By There are two different kinds of people. Those who work to gain and those who work to give. Dr Ivan Edwards is the latter. While many Ugandans in the diaspora prioritise giving back home, this contribution is often measured in terms of wealth accumulated.
While it is wonderful to contribute to the economy and household wellbeing at home, there is also much to be said for those who invest in the growth and development of others. Through the Dr Ivan Edwards Poetry Award, the first of its kind, Dr Edwards has offered a lot of talented Ugandans a rare chance to hope again.
In a craft that is often considered ‘unserious’ in Uganda, almost like a passion pursuit, rather than a life path, many young writers find themselves misunderstood. Like Elijah Baguma, one of the participants in the Dr Ivan Edwards Poetry Competition, whose parents react to his career in poetry as though it is building castles in the air. So they tuck their writing dreams in their pockets and some lock them away in a dusted box, never to retrieve them again.
It’s no wonder that some of the winners shed tears during the inaugural awards ceremony, where their work was finally celebrated for the first time. Prize money of $500 was awarded for Spoken Word and $500 for Written Word, while Youth Spoken Word and Youth Written Word winners each received $100, with recipients including Atim Priscilla Ariance, Lus Aziz Al Fadhul, Gumbadia La Joie, and Praise Nowangye.
This year’s competition was organised in partnership with the Uganda Poetry Society, and the judges included Dr Stella Nyanzi and Dr Ampat Koshy, among other esteemed writers.
Like the budding comedy scene in Uganda, one ponders whether there is a future for poets and their craft in Uganda, but time and competitions like these will tell. It is also a reminder that more support is still needed to grow the industry.
The award, valued at US $1,200, has already been recognised as one of the most respected poetry honours in East and Central Africa and will run annually, giving Ugandan poets a rare opportunity to be heard, to confront necessary evils in society in a way only poetry can and to engage political tensions and address something far bigger than themselves.
Uganda Poetry Society President Philip Matogo says poetry in Uganda has long been searching for space, and initiatives like this are finally giving it room. As he puts it, this is how a poetry culture is built, by choosing to believe in it before the world does.
When asked why he does this, Dr Edwards simply stated: “I do it for others.”
“Seeing some participants shed tears because it was the first time in their lives that their work had been recognised was deeply moving. Moments like that remind me why this matters. That is the ‘why.’”
There is a saying that what we give won’t always return, but what we give is always what we are, and although Dr Edwards wears many hats as a physician, USAF Flight Surgeon, leader and award-winning poet, he has demonstrated that what matters most is humility and kindness. That true purpose is not in what we do, but for whom we do it.
And although the generous act of giving can go unnoticed sometimes, Dr Edwards’ name will forever be written in the hearts of many writers on this journey and those still to come. He has not only given tenacious Ugandan poets a chance to also showcase their gift and win prize money, he has given them the rarest gift one human can give another: hope.
(In the spirit of celebrating April as National Poetry Month in the USA, the Uganda Diaspora Network congratulates Dr Edwards on his recently published poetry collection, Resonance of the Soul: Flowers and Harmonics).
