She told Quick Talk her story of relocating to various cities almost every school year, how being an isolated black child in an entirely white school made her hate herself, and joining the army.
Hi Vivian, long time! How have you been?
Yeah, it has been quite long; how are you?
Great. Thanks for doing this; so, who is Vivian Ainomugisha?
I am a 25-year-old Ugandan-American, born in Uganda and came to America when I was four years old. Most of my life has been in the USA. I am currently serving in the US army, I am a student and a photojournalist.
Do you still speak any Runyankore?
[Laughs out loud] The most I know is “agandi…nimarungi” [how are you…I’m fine]. I was not taught the language, because it was my dad’s language and I was not raised by him. I was raised by my mum. [Her mother is Annette Kamya and her father, Zie Katabarwa Gariyo, died in 2022.]
Oh sorry about your dad [Gariyo was a renowned anti-corruption crusader, heading Uganda Debt Network]. So, where in America did you grow up?
Growing up, I moved around different cities with my mum, probably around eleven times, but most of my life has been in the state of Massachusetts.
Tell Quick Talk about your childhood in America.
I did move around so much as a child; in my first few years of school, I would move almost every school year up until I was 10 years, and from the time I was 10 up to 18 years when I graduated high school, it was a little bit rocky because I had moved to a predominantly white town.
I remember being the only African when I first moved to my school. Kids started to talk about my skin colour and all the things that made me different. I started being ashamed of being black and wished I were white.
I always prayed to God to make me white and would be mad when I woke up and was not white. I started denying that I was a Ugandan, and from 10 to 15 years I never told anybody about my country. That went on until a Ugandan girl came to school and we became friends.
That must have been painful; how did you handle it?
It wasn’t easy at the beginning because I wanted to be liked; so, I started to conform by wearing what they would wear, talking like them, trying as much I as I could to blend in.
That went on until I started being friends with fellow black girls when they came to the school. But it took a toll on me even when I had them because my mind was so used to being in self-defense mode and being insecure for being black.
Have you ever come back to Uganda ever since you left?
I have come back to Uganda thrice; in 2011, in 2022 for my father’s burial and 2023. But the longest I have stayed was a month in 2011; all the other times have been a week or less.
Did you try out any Ugandan food?
The things I had are the same things I eat regularly [in America], like matooke, binyebwa, rice…[In case you’re wondering, Massachusetts has a huge Ugandan community and culture.]
I see… And who is your favourite Ugandan musician?
I do enjoy some Juliana. There is this song Nsanyuka Naawe. I think it is by Blu*3. On the gospel arena, I enjoy listening to Judith Babirye and Pastor Wilson Bugembe.
What are you studying at university?
I go to Boston University and I’m a journalism major.
And what inspired you to join the army?
I joined the army in 2019. I had a family friend who kept on telling me about joining the army but I used to be scared of it because in my head I associated the army with killing people.
I made up my mind to join after my mum and I relocated to Georgia. I wasn’t happy and wanted to move back to Massachusetts, but moving back meant going without my mum. I had to come up with a plan that would help me go back to school and help me find somewhere to live and take care of myself.
You joined at 20 years! Have you ever regretted your decision?
No. I remember before leaving for boot camp, I had a few fears and was nervous, but didn’t regret. It’s actually one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.
What was your parents’ reaction?
My mum was open and thought it was interesting; she was like my rock even during boot camp. My dad thought it was so cool and he was like, ‘you really have wild dreams’. He used to call me his soldier girl.
And how did you survive boot camp?
Honestly the only feeling that really got me through was God. I remember at the time that I joined I was dealing with depression and felt like I wanted something better for my life and I used to feel like I really needed something which made me feel like I was winning. I was praying to God, and He give me a sign that He was going to help me out.
Even when things were tough, my only strength was God.
Also my mum used to write me letters frequently; so, every time there was mail, I would look forward to receiving her letters.
What is your most memorable experience so far?
There was a physical test we had to make. It was made up of six events and you had to pass all the six. Even if you passed five, they considered it a fail, and throughout the training, there was something I would miss and I was considered a failure for that.
So, this time round it was the last chance to take the test, and this was like the [do-or-die]. I remember praying to God and He gave me His Word and sure I passed. So, I think that was the most memorable moment for me.
And your worst?
I hated running. Every day I knew we had to run, I would wake up really sad because I was like not another day of this! I used to get in trouble for being slow; so, they would scream at me. Even now when I hear we have the physical fitness test, I freak out, because I remember the run.
Does it feel like you are representing your country on an international level?
Yeah! It always feels so cool that I get to have my name. My last name is already like a representation of who I am and posted out there. I just wanted my last name to be said correctly by people from all over and being in the army has made my dream come true.
How is your life like outside the army?
I am pretty busy; overall, the army doesn’t take much of my time since I train once a month and I work two days a week. A lot of my time is spent being a student, attending church, hanging out with friends… I never have a dull day.
What don’t people know about you?
I don’t feel like I have my life together like people think, just because I am in the military. I have been living alone at such an early age and stuff like that. Lot of times people don’t know that I struggle with certain things. I am definitely work in progress. I wish people saw that I sometimes want help and support as well.
What would you tell your young self, given a chance?
I would tell her that verse that says, “what eyes have not seen, ears have not heard… is what God will do”. I would tell her the way that God designed you is exactly the way He wants you to be, and I would tell her that what’s going on is just temporary, and not going to last forever.
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