The Da Vince Code: A Treasure Hunt Like No Other

''You don't find her, she finds you''

 The Da Vinci Code is a CODE, a RIDDLE, a POEM

A book review

It was the second time I was reading the book and it is even more exciting than during my high school days when the book had just been released.

Originally published in 2003, The Da Vinci Code is as intriguing today as it was 15 years ago.

The book reveals just enough on each page and in each short chapter, to cause you to race to the next.

You know the book is good, when you start rooting for the characters, feeling the danger they face, praying for their success and cheering them at each small victory. I did that as I read The Da Vinci Code.

As you follow American symbologist Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Neveu who are hunting for clues, solving riddles and puzzles in the quest for the 'Holy Grail', you cannot help but solve with them the simple yet tough to crack nuts that curator Jacques Sauniere designed.

The Da Vinci Code whispers Secrets. TRUTH hidden in plain sight.

The Da Vinci Code glorifies Women. A mortal GODDESS that gives life.

The Da Vince Code exposes the Church. Its secrets give POWER to those who keep them and to those who unearth them.

The Da Vinci Code celebrates Family. A double edged sword, a bond so deep it expels fear for harm that might come to self and yet amplifies fear for harm that might come to those one loves.

The plot as written by the author
 

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and da Vinci, among others. The Louvre curator has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory’s most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic, hidden for centuries.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to work for Opus Dei—a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory’s secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory’s secret—and a stunning historical truth—will be lost forever.

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

Kaweesi was killed by journalists!

Journalists described Kaweesi as a source who became a friend, who tirelessly fought to defend them from brutality by the Police Force

Yet the same journalists failed to task the Police and all investigating organs to do more to apprehend the criminals taking the lives of Ugandans in a seemingly visible pattern

Journalists failed to tell the story of why Muslim clerics were being targeted

Journalists failed to tell the story of why the criminals favored the use of motorcycles

Journalists failed to question the police on the futile investigations, unreleased reports and rampant insecurity

My fellow journalists, we killed Kaweesi!

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

Kaweesi was killed by the Police and other security organs

The Police and its apparatus arrived at crime scene after crime scene, gathered evidence, produced composite images of suspects, conducted investigations and DID NOT APPREHEND THE CRIMINALS

The president said it;

'You people always have clues leading to the criminals and yet because you have been infiltrated by criminal gangs, we have come to this...' - Museveni

The IGP, CIID, CDF, CGP and the DISOs, GISOs, PISOs the president was talking about; you killed Kaweesi!

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

Kaweesi was killed by the government he served

The president said public servants killed Kaweesi because they frustrated development projects like the installation of CCTV cameras in all major urban centers and highways through their incessant demands for higher salaries

Kaweesi was killed by the government that purchased posh air conditioned vehicles for its key personnel in sensitive security positions rather than securing armored vehicles. (The luxury of armored vehicles was spared for the Fountain of Honor and rioters!)

Kaweesi was killed by a government that accepted half-baked solutions and half-truths in the name of crime preventers as solutions for its glaring security gaps

Government of Uganda, you killed Kaweesi!

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

Kaweesi killed himself

Kaweesi killed himself when he failed to establish a force competent enough to combat the violent crime that took his life; a force that would not pledge investigations and arrests of criminals every time a Ugandan was brutally murdered by gunmen on a motorcycle. (Kaweesi acted in various training and Human Resource capacities within the force and could take credit for the personnel's competencies and blame for its inefficiencies)

Kaweesi killed himself when he refused to believe that his life was in any more danger than any other policeman doing his job. (Refer to Umar Kashaka's interview with AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi published in Sunday Vision)

Sadly, Kaweesi killed Kaweesi!

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

Kaweesi was killed by You and I

You and I killed Kaweesi when we looked the other way as Muslim clerics were gunned down in cold blood

You and I killed Kaweesi when we refused to hold the security forces accountable for the alarming insecurity and crippling boldness of criminals terrorising us

You and I killed Kaweesi killed when we buried our heads in the sand and refused to believe that insecurity was 'Coming To A Street Near You'

You and I killed Kaweesi when we made fun of the composite images and all efforts by our Police officers to apprehend crime. We made fun because we won't trust our Police and we would rather crack jokes than undergo the baptism of fire that would accompany making the 'Investigations Are Ongoing Department' accountable!

You and I killed Kaweesi!

I know who killed Afande Kaweesi

When Museveni spoke the language of the Lango people...

In the Lango sub – region, President Museveni won the hearts of the proud Langi people by speaking their language.

