Last year while photographing the Ugandan Matyr’s Day celebration in Boston, I saw her: a little Ugandan girl in a red gomesi curiously staring at me.
Or maybe I was the one staring.
Looking at her, I saw myself, quiet, shy, reserved but always observing the life around her. I wanted to tell her so many things: that she looked absolutely beautiful in her red gomesi, midnight flower headband and her creamy dark brown skin was to be celebrated. I wanted to tell her to dream big and never stop dreaming, to risk when it was hard or scary, to respect your parents and spend time understanding who they are and were as children, to dance uninhibited every. single. time because life is worth celebrating, to know God and listen for His whispers and to cherish her friendships.
Instead, I took this photo of her right before she ran off to be with her friends.
She looks like a Little Ugandan Mona Lisa in a red gomesi.
