COVID-19 and How It Impacts My Life: Uganda Queer Short Stories - Desert Island Series
COVID-19 and How It Impacts My Life: Uganda Queer Short Stories - Desert Island Series
Yahaya
The Desert Island Series are about COVID-19 and daily activities of life among the LGBTIQQ of Uganda. These are radical compositions countering deficit narratives used to justify othering, marginalization, externalisation and peripheralisation. This is an art of crafting, claiming and consolidating space for Queer persons to talk about, demand and recognise how they can promote self-determination and quality life. In the stories we celebrate innovations, executions and translations that culminate into lived realities and destinies.
Moderator and Interviewer: Tom Muyunga-Mukasa
Featuring: Any person willing to tell a story
Synopsis
Meet Yahaya who is an Oil exploration engineering graduate from Michigan University, Tunisia and China. Yahaya, has various skills such as using sonic equipment, determining the drilling sites most likely to produce oil to operating giant drills capable of creating holes in the ground to reach the pay zone where oil may be. Yahaya is a gay male and together with his partner they work for the Oil Industry in Uganda but in various areas. In this episode, Yahaya is sharing his struggles, tribulations, triumphs and lessons during COVID-19 restrictions.
Tom: Are you happy we are doing the Desert Island Series and please tell us about yourself?
Yahaya: Thank you. I am actually excited and relieved. I read the first one and the second. Somehow I felt I needed to be one of those to be interviewed while the episodes were in their earlier days. I bet you are going to get many people who want to be part of this. COVID-19, has made many more people realise how connected we are. I am John Kaboyo Kaggwa. I converted to Islam when I was studying in Tunisia. So, I became Yahaya.
Tom: Interesting! I always though it was your nom-de-guerre! I never knew you had converted. It is news to me. I had read about the resistance forces in Tunisia against the French. So, I took it that perhaps you took up a name of a very famous resistance fighter called Yahaya.
Yahaya: ......Haha! No Tom! The only thing I know how to operate that looks like a gun is the drill.
Tom: Well, that covers for our fun fact. Here at Desert Island, we follow up with a fun fact but you have beat me to it. Okay tell us a little bit about the connection between COVID-19 and the Oil Industry in Uganda please.
Yahaya: How much do you know about the geography and social typology behind mineral exploration and oil extraction?
Tom: I know you were in the Albertine region of Uganda. I worked for a time in that area as a health provider, researcher and evaluator. I also worked on the Elephantiasis/President Carter Schistosomiasis projects there too. Correct me when I go wrong but I know that oil is the result of years and years of breakdown of materials made up of carbon and that the pressures they are subjected to produces a product out of which oil is made.
Yahaya: Well said, Tom. I am sure you read about the transfer of Tullow’s interests in the Uganda Lake Albert Project to Total E&P Uganda B.V. Total will acquire all of Tullow’s current 33.3334% stake in each of the project licenses EA1, EA1A, EA2, and EA3A. These are called interests.
The interests are blocks of land named Block 1 to Block 5. To give you a better picture Lake Edward and George area is Block 4B and Block 4; Lake Albert shores on the side of Uganda are between Block 1 to Block 3A; parts of Arua are in Block 5.
Tom: ...Well..I know most of those parts. What will happen to the people who were relocated, provided jobs and had to move from Agricultural subsistence to intensive manual labour? I am sure you needed large numbers of people to clear large tracts.
Yahaya: COVID-19!
Tom: Wait, I personally can connect the dots but I want our readers to walk that journey led by you. While you are at it, also tell us about Tullow please.
Yahaya: Tullow is a company that took up exploration here. But their permits called Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) expired in August 2019. This led to the subsequent termination of Tullow's farm-down process. With COVID-19 the oil industry has suffered a sharp setback. The Final Investment Decision (FID), which was expected later that year, was pushed ahead indefinitely. In order to cut costs, Tullow worked with partners under an arrangement called Joint Venture Partners (JVPs). The JVPs subsequently suspended operations in the Lake Albert Project.
Tom: Yahaya, you are painting a picture of gloom. You mean this is how bad COVID-19 can get?
Yahaya: It is true there are linkages here. Without demand for fuel and oil those of us who pump it cannot produce any. We could produce but already many countries are using their reserves. Demand for fuel and oil is when transport, most especially air transport is open. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the oil and gas industry worldwide. The volatility character of the oil and gas market is a big challenge. Consumer demand declined, this is now driven by fears of continued spread of the pandemic. This in turn has led to rapid price drops, registering a negative trade for the first time in the history of the Oil Industry!
The global air space is almost entirely closed to passenger planes while many countries have locked their borders in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Yet much of the technical expertise for many such operations is expected to come from abroad. The development stage is also labor-intensive, requiring a large concentration of the workforce. However, there are strict regulations and guidelines on social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making work under such circumstances nearly impossible.
