If you thought bungee jumping was the most thrilling experience, BELINDA NAMUTEBI will make you think again.

The chief brand custodian at iBrand who also doubles as a founder of the #Ondaba campaign recently had a chat with Quick Talk at the Village mall in Bugolobi.
With her glass of mango smoothie and mine of water, the interview is at Java House…

You recently relaxed your long natural hair, and now I see you have cut it off!
Yes. I relaxed it last December.

That caused quite a stir on the Natural Hair UG Facebook page!

[The Facebook forum is dedicated to natural hair die-hards and by relaxing her hair, Namutebi drew a lot of criticism.]

I know some people hold hair so dear. It takes long to grow, but for me it is a place of freedom and I like using it to alter how I look and feel. People should also understand that natural hair is not really easy to manage especially when it grows long. I am at a point where I could do anything with my hair.

What is the most bizarre thing you have done to it?

Once I put gold tint in my hair. But they hadn’t done it well so, I put black dye but it didn’t blend so well with the gold, so my hair was dark purple. For three weeks! [Quick Talk can imagine the number of women who took one look and dyed their own hair purple, thinking it was a new fad!]
 
Moving on… What do you and Antonia do for fun? [Antonia is Belinda’s adopted daughter]

[Bursts into a long bout of laughter, clearly amused.] What do Antonia and I do for fun? Oh my; we draw a lot, we play cooking in her little plastic kitchen and we also watch movies. We don’t watch so many movies, but we pick out a few and these create most of our conversations.

You guys seem to get along well. Do you ever disagree on anything?

She is a calm-spirited child. I think I have a lot of energy so, I have had to adjust accordingly. She is non-confrontational, she is easy, has no issues at all. The few times that she goes off, she is just being a child and I cut her some slack. But recently, I was telling a friend that I have not heard her wail or cry in six months. It is one of those very beautiful easy loving relationships.

Six months? You are a lucky mum! Most with kids that age [Antonia is five] have a totally different story.

Yeah and most people who have interacted with her will tell you she is a different child, but then she is a ka-five-year-old. She is happy, she plays and she listens to me. She loves me and she wants to make me happy. She does little things for me.

How do you spend your ‘me-time’?

I read a lot. I am a creative person and have come to accept the fact that, more than anything, I am creative. I live in a creative realm that requires that you are at peace. When I am not with Antonia, I am reading, writing or creating personalized gifts. And when I am not working, I rest and sleep.

Are there any crazy moments in your life?

Like I told you, I try not to entertain crazy, because it destabilizes my creative energy. The craziness will be busy. Crazy-busy. Once I had just beaten the heavy Namuwongo traffic to get home when a client I could not delegate called me to get them a gift for someone. I drove back to town to take care of that business. That to me was a bit crazy, but I mean, we all live for those business phone calls.

Have you ever bungee-jumped?

I had a chance to but I did not do it because I am not adventurous in that way. I remember while still working at Moringa Ogilvy, we got some guests from South Africa and we took a trip to Jinja. We were all given an opportunity to bungee-jump and white water raft but I did not go for it. I instead opted to raft but I still did it on a safety boat. I don’t think that is the kind of fun for me. It doesn’t get my adrenalin flowing.

So, what would get your adrenalin flowing?

A book! The last adventurous book I read was John Grisham’s Rogue Lawyer. Oh my God! [Shuts her eyes momentarily as if savouring the moment:] It was a thriller!

For me a book is so fascinating. It opens up my mind to someone else’s mind. So when I read a book, I have travelled so many miles ahead of someone who went and bungee-jumped.

Okay Belinda, who is your kind of man?   
Oooh, I like a very intelligent man. You have to get into my mind, otherwise, there won’t be any connection.

And that ring on your finger…?[Belinda is spotting a nice ring. Quick Talk assumes it is an engagement ring]
This ring [smiles while looking at it] is a ring.

I am thinking it was given to you by an “intelligent man”?
Well…uhhh…it could be…

Spill the beans!
[Laughing] No no no…that is not for your consumption.

Belinda Namutebi was born to Goretti Mutebi. She grew up in Mbuya and went to Our Lady of Africa nursery school, Gayaza Junior School and Gayaza High School. She would rather not talk about her higher education.

pbaike@yahoo.com