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I ARRIVED IN Ireland 11 years ago as a teenager. Being an orphan in Uganda, I was faced with a lot of challenges and I had a difficult life growing up, but when I moved to Ireland my life changed. I felt safe.
Living, studying and working in the Irish community has taught me that everyone has a story, I used to think that I was the only one facing hardships but I have come to realise that we are all in this journey of life together whether from different class, race or backgrounds.
In 2004, I met the most amazing people, Philip and Lydia, who are now more than friends, they’re like my brother and sister. A choir was formed as part of the Discovery project in a small church on George’s Street and St Thomas Church on Cathal Brugha Street in Dublin, mainly focusing on Gospel music. The Discovery Gospel Choir was born and I am proud to be a founding member of Ireland’s first intercultural choir.
Back then, I was very shy and had no musical training but if someone gave me a microphone, I would just sing my heart out. I made friends with people who came from different backgrounds and cultures and it was very inspiring learning songs from different languages, rhythms, and styles.
I am now a mother to a beautiful four-year-old child; I am a singer and a teacher; I facilitate education workshops and cultural integration through music and traditional Ugandan dance. I have performed with various artists providing backing vocals including: a concert to mark Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland; with Foy Vance on ‘The Late, Late Show’; Dublin African Film Festival; Samantha Mumba on RTE; and with Sinéad O’Connor at the Meteor Ireland Awards.
Last year, in January 2013, I had the opportunity to launch my own singles, My African Dream and Life, recorded and produced in Kampala, Uganda, by Paddy Man from Audio One Studio. Since then, I have performed for developmental and charity organisations such as AFRI (Action from Ireland), Trócaire, Wezesha, and Akidwa. I was also recently honoured with a community service award by the Africa World Award ceremony.
I have had a very good experience living in Ireland because of the people I have met – I wouldn’t be the Justine that people know today without those people. Arriving here in Ireland, I was a vulnerable young girl and I’m forever grateful to have the most patient, loving and generous friends I met when I just arrived. I call them my ‘’first loves’’.
I look forward to performing on the ‘Kwassa Kwassa’ main stage at Africa Day’s flagship event in Dublin on Sunday 25th May. My songs ‘African Dream’ and ‘Life’ are available to listen on YouTube and for purchase on bandcamp.com.
Justine Nantale is a singer and teacher.
Africa Day celebrations, supported by Irish Aid, are taking place nationwide this week and the national Africa Day flagship family festival takes place in Farmleigh Estate, Phoenix Park, Dublin 15, on Sunday 25 May from 11am to 6pm and is free of charge. Follow Africa Day on Facebook and Twitter @AfricaDay #AfricaDay. For more information visit www.africaday.ie.
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I wish you continued success and happiness Justine.
Glad to have you here Justine, thank you for your positive contribution to Ireland. Enjoy Africa Day !
Thanks for sharing. Your story is brilliant and a testament to those who believe that Irish generosity is not without rewards.
You’ve positively added to the Irish community and expanded the Irish culture.
Well done!
You are right Marlon , Justine’s story is wonderful , what it has in common with the other stories by Africans in the Journal recently is the beginning , the introduction , the part where they tell us why the favoured Ireland over the countries bordering their own , how they managed to get here ? Plane , train or automobile , how does an orphan child get from Uganda to Ireland ?, but of course this part is missing we don’t know why or how , when the fist wave of Asylum seekers arrived about 15 yrs ago I had a heated discussion with a pal who believed that these were mostly chancers , being a liberal lefty at the time I completely disagreed believing that these people were fleeing oppression etc , I am afraid after seeing what has been going on since then he was right , we have been and continue to allow ourselves to be taken for a ride ,Justine may well be an addition to Ireland but having thousands of people enjoying a social welfare system that they haven’t contributed towards is madness
Your post is meaningless without statistics. And even then it’s probably more meaningless. When there are so many people who have attitudes like you don’t you think it may make ever so slightly more difficult for job seekers born outside this country to find employment? I don’t consider myself a liberal lefty but it’s quite evident that ‘immigrants’ don’t have the same opportunities that ‘Irish’ have.
There are plenty more ‘Irish’ taking advantage of the welfare system than ‘non-Irish’. In the US immigrants contribute more in terms of net tax revenue than those born there. There are of course differences between the immigration policies of here and there but attitudes similar to yours still persist in the States supported by hearsay and prejudice.