Tom: But, we can produce for the African continent, not so?
Yahaya: You are right but.....and emphasis is on but! First off, this industry relies on breaking all COVID-19 social distancing rules. We cannot transact an oil business remotely; no physical infrastructure required for oil production can be set up like this and during lock down.
Tom: So, with COVID-19 we are not in the oil extraction business?
Yahaya: Right. The investors who commit money for oil exploration, the different categories of engineers who have been in oil extraction for longer years cannot get on a plane and get in Uganda. The Final Investment Decision (FID) which lays down all logistical protocols will not be reached without clearly understanding the social, cultural and economic impact COVID-19.
Tom: So, has Total finally bought Tullow?
Yahaya: We use the term farm-downing. There is a complete farm-down by Tullow to Total now. This has some element of good news but we have to wait out COVID-19. We may meet the 2023 target for Uganda's first oil to run down the pipes. I am hopeful.
Tom: There is hope and a fear behind your voice. I can note it.
Yahaya: Yes, I am one of the many employees, including those of the third-party companies, who were laid off. I used to talk to the less skilled or casual labourers who did the manual work. I am wondering who will provide food, who will provide detergents and sanitisers? Contracts of companies hired to implement the Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) were suspended. The Project Affected Persons (PAPs) were equally left in suspense over the payment of their compensation money. COVID-19 has been here for a very short time. Uganda had a steady and smooth ride to the first drop of oil. This has now been hit by a heavy blow called COVID-19. But,I am hopeful. I am sure the area COVID-19 Task Forces will come to their aid. I left 3/4 of all my supplies to the people I worked with. I hope more supplies will get to them. Right now I am doing gardening and finishing touches to our house.
Tom : Wow! .....(Silence).....(Yahaya's phone vibrates)..
Yahaya: Never mind, this is your time buddy!
Tom: We are about to wind up. This being Desert Island we give you a chance to choose an activity to do were you to find yourself in isolation but with all the comforts one needs in life. Also give a last tip to our readers on COVID-19 prevention.
Yahaya: Crazy Tom! There you go!
Hahahahahahahaha!
Yahaya: If I were to be at the Desert Island, I shall want to take with us my boyfriend's pet rabbits. They are fun to watch and it relaxes. For those at their homes, please follow the government regulations on COVID-19 prevention. Do not forget to cover your mouth when you cough, cover your noses when you blow them and wash with soap.
Tom: Thank you so much Yahaya, I hope you will find time for us to do a follow up session with you.
Yahaya: Yes, sure! For you I shall find time because you are a pillar to the community!
The Desert Island Series are about COVID-19 and daily activities of life among the LGBTIQQ of Uganda. These are radical compositions countering deficit narratives used to justify othering, marginalization, externalisation and peripheralisation. This is an art of crafting, claiming and consolidating space for Queer persons to talk about, demand and recognise how they can promote self-determination and quality life. In the stories we celebrate innovations, executions and translations that culminate into lived realities and destinies.
Moderator and Interviewer: Tom Muyunga-Mukasa
Featuring: Any person willing to tell a story
Synopsis
Meet Yahaya who is an Oil exploration engineering graduate from Michigan University, Tunisia and China. Yahaya, has various skills such as using sonic equipment, determining the drilling sites most likely to produce oil to operating giant drills capable of creating holes in the ground to reach the pay zone where oil may be. Yahaya is a gay male and together with his partner they work for the Oil Industry in Uganda but in various areas. In this episode, Yahaya is sharing his struggles, tribulations, triumphs and lessons during COVID-19 restrictions.
Tom: Are you happy we are doing the Desert Island Series and please tell us about yourself?
Yahaya: Thank you. I am actually excited and relieved. I read the first one and the second. Somehow I felt I needed to be one of those to be interviewed while the episodes were in their earlier days. I bet you are going to get many people who want to be part of this. COVID-19, has made many more people realise how connected we are. I am John Kaboyo Kaggwa. I converted to Islam when I was studying in Tunisia. So, I became Yahaya.
Tom: Interesting! I always though it was your nom-de-guerre! I never knew you had converted. It is news to me. I had read about the resistance forces in Tunisia against the French. So, I took it that perhaps you took up a name of a very famous resistance fighter called Yahaya.
Yahaya: ......Haha! No Tom! The only thing I know how to operate that looks like a gun is the drill.
Tom: Well, that covers for our fun fact. Here at Desert Island, we follow up with a fun fact but you have beat me to it. Okay tell us a little bit about the connection between COVID-19 and the Oil Industry in Uganda please.
Yahaya: How much do you know about the geography and social typology behind mineral exploration and oil extraction?
Tom: I know you were in the Albertine region of Uganda. I worked for a time in that area as a health provider, researcher and evaluator. I also worked on the Elephantiasis/President Carter Schistosomiasis projects there too. Correct me when I go wrong but I know that oil is the result of years and years of breakdown of materials made up of carbon and that the pressures they are subjected to produces a product out of which oil is made.