In the districts of Amolatar, Dokolo, Lira, Alebtong, Otuke, Apac, Kole and Oyam, the NRM presidential candidate Museveni summarised the NRM manifesto in five Langi words;

• ‘Note’, Langi for Unity which the president described as the foundation of the NRM ideology and the reason they opposed sectarianism in all its forms.
• ‘Note’ produced ‘Teko’ which is strength that is derived when we put aside all religious, tribal and other differences.
• ‘Kuchi’, the Langi word for Peace which Museveni says has been achieved from one border of the country to the other for the first time in the history of the Uganda.
•  ‘Dongolobo’ was a particular favourite of many Langi people. The president explained that this word for Langi word for development saw the NRM government focus on building ‘Yo’, (‘Yo’ is the Langi word for ‘road’), extending ‘Machi’ to all parts of the country, ( ‘Machi’ means ‘electricity’), providing free ‘Kwan’ to all children in Uganda (‘Kwan’ is ‘education’) and improving ‘Yot Kom’ of Ugandans. (‘Yot Kom’ means ‘Health’).
• The president however noted that the ‘Dongolobo’ has not yelly been fully appreciated by the Langi people because many are still living in ‘Chan’ or Poverty.
• Consequently, the NRM government developed the concept of ‘Lonyo, that you may know as ‘Prosperity For All’.

The NRM candidate explained that if the NRM government is given another term in office, it would focus on improving the livelihoods and household incomes of people in this region.

Museveni laboured to explain the means of achieving ‘Lonyo’ including practicing ‘Pur Manyene’ or modern farming, creation of factories and provision of services among others.

‘Kot’ which is the Langi word for ‘rain’ was the only challenge that the NRM candidate faced, otherwise the candidate and the aprty are assured of winning the Lango vote come 2016.

Their message: ‘Kwir Maber, Kwir NRM’, ‘Vote wisely, Vote NRM’

Kole woman MP, Joy Ruth Achieng of UPC endorses Museveni's candidature

Notes

• According to the president, all districts in Uganda now have electricity with the exception of four (Kotido, Nwoya, Buvuma and Kaabong)
• Lango has always had interesting results in the presidential race with FDC’s Kizza Besigye winning here in 2006 with 75.8 % of the 302,140 votes cast while President Museveni won the Lango sub region in 2011 with 56.4% of the 330554 votes cast.
•  

#ILostMyPhoneAgain

The last DM I sent on my phone.

It took just 5 seconds and what was a phone tweeting an explanation to my boss was now in the hands of a cunning thief dashing across the road to the dark and crowded Nakasero market.

5 seconds...

 I imagine he saw the taxi approaching the market.

 But he saw more than the taxi. He saw a young man plugged in, holding a 6 inch screen smartphone. 

He saw an opportunity and stealthily approached the taxi where the unsuspecting lad was perfectly positioned in the back seat next to a wide open window. This was going to be easier than other kills of the night.

And in 5 seconds, the job was done. He had the phone and all the young man could do was watch as the thief made away with his prized phone.

Tweeting...

My phone died on duty; it died an honourable death.

For at the moment that it was snatched, yours truly was sending a DM explaining how Maurice Mugisha was not happy that the Newvision portrayed a member of his team as a fan of Joshua Poro and/or Urban TV.

Nakasero Market...

This market operates 24/7 and I have always thought about doing a story highlighting the business that goes on here in the night. 

Following the phone theft at this site, I will definitely be doing a story here, only this time I will not just be looking at the fruit and food business. I will be looking out for the cunning thief that stealthily approaches backseats of taxis and makes away with smartphones, handbags, watches and whatever else the victim of the night might have in their hands. 

Quick notes

What I'll miss about my phone...

• The selfie camera - 8MP
• My Grad pics
• The 6 inch screen

First thoughts when the phone was snatched....

• The fragility of life; can I lose my life in just 5seconds?
• The people I owe money, work and gratitude.
• Unfulfilled dreams.

I also thought about the thief...

• The thief was male.
• I imagine he is jobless considering that stealing is not a job...or is it?
• He most likely is a broke man who lives from hand to mouth.
• He doesn't work alone; there are many more like him.
• He is not stupid; he stalks, calculates and is part of a syndicate.

The last tasks my phone performed...

• Last phone call; from Becky, my sister inquiring about when I would be reaching home.
• Last tweet; A tweet and DM explaining the Maurice Mugisha rant.
• Last Whatsapp; Receiving and sharing images from the Urban TV crew in Soroti.
• Last pic taken by the camera; Samson Kasumba on the Full Briefing set in the Urban studio.
  

It's been over 5 smartphones and am beginning to wonder what could be wrong with me.

