5,500 miles. This is the amount of ocean that separates our county form the continent of Africa. Somewhere in the middle of Africa is a small landlocked country called Uganda. Somewhere in the middle of our country is a small landlocked state called Ohio. The distance between the two is indeed great, as are the standards of living, systems of government and cultures; but are we really so different? Do we feel the same things? Are our lives equally valuable?
The real gap between our cultures is not one that can be measured in miles or kilometers. The gap exists in our belief that a great physical separation from a culture makes them less real, less human. The fact is we share this humanity. This is enough to qualify for my attention. This is why I have chosen to make it my focus, over the next year, to capture and record the stories of the Ugandan people and bring them back home, to Ohio. Their stories paint pictures much different form our own, but when our stories are combined they illustrate one book, humanity’s story.
