RANCHO BERNARDO (KGTV) — Joyce Orishaba was one of 12,000 teenagers who submitted a personal narrative to the New York Times. She was one of only a few winners.
“I still don’t believe it,” Orishaba said.
It seemed unlikely that her essay would be picked until you hear her story.
“I am six years old, sleeping with nothing but a banana leaf over my shoulders.”
In 100 words, Orishaba takes readers back to her mountain village in Uganda. She lost her mother at age six and was raised by her aunt who was only seven years older than her.
“Tears fall as I see the fear and uncertainty in my aunt’s eyes. She is 13. She is my mom now.”
They are part of the Batwa tribe, one of the oldest surviving indigenous groups in Africa. Around 30 years ago, the Ugandan government pushed the Batwa off their land to protect the mountain gorillas there.
“The indigenous Batwa lost our home, the rainforest, to the mountain gorillas. We are forgotten while the gorillas are celebrated. Lost to save the species.”
Orishaba says the Batwa people felt unwelcome in their own home. Her essay gives a vision of their invisibility.
“I thought this was a big moment for my people to be recognized and for the story to be out there.”
Wendee Nicole adopted Orishaba and brought her to the us in 2017. After adjusting to some culture shock, Orishaba has quickly excelled in her classes. She believes anyone from her tribe could do the same.
“I want to do something that helps my people or people in general.”
She plans to start a program through her mom’s non-profit to teach American teens about the Batwa people.
“I will be the river for my people. I am the future.”