Should I give up on these gadgets that are so coveted by cunning thieves or should I join Kayihura's boys to catch the cunning thieves?

What Next?

All I want on the phone is a good camera and the social networking sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. (Social media pays my bills)

The #SmokingHotIdea chaps tell me I can get all that for a whooping 39K!!!!

Having lost millions of money to cunning thieves, perhaps it's time I tried out this #SmokingHotIdea that sounds like it's fuelled by a weed worse than the one that politicians smoke.

'I feel baked without my phone" Daniel M. Mumbere

A Daily Suicide Mission!

Every day, for the past 6 months or so, I walk about 200m from my home in Makindye to the proverbial stage where I look out for Mukiga, Asporo or Kawoya. The 3 are what you would call my Transport consultants.  Mukiga is the fast one, Asporo is the slow cautious one and Kawoya is the reliable one. Either one of these expert transporters takes me to work, to church, to the shopping center and will sometimes do a round trip with me as or when I have a number of errands to accomplish in a short time.

I will describe the most frequent trip that I make from Makindye to the Urban TV studios in Industrial Area, a journey of about 5km. The journey starts in Makindye not far from the Military barracks, through Nsambya, Mukwano Road, the Jinja Road roundabout, all the way to First Street, Industrial Area.

My daily trek to work

In the 10-15 minutes that this trip usually takes, we will encounter other road users that have a vengeance against my kind of transporters, we will look for the narrowest of gaps to beat the traffic jam, my transporters will fidget to retrieve the helmet from the horns when we approach the traffic lights where Police is deployed, there is the thrilling but mad dash by my kind of transporters when the green light sets them free and every once in a while we will pass by the scene of an accident where one of our own has perished or killed their passenger in the process of maneuvering a corner, a car or a traffic officer.

Every time we arrive safely at the New Vision headquarters, I say a silent thanksgiving prayer and ask myself why I take this suicide mission every day.

I call it a suicide mission because of the stories I hear and witness on the road and in the Urban TV Newsroom. Stories of a ward in Mulago Hospital dedicated to my kind of transporters, scenes of blood and lifeless bodies, near death experiences where I've cursed and vowed to switch transporters,…

But for reasons that I cannot understand or explain, I am still an ardent user of the BODA BODA.

I have wondered often and I still wonder; Why do I continue to take this daily Suicide Mission?

When I weigh convenience, control and speed as advantages of using Boda bodas against the obvious drawbacks of high cost of living (up to 300,000 per month), laziness fueled by the speed with which the Boda can deliver me to work and the road safety concerns that the Injury Control Centre, Uganda puts at 5 to 20 boda boda accident cases per day (7,280 cases in year) at Mulago Hospital.

It’s a suicide mission that I have taken so many times that I sometimes close my eyes and meditate all the way from Makindye to the New Vision HQs when riding with the reliable Kawoya.

Note: I am not suicidal, am I? 

#UgBloggers7Days #DiaryOfA25YearOld

Monday, 13th October 2014. 

Time check: 3am in the morning

The plan

Get up by 5am, be at my desk by 6am and complete all unfinished reports by 8am. So, help me God!

Reality

Monday, 13th October 2014

I woke up at 8am, reached my desk at 10am and its past 11pm and I still have unfinished reports.

What happened??? Your guess is as good as mine.

Nevertheless, as promised I’ll share highlights from the #DiaryOfA25YearOld.

+

Today, I barely managed to do my daily 15mins of the Newsroom.

Today, I learnt that the French will now be able to transfer money using tweets.

Today, I hosted a poet on TV and made my first order using the mobile app, hellofood.ug

Today, I listened to fine and ambitious world musicians who promised to rock the country at the upcoming Pearl Rhythm Festival.

Today, I blogged.

-

Today, I didn’t complete my field attachment report.

Today, I didn’t complete my promotional and social media responsibilities.

Today, I didn’t send my show synopsis to the experts who are ready to work with #TAG.

Today, I didn’t execute the day as I had planned it.

+-

When all is said and done, Today, I struggled.

Tomorrow can only be better.

The plan

Get up by 5am, be at my desk by 6am and complete all unfinished reports by 8am. So, help me God!

Eeeeeh

But this word count business, how do you guys do 250 words? Nga for me, I am struggling. The words am writing now are being written to hit the target. Mission accomplished!!!

Girls Against the World! A Tech story from Uganda.

#WomenInTech

In November 2013, I was redeployed from the News and Current affairs team at Urban TV to the Business and Technology Desk.  I quickly realised that the story of women in technology was a hot topic and 6 months later it still is a trending subject. 

