Dancing Your Dreams

Patricia, you are such a dreamer. You need to come to the real world. It ain’t Kansas anymore!!!!

Well, I could not deny it. It is true. I am a dreamer and I do not feel bad about it. AT ALL!! Dreaming has taken me places. Dreaming has opened my eyes to the immense possibilities that this world has to offer. Where indeed would I be without dreaming? Dreaming has created steps for me to dance my life in ways unimaginable so yes, it is definitely true. I am a dreamer and I love it…

In what ways have I dreamt?

I have had two dreams that have been constant for ten years. Like constant! The year starts and I am like this is my year and I am so doing this…and oh well…it’s baby steps dancing as I am learning to salsa away. I have made very many mistakes going back to the drawing board over and over again but we still dance even if it’s that awkward dance or the chicken one. The dance doesn’t make sense but we still move.

So the first was to be an author. I remember writing my first novel in a picfare book long long time ago. No, I am not telling you my age. I refuse! This year I purpose to just be young and supple..hahaha…so anyway, it has been there and I knew one day it would come to pass.

However I never ever planned for it seriously till 2021 when I was like ok, Patricia, if you are going to write this, you will need accountability so I joined Harvest Institute for a leadership program where writing a book was a must. No book, no graduation! I thought that is the pressure I want and need so yeah, I did it. I am now an author. yyiipppeee!

The second was to be a creative consultant debunking the creative economy in Africa. I guess you are wondering what that is. Creative consultants use their skills as innovators to create better products or services for their clients. Basically,, we bring the creative element to a product or project. There have been two organisations that I have always always wanted to partner with coz they are just the epitome of creativity. This year, I get to work with one of them. That is the power of dreaming.

So this year, I ain’t setting New Year’s resolutions. I am dreaming and building a foundation under the dreams. I am starting slowly with the chicken dance, maybe throw in a little hip hop and head on to the serious dance moves of salsa.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about creativity and Africa. I can talk about this over and over again. And that is why I dedicated my creative memoir to Africa. It is a creative memoir that takes people on a journey of embracing their stories. I believe Africa as a continent is taking on that very journey. Our greatest resource is our people- especially the youth overflowing with so many creative gifts and talents and when we harness the power of storytelling, we will create compelling narratives that drive action. That is my dream for Africa. Africa, The Time is Now! #RebrandingAfrica.

In writing this book with so many dreams swirling around me, I realised that the book could not just be a book. No sorree!!! This is Me Book was my dream coming true. It was me dancing my dreams literally and I wanted to use it as a platform to make other peoples dreams come true…….

…….…and thus we introduce to you the Dancing Your Dreams project…now now I know many of you are probably saying why isn’t it a foundation? Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t but for now, we have started. Part of the proceeds of the book will be going towards Dancing Your Dreams Project where we will be part of making other peoples dreams come true.

We are starting by sending an exceptional young lady to University to study Social work coz her dream is to make people and systems work better. Now, how about that? So do partner with us on this project…we will be coming with more information soon enough.

Speaking of dreams, I told you of my love for books, creativity and Africa…who would have thought that they could come together to make sense but ladies and gentlemen-here we have Koffee KaraVan- Publishing edition.

My dream dancing partner in this project is ‘British Council #SouthernAfricaArts. Koffee KaraVan-Publishing Edition is supported by the British Council Cultural Exchange programme, which supports cultural organisations, festivals, artists, and creatives between the countries of SSA and the UK to create art, build networks, collaborate and develop markets and share artists’ work with audiences. Now really, don’t dreams come true?

People in Africa do not read or write. In fact, if you want to hide something from an Africa,put it in a book

This is the stereotypical narrative that has been going on for ages. I am so sure you have heard it somewhere. Whilst to some extent on a surface level, it does look like this could be true however once you dig a bit deeper, a whole lot is revealed about the publishing industry in Uganda and Africa. This is the untold story that the Koffee KaraVan wants to tell.

Koffee KaraVan is a digital multimedia project that seeks to rebrand the creative economy as a model for sustainable development. In this particular research, we will highlight the creatives – writers, publishers, editors, book cover designers and all in this industry who are using their creativity to change that stereotypical narrative.

Just like a caravan of ancient times, Koffee KaraVan will tour the streets of Uganda online and offline scouring for creatives- both individuals and brands in the publishing industry to understand what measures can be put in place to develop the industry.

So folks, stay tuned. Many exciting things are coming up and if you would like to be part of dancing in this project, just click the link and show your dance moves. hahah!

It’s not too late to wish you a happy new year!! So Happy New Year!! And cheers to dancing your dreams this 2022.