this “Bubu yogela mu luganda” as you always asked me to slow down when I was talking to much luzungu. You always made me laugh when you did that! Or even if I was just speaking in English too much you’d prompt me to remember my mother language and for that I say thank you! I know you’d adjust when you could see me struggling to get the grammar right and patiently listen to me speak in English. For that I say thank you Jaja.
A woman of valour, a woman of elegance, a woman of pride, a woman of exuberance, a woman’s woman and a woman of modesty. I salute you Jaja. Along with the other great women in our family who modelled femininity, I choose to embody your qualities in my journey. I know God is so delighted in your work here on earth because you obeyed Him. You never withheld blessing people. I’m sure the stories are endless. May the powerful imprint you’ve left, be multiplied across many families, mothers, women and people across the country. May it overpower all the counterfeits out there because the world needs women like you who truthfully know who God created them to be and who honour the value of family like you did. You are forever in my heart, I love you godmother and I will see you in eternity! Sleep peacefully until then.
Nkwagala nyo,
Bubu.
What an honour it is to be your goddaughter; your muzukulu. I’m eternally grateful that you accepted the offer and role of godmother from my parents. When I think of what that moment was probably like, all I can imagine and picture is you answering “yes” joyfully. The thought of you making a covenant with God back in 1993 along with my Ssenga and my parents brings me so much joy because you truly fulfilled your promise. The promise to encourage, uplift, guide, protect, affirm, empower, inspire, teach, unconditionally love and train a child in the way that they should go so that when they are old they do not depart from it. Thank you Jaja. I will never depart from it.
From as young as I can remember, you’ve always been so joyful and loving every time I would see you. Spending quality time with you is such a delight and in your presence there’s always a safe place. I remember visiting your home as a child, playing in your garden and with your pets. You treated me like a treasure. Consistently and gracefully pouring love into my heart. I watched you do the same with others, you nurtured everyone around you and embraced each one uniquely. I’m so glad that your friendship with Jaja Catherine, your best friend, lasted for over 80 years. She adored you so dearly. Thank you for giving me my amazing Uncle Ivan whom whenever I’m around, I feel a piece of my father David. From a young age all I heard about was “Sanyu” your bundle of joy and now I get to experience the bright light she is. Even Jaja Catherine would always talk about Nini, Bubu, Sanyu because we are all close in age but most importantly we are your muzukulus. I know that made you, Jaja Marjorie and Jaja Catherine proud grandmothers! Thank you for them because in them I have family; a true gift. Fortunately, I also got to experience the good friend you are as an adult.
You demonstrated honour so well in our relationship and you never demanded it! Quite unusual in some aspects of our culture because it is usually the young who practically display honour to the elders. During one of our many conversations, I remember you explaining that we all deserve honour regardless of our differences, ages, backgrounds and nationalities. You bridged the gap across generations and remained as youthful as ever. Easy to talk to. Humorous and spontaneous. Lunch dates, home visits and day trips were always enjoyable with you. Thank you for always being so hospitable.
You took so much pride in family and oneness. Just like Jaja Catherine and Jaja Naume you always spoke of family members so highly. Unity, quality time, togetherness is all I saw you speak of and practically do. You’d introduce me to your beautiful friends, extended family and great people because you always wanted the greatness in every individual to be experienced. That I truly value and aspire to embody as well as you did. Thank you for upholding great principles and values to pass on to generations after you.
There was a time, when I expressed how much I would love to do some charity work or explore support organisations and as soon as I mentioned it, within a couple days you invited me to visit the ‘Kampala School for the Physically Handicapped’ along with Mrs Joy Mwesigwa. I had such an amazing time with the youth and children making jewellery. Even in that moment, I got to see your workmanship, which filled my heart and inspired me uniquely. I didn’t want to leave the school that day. Everybody was so beautiful at the school and I could see the impact you had on the students from how they interacted with you.
Thank you for loving my sons Nicholas, Malachi and Noël. You always encouraged me as a mother with stories and lessons from your motherhood experience. You never judged me or showed any disappointment but rather you uplifted me and took pride in us. I wish we had more, somehow I always thought we’d have more.
To live in the hearts of those we love is not to die, you will always be fondly remembered by my children and I. Your love for family, zest for life, resilience, fierce intolerance of laziness and self pity are all lessons that will live with us for ever.
Thank you for loving me and my children. We are grateful to God for having put you in our lives.
Welaba Maama wange. Adieu Jajja.
(Psalms 147:3 NIVUK) 😭🙏🏾
Andrew, Sarah, Eryna & Caitlin
Lwenali naye awo,yangamba ebigambo bino.......Munange bwolabanga ku Ivan,oba ndi mulamu,oba nga mpumudde,omwebazaanga.Andabiridde ,ankoledde buli kirungi.Sirina kujula kwona.He has made me live like a queen!. These were her words in Luganda and English. Thank you Ivan for being an exemplary caring son to my baaba. She has rested with peace in her heart. BE ABUNDANTLY BLESSED ALWAYS. AMEN..REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND ADELLENA.
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