Caught between the politics of the time, sour grapes, raw envy, sheer hatred, bitterness and vindictive ness, Solomon Kampala has been forced to carry a load so heavy – the weight of Jesus’ cross was seemingly light. He was God.
At 16, Solomon is just a boy. A child. Someone’s child. His sin; the identity of his parents. How a priest; in charge of thousands of students, became the chief protagonist in a plot to destroy this child will forever remain a mystery. Even animals have a choice.
Every real man’s weakness – if they are man at all, is their child. But the child, is also every real man’s strength. We have an animalistic instinct to protect, live for and even die for our children. Who ever participated in the persecution, demonising and crucifixion of Solomon must take a long hard look at themselves. Are they human? Do they have a heart? Do they have a right to be anywhere close to children?
I have followed the Solomon story with a lump in my throat. Politics is a game of thorns but roses grow in a bed of thorns. It must therefore never be used as an excuse to dehumanise anyone, little else as a channel to carry out personal vendetta. The accusations against Solomon have politics written all over them as expected but the schemers and conniving individuals appear to have mis-read the script. In war, it’s tantamount to using children as a human shield.
This is not about what Solomon did or didn’t do. Any parent would die for their child anyway. It’s about where the human soul has gone. The savagery displayed in dealing with Solomon speaks volumes. Am on the side of parents standing up for their children in all circumstances, their right or wrong notwithstanding. Clearly, the school or teachers will not stand up for your child, neither will your neighbours or village mates. Children never forget the moments when it’s just their parent they can trust or run to for refuge when the world turns against them. It doesn’t matter who believes in your child – believe in them. It’s you that matters. Money and fame don’t buy a bond between child and parent.
This smile in these pictures is for the ages. Timeless. A son during those special little moments with either mum or dad. How could any parent not fight for that? How couldn’t a father strip himself of his titles and go into the gutters if he has to, in order to defend and fight for the dignity of his child?
No child chooses their parent and similarly, no parent chooses their child. Solomon didn’t choose to be his father’s son. Why make him pay the high price for his destiny? And for the hypocrites who have jumped on Solomon’s alleged mis-demeanour as though unaware that every child has their skeletons in the closet, I pray that you never have to go through what Solomon’s parents have. That is usually the moment of truth. They are the moments that define a true parent or else you are just a vessel.
I am no vessel and challenge the rest of you to stop being mere vessels for your children. Stand up for your children coz the world will not and you can’t be on both sides. Be on the side of your children. Always. That’s parenthood.
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