‘We fool around in semi-public places. You could be arrested or publicly shamed’: This is how we do it in Uganda
Growing up, I was told by my mum from a very young age that I had to protect my virginity until I was married. At school, we had one sex education class where it was pretty much just a teacher with a cucumber showing us how a condom goes on. I found out everything on my own, from films, books or magazines such as Cosmo. In Uganda, many homes are religious, whether that’s Christianity, Catholicism or Islam, and even through people are now more sexually liberated, it’s generally unspoken.
I was a survivor of sexual assault before what I consider to be my first sexual experience. At the time, I only confided in two friends. I didn’t tell my family as I knew it would break my mum’s heart. I have a lot more autonomy now and I’m able to talk about my past traumatic experiences. Even in the middle of the act, if I am triggered, I can say, “No, I’m not comfortable”, and Daudi has the emotional intelligence to understand.