Drumming in Uganda

Mary Begg-Saffar (class of ’88) studied Scots Law at Edinburgh University before embarking on a career in the energy sector, but no previous position was as remarkable as her current role.

If you had asked me upon graduating in 1992 what a working day in 2022 would look like, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that a typical meeting would take place under a mango tree on the shores of Lake Albert nor that my contracts would be about issues like the protection of cultural assets or reforestation of chimpanzee corridors.

My Ugandan journey started one Friday lunchtime in the work canteen. A colleague mentioned that our Ugandan subsidiary was looking for someone to engage with local NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and to carry out a Human Rights Impact Assessment for our petroleum project there. With both my children now off to university I decided to apply.

Our project is heavily criticised in Europe because it is a new fossil fuel development, raising concerns about climate change issues. However, during the energy transition the world still needs affordable energy. Access to power underpins access to basic human rights like health, education, and opportunities to work. My challenge, along with my colleagues, is to make sure that our project is sustainable, respects the local population and brings maximum benefits to our host communities. Unlike many international NGOs, civil society in Uganda is extremely welcoming to us and whilst they challenge us to continually improve, they can see the benefits we bring.

My working time is split between the capital city in Kampala and the Lake Albert area. Every day is varied and colourful. All families who must be resettled because of the Project receive a new house with a land title in addition to resettlement support. Our aim is that livelihoods are not only restored but are improved. Almost all the affected people I meet are happy to move because of the quality of resettlement houses, they include kitchen areas, solar lamps, rainwater collection systems and for most this is the first time they have had access to water and electricity. On one visit I complimented a lady on her hair, she explained that since she no longer needs to carry water on her head (in jerry cans) from the lake, she can now braid her hair. We have given this young widow not just water but dignity and that makes me prouder than any contract I negotiated in my previous roles.

Until recently there were few tarmacked roads in the Lake Albert area, so they were cut off from the bustle of Ugandan city life. It still shocks me to see very young children (two or three years old) walking or playing right at the side of the road seemingly unaware of the dangers. Some children even sit on the road on cooler evenings because it retains heat. We have been working with an NGO to carry out community education drives and school training to teach children about road safety. It’s a far cry from the Tufty Club I remember from primary school!

As part of our biodiversity programme in the Murchinson Falls National Park, degenerated due to poaching, invasive species and lack of trained wardens, we are working with other NGO’s to reverse those trends and I hope that one of the project’s legacies will be to allow for the reintroduction of the rhinoceros, which is currently extinct in Uganda.

My husband Laurent is not with me in Uganda although he and our two grown-up children come to visit regularly. Living on my own has given me more time to devote to my new passion, drumming, which I took up seven years ago. A highlight of 2022 was a visit from Finnish band Shiraz Lane and their drummer, Anna Willman. I organised a “fusion music” workshop bringing together Finnish rock and Ugandan folk in an eclectic and joyous two days, I was glad a dared!

When I think back to my time at DHS, I always think of Irene McGrath. Not only was she my French teacher (my husband is French) but she also coerced and convinced me into doing some school debating. It pushed me way out of my comfort zone but turned out to be fun. That was the most important lesson I learnt at school – never to hold back – and so I always to throw myself into whatever adventure comes my way.