At a Girl Geek dinner held at the Piato restaurant in February this year, I learnt of the sorority clubs like GirlGeekKampala and Afchix which were closing the gender gap in Tech by teaching girls how to code. Here, it was agreed that every IT woman should belong to an IT group believing that great things will happen when girls and women come together under one room. One of the girls that attended this Thought Works powered dinner is Bonita Nanziri whose story is a bright shining light in the women in Tech movement.

Designing for Women Hackathon

12 hours after the GirlGeek dinner, I am sitting in a room full of girls and women in a brainstorming session at the Designing for Women Hackathon hosted by the WITU Hub and facilitated by Barbara Natali. In this room, I listened as woman after woman narrated ordeals of being sexually discriminated against in the Tech world. The women here concluded that one of the biggest challenges facing women in Tech is the patriarchal nature of Ugandan society. I remember thinking how it would be interesting to see what solutions these Tech women would code to solve this problem. A database and site where women could report violence which would then be visualised and used for advocacy was the most viable application that came out of the workshop held over two week-ends.

Bonita Nanziri

Irritated by the usual, "let’s have one girl on team for gender balance", Bonita Nanziri, a student at the College of Computing and Information Sciences at Makerere University, put together a team of girl developers who would be designing an application for the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2014.  While the organisers of the conference and media types like myself were highlighting the significance of having an all-girl tech team, the AfriGal Tech team was focusing on winning the grand prize. They pitched their sickle cell diagnosis app so well that one person remarked on twitter that "these girls mean business, they are playing hard-ball." And win they did, taking the Innovation Challenge category and also emerging overall winner of the Microsoft Imagine Cup National finals. These girls together with Team Project 1 that designed a Tuberculosis diagnosis app will represent Uganda in the online global semifinals of the lucrative competition.

Team AfriGal Tech posing with Mictosoft's Roy Paul Owino after
winning the Imagine Cup Nationals. Photo by Robert Tuhaise.

WITU Hub

The WITU hub was by far been the biggest development in the Women in Tech narrative here in Uganda with Barbara Birungi, a leading female technologist and co-founder of the Hive Colab championing efforts to teach every girl in Uganda how to code.

“We believe that the gender gap in the Tech space can be greatly reduced by equipping as many girls as possible with coding skills in an environment where they do not have to compete with the boys” Victoria Mbabazi, coordinator of the CodeGirls session at WITU Hub

The Basic Computing class and the Code Girls session are the early initiatives of the women only hub and at this year’s GirlsInICT celebrations which will be held at the WITU Hub, we look forward to the unveiling of the application developed by the girls who attended the 7 week Code Girls course.

Trailblazers

Mariemme Jamme is also called Mama Africa for her role in telling the technology story on the African continent. Mariemme was here in Uganda for a week guiding Ugandan developers as they hacked and built a fisheries app and the Africa Progress Panel app. The latter was developed by the SyncHub team led by female CEO, Brenda Katwesigye.

Mariemme Jamme posing with the SyncHub that
developed the Africa Progress Panel app.

Mariemme’s story has one lesson; if a Senegalese girl who did not go to school till the age of 16 can run her own Tech firm in the UK, Spot One Global Solutions and be named among the top 10 African Voices in Tech by CNN among many other enviable accomplishments, surely there is hope for every Ugandan girl.

"When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid." Lupita Nyong'o, Oscar winning actress

In Uganda, we are not short of stories that can inspire women in Tech. From Dr. Dorothy Okello, founder of Women of Uganda Network,(WOUGNET) and winner of the first ever African Digital Woman of the year award, to Terry Karungi, award winning co-founder of Kola studios, the developers of the Matatu game app. Others to note are Eunice Namirembe, winner of Google’s Africa Connected competition, Christine Ampaire, co-founder of GirlGeek Kampala and winner of the MTN Women Business award. These are the ones that have won accolades. There are probably hundreds more that are coding and creating tech whose stories are yet to be told.

Tomorrow

With global leaders like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, it is only a matter of time before the most powerful person in Tech is a woman. But all stakeholders in this debate know that the real battle is at the grassroots; in the hubs, IT classes, primary schools and at the family table when career choices are being discussed. And that’s why Tech reporters like Brenda Kembabazi of Urban TV and myself will be following the progress of the Code Girls sessions and girls sorority classes, the growth of the AfriGal Tech team, and looking out for the little girls who dream of changing the world.

Urban TV's Brenda Kembabazi ( with back to the camera) interviews Victoria Mbabazi,
one of the developers of the Nakazadde app.

Photos tagged INNOVATE are sourced from Urban TV's coverage of the Tech scene in Uganda.