File:Love and family at work in Uganda.jpg

English: On one of my trips to the Albertine region of Uganda , i witnessed an incident that left a mark on my soul. Love, pure unadulterated love. Even the cynic in me had no comeback this time round.

For the my post’s sake let me put this story in context. The Albertine region in the Northern Uganda suffered heavily during the Kony/ the Lord’s Resistance Army war. As a result poverty is still widespread despite the war having ended years back. Up until October 2015 , they was no electricity in the region.Back to our story: we were visiting a couple of farmers in one of the villages when i noticed him. He was tall, dark and strong. The hot sweltering sun that had us sheltering under the leafy trees seemed not to daunt him as he continued weeding his plants. He worked the garden with a single minded determination unlike anything i had ever seen in the circumstances. He reminded me of Okonkwo the doomed hero from the ”Things fall Apart” by renowned Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe

And then she appeared, clutching a baby to her chest. Slowly but surely she made her way to him. I saw him look up and as soon as he set his eyes in her, his whole his demeanor changed . He lit up, it was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.She sought a shelter near her man as they talked and she occasionally broke out in giggles. When she had found a suitable spot with shade not too far from her man,she made herself comfortable and began to feed her child as they continued chatting while he too worked. . While i watched and photographed the two from a distance , one of my colleagues remarked, ” They are happier than most of us in the big city”

As we were leaving i noticed a couple of children playing nearby. My attention was quickly captured by a boy who stood apart from the rest of the children. As i pointed the camera in his direction , i heard ”Okonkwo” call out to him, telling him to smile. Turns out he was his Father . Looking at the photos later, i could not help but notice the similarity in pose .Like father, like son.