Two Students. Two Stories. One Generation Refusing the Colonial Mindset.

What does leadership look like when it grows out of adversity rather than privilege? And what happens when young people begin to