Mama Chama means Mama Chamachama pinduuzi, that is to say Mother who is proud of the revolution! Fighter Mother! Bush war Mother! Struggle Mother!
Because Mama Chama was so proud of the NRM Revolution and the successful NRA revolutionary bush war, her colleagues started to refer to her as “MAMA CHAMACHAMA PINDUUZI” short form Mama Chama hence the Mama Chama name that we all knew! ChamaChama Pinduuzi is a swahili term to mean “Party of the revolution”! That term is also used by Tanzania’s ruling party CCM! But it is a general swahili term used by different revolutionaries in different countries, including Uganda! But also note that Mama Chama was Late President Nyerere’s Friend and had some stints and bush war assignments in Tanzania, therefore she had more than one reason to love the “ChamaChama Pinduuzi” term! So basically she owned the name by virtue of her close proximity, contribution and belief in Revolutions!
I must mention Covid-19 is a bitch, a demon, a jezebel! Covid-19 has snatched the mother to all NRM volunteers and cadres! A lonely disease that cannot even allow us to visit the patients, speak to them, comfort them, nurse them!! Haaaaa if it wasn’t Covid-19 there would traffic jam and people jam at which ever hospital that Mama would be admitted to! You would see flood gates of NRM supporters coming to show love and solidarity to Mama Chama in hospital!
And if gone, that despicable demon Covid-19 cannot even allow us to give our people a decent send off! If it wasn’t for Covid-19, the NRM fraternity was going to give Mama Chama a historical send off!! We were going to match in the streets and villages in color yellow showing solidarity for NRM’s Wonder Woman! A woman who breathed NRM! A woman who taught us so much NRM History! A woman who trained, mentored and inspired millions of NRM cadres! A woman who magnified, dignified and defended NRM and President Museveni everyday of her life!
Mama Chama single handedly introduced the idea of NRM volunteers, a platform which brought together different NRM supporters to buttress support for NRM, without pay and without expecting a sinlge pay! She encouraged NRM volunteers to do it for fun, for unity, for networking and for giving back to the party without expectation of a pay!
Mama Chama was a true NRM revolutionary but also a revolutionary guard on duty everyday! A historical who cared to sow the NRM seed into the younger generation everyday! Mama Chama was among the few women who took part in the NRA liberation war, as a bush war hero! She was in the bush, not as a cook, not as a wife, not as a nurse but a soldier! (Not that cooks or wives or nurses where not important in the bush war, they too were important but soldiers were key!) MAMA CHAMA WAS A SOLDIER AT THE FRONT! She was a fighter! But guess what, her heart was kind, very kind! She was a no nonsense tough woman but quick to forgive and forget! She would disagree with you at 5pm, by 9pm she is inviting you for dinner, giving you hugs, you laugh about the issue and the next day is a new day! Mama Chama’s home meant “yellow colors all over, President Museveni’s pictures everywhere, NRM songs playing loudly! Basically her home meant NRM, President Museveni, people in large numbers, food, drinks, music, laughter and a little bit of lugambo?? but she was so motherly so even the lugambo wasn’t that serious or vicious! It was just talk, jokes and laughter! Mama Chama was the “fix it girl” for everyone! Those who are broke, Mama would open her small bags and give you something, those who are hungry, Mama would feed you till you tell her “Mama stop giving me all those eats, I will burst!”
When NRM cadres were fighting and bickering, Mama Chama would forge a way towards peace! Hooooooo hell would break loose during NRM primaries, everyone would persuade Mama Chama to support them! She never ever took sides! Those were her hardest times! She would clearly be between a rock and a hard place! She always wanted the primaries to get done and quickly go with the wind so that she fully backs the NRM Flag bearer! She always cried out “Oh I hate NRM primaries! They make my NRM children fight each other!” She would tell all candidates in the primaries that “I have no side for now but if you win the Primaries I will die for you to win!” And Mama Chama would do exactly that! She would do everything to make sure all NRM flag bearers were fully backed all the way to victory! She went ahead to settle disputes between Flag Bearers and the aggrieved losers or independents, something that the NRM party structures sometimes don’t even bother to do! Mama Chama was a different type of NRM! Hers was from the heart! Lest I forget, Mama Chama was also good at fishing from opposition to NRM’s basket! Then she would say all superlatives of sweet words to the new comers and assure them they have arrived in Heaven! She would even sing them songs! Mbwenu Mama Chama?? She loved NRM beyond words!
Yet even in day to day life away from elections, her home was full time open to NRM supporters! People would get fired from work, they cry for Mama Chama and she pleads with their bosses to reinstate them! When an NRM cadre would get arrested or in any trouble, Mama Chama would care to resolve the issue amicably! Any NRM cadre has a function, Mama Chama would contribute everything she has and on top of that she would lobby big people in Government to attend the function so as to further dignify it! Banange Mama Chama would give too much bambi to everyone! *I cannot tell it all when it comes to Mama Chama! She was a gem, so special!*
*But one thing I beg the NRM Party to take as a long term take home from the life of Mama Chama, is CADRE IDENTIFICATION! Mama Chama had NRM at heart and she valued every single NRM cadre and volunteer! She looked at NRM as a continuous struggle and in her eyes all cadres were NRM’s fighters similar to what she was in the bush war days! Mama Chama made sure she uses all her connections and all her networks and all her contacts to have cadres identified and deployed or at least appreciated!* *Banange my dear party NRM please copy this from Mama Chama!!!* That woman is an unsung hero in the careers and livelihoods of many NRM cadres! You see people in offices, placements and positions but if you carefully did your research, you would spot Mama Chama’s contribution or voice thereto! If this selfless woman could identify cadres and on her own assist in having them put to usefulness and resourcefulness, or at least having them appreciated, what about the entire NRM party which even has a fully fledged and fully funded office specifically in charge of Mobilization and Cadre identification! May Mama Chama’s memory always ring such a bell to you our dear top leadership in NRM!
NRM cadres and volunteers you have been left motherless! Your Mother Mama Chama is gone! Pray for her everyday! Also remember to remain united and focused! The only way we can all ever repay Mama Chama is to keep loving the NRM and President Museveni because it is all that Mama Chama lived for! Her first and last love were NRM and President Museveni!! You want to honor Mama Chama?! Just love NRM and President Museveni, that will be enough honor for her? *Rest In Perfect Peace Mama Chama, Make Angels wear your favorite color yellow!* Make God smile the way you made us laugh endlessly! May God strengthen your loved ones especially your beloved grand children that you loved so dearly! Ohhh poor children! May God touch them!
*In a special way we thank President Museveni Ssabalwanyi for all the medical attention, comfort and assistance that you rendered your Loyal Fighter Mama Chama!* *God bless You our President! God bless the Mighty Victorious National Resistance Movement! The only Revolutionary and Mass Party in Uganda*??
By Nameere Justine
Proud NRM Cadre and proud Muzzukulu???