Mike I agree with Johnny. There are so many positives to think about regarding people like Justine. Yes there will be some chancers in any group but those that are in need probably out weigh the chancers.
From my own experiences in America, people who are given asylum and become citizens of the country are more likely to show their appreciation by becoming productive and law abiding.
Furthermore, all countries who take in asylum seekers have issues with people who should not be here… This is the reason why each case is reviewed. Those who do not measure up are returned and those who qualify are given a hand up not a hand out. A hand up until they can embrace the new culture and social norms of Ireland and make a positive contribution.
Marlon I agree with a lot you say , re making a positive contribution I know many immigrants who do just that , the point my pal was making that many of the asylum seekers are not genuine , we know how poor many parts of Africa are but a great many fly into European airports and having done their research know where to go , Jonny will not want to accept this evidence or not , I was of like mind but maybe age has added to my cynicism, we are in an economic nightmare without work for our own and yet Jonny is worried about immigrants , I have to confess if it comes to jobs for my children or immigrants the immigrants will have to wait .
Hard to change my mind when you’re offering nothing to change it. You’re welcome to patronise me but don’t use it as an excuse for your lack of information.
Jonny I believe you are right ,I found my rose tinted glasses and I can now see clearly , everything is wonderful in the garden , all the problems associated with mass immigration which every other European country have will not be visited upon us , so what if hundreds of thousands are unemployed , we need more people to increase the “diversity ” of our population , and I am sure you would agree a lot of our own would not work to save themselves , isn’t life grand ?
So the cause of Ireland’s problems is immigration is it? Because unless that’s your point once again you’re just posting vacuous nonsense.
Now Jonny both of us know I said no such thing , deal with reality, its what you will be faced with throughout your life .
Can you point me to where you’ve made any constructive points and not just vague, fear-mongering, ignorant, floundering nonsense? Seriously.
Now Jonny you know name calling isn’t the way to go , I believe that our little country cannot absorb any more immigrants , you may not know this but we have hundreds of thousands of people without employment , the chances that this figure can be reduced by any meaningful number is doubtful , whatever government we have will not create jobs for those who want them , without more name calling can you tell me how this can be solved ?
Lovely story. Thanks for sharing. I like your music.
Delighted to have you here Justine, hope you have many more years of happiness with us.
Enjoyed your music, hopefully the weather will clear for tomorrow. I get the gist of African Dream, but can anyone translate the African lyrics of either song or even give the general meaning of them and what language are they sung in?
Ok, we’re back to “colourful and vibrant” again.
At the risk of sounding cynical, could we hear from someone who doesn’t work in the ‘multicultural’ industry, for some NGO, or in the “social justice” game? The guy on Thursday was a welcome relief, but it would be nice to hear about someone who came over to Ireland, got a normal job and just got on with things without explaining how awful life in Africa was, followed by how much they love to celebrate being African.
And yes, it’s similarly annoying to see Irish people move abroad and spend their time doing Irish cultural stuff, like moving to somewhere like Alberta with a labour shortage, and then teaching Irish dancing there.
The reason for the annoyance is this: There are thousands of people from Africa in Ireland who have jobs or businesses and contribute positively to Irish life. We had an economic boom that created a huge need for labour, so it would be nice to hear about someone from Africa who came and did one of those jobs, rather than came and made a job for themselves doing some cultural activity.
Sure, reading about someone who works as a carer, or in a restaurant, is not glamorous but part of the reason there is racism in Ireland towards Africans is the perception that they do little except reproduce. If Africa Day is about anything, it should be about challenging false perceptions, and to that end I’d like to hear about the challenges of those who moved to Ireland to do mundane jobs have to say. Bring on the red thumbs..
You make some good points but I quite like hearing someone say something nice about the country, for a change. Nth only native a Irish who ever speak up are the this-country-is-a-disgrace-Joe crowd
I wish I knew of your choir when I was living in Dublin in 2012. Congratulations on your joy for Ireland. I hope it is contagious. Respect.
Best of luck to all those involved in Africa day. I feel sad and ashamed when some of my fellow Irish people make such ill informed and basically racist comments. I don’t work in the social justice industry. I meet people who came to live In Ireland for all sorts of reasons through my job every day. Most people just want to live decent lives provide for their families and make a good life for themselves. For the life of me I can’t understand why some people resent that.
Well done Justina.
I’ll be there tomorrow in the Phoenix park. Africa Day is a fantastic day. Come, bring your families. It’s a really great experience, we love it.
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