Yahaya: Well said, Tom. I am sure you read about the transfer of Tullow’s interests in the Uganda Lake Albert Project to Total E&P Uganda B.V. Total will acquire all of Tullow’s current 33.3334% stake in each of the project licenses EA1, EA1A, EA2, and EA3A. These are called interests.
The interests are blocks of land named Block 1 to Block 5. To give you a better picture Lake Edward and George area is Block 4B and Block 4; Lake Albert shores on the side of Uganda are between Block 1 to Block 3A; parts of Arua are in Block 5.
Tom: ...Well..I know most of those parts. What will happen to the people who were relocated, provided jobs and had to move from Agricultural subsistence to intensive manual labour? I am sure you needed large numbers of people to clear large tracts.
Yahaya: COVID-19!
Tom: Wait, I personally can connect the dots but I want our readers to walk that journey led by you. While you are at it, also tell us about Tullow please.
Yahaya: Tullow is a company that took up exploration here. But their permits called Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) expired in August 2019. This led to the subsequent termination of Tullow's farm-down process. With COVID-19 the oil industry has suffered a sharp setback. The Final Investment Decision (FID), which was expected later that year, was pushed ahead indefinitely. In order to cut costs, Tullow worked with partners under an arrangement called Joint Venture Partners (JVPs). The JVPs subsequently suspended operations in the Lake Albert Project.
Tom: Yahaya, you are painting a picture of gloom. You mean this is how bad COVID-19 can get?
Yahaya: It is true there are linkages here. Without demand for fuel and oil those of us who pump it cannot produce any. We could produce but already many countries are using their reserves. Demand for fuel and oil is when transport, most especially air transport is open. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the oil and gas industry worldwide. The volatility character of the oil and gas market is a big challenge. Consumer demand declined, this is now driven by fears of continued spread of the pandemic. This in turn has led to rapid price drops, registering a negative trade for the first time in the history of the Oil Industry!
The global air space is almost entirely closed to passenger planes while many countries have locked their borders in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Yet much of the technical expertise for many such operations is expected to come from abroad. The development stage is also labor-intensive, requiring a large concentration of the workforce. However, there are strict regulations and guidelines on social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making work under such circumstances nearly impossible.
Tom: But, we can produce for the African continent, not so?
Yahaya: You are right but.....and emphasis is on but! First off, this industry relies on breaking all COVID-19 social distancing rules. We cannot transact an oil business remotely; no physical infrastructure required for oil production can be set up like this and during lock down.
Tom: So, with COVID-19 we are not in the oil extraction business?
Yahaya: Right. The investors who commit money for oil exploration, the different categories of engineers who have been in oil extraction for longer years cannot get on a plane and get in Uganda. The Final Investment Decision (FID) which lays down all logistical protocols will not be reached without clearly understanding the social, cultural and economic impact COVID-19.
Tom: So, has Total finally bought Tullow?
Yahaya: We use the term farm-downing. There is a complete farm-down by Tullow to Total now. This has some element of good news but we have to wait out COVID-19. We may meet the 2023 target for Uganda's first oil to run down the pipes. I am hopeful.
Tom: There is hope and a fear behind your voice. I can note it.
Yahaya: Yes, I am one of the many employees, including those of the third-party companies, who were laid off. I used to talk to the less skilled or casual labourers who did the manual work. I am wondering who will provide food, who will provide detergents and sanitisers? Contracts of companies hired to implement the Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) were suspended. The Project Affected Persons (PAPs) were equally left in suspense over the payment of their compensation money. COVID-19 has been here for a very short time. Uganda had a steady and smooth ride to the first drop of oil. This has now been hit by a heavy blow called COVID-19. But,I am hopeful. I am sure the area COVID-19 Task Forces will come to their aid. I left 3/4 of all my supplies to the people I worked with. I hope more supplies will get to them. Right now I am doing gardening and finishing touches to our house.
Tom : Wow! .....(Silence).....(Yahaya's phone vibrates)..
Yahaya: Never mind, this is your time buddy!
Tom: We are about to wind up. This being Desert Island we give you a chance to choose an activity to do were you to find yourself in isolation but with all the comforts one needs in life. Also give a last tip to our readers on COVID-19 prevention.
Yahaya: Crazy Tom! There you go!
Hahahahahahahaha!
Yahaya: If I were to be at the Desert Island, I shall want to take with us my boyfriend's pet rabbits. They are fun to watch and it relaxes. For those at their homes, please follow the government regulations on COVID-19 prevention. Do not forget to cover your mouth when you cough, cover your noses when you blow them and wash with soap.
Tom: Thank you so much Yahaya, I hope you will find time for us to do a follow up session with you.
Yahaya: Yes, sure! For you I shall find time because you are a pillar to the community!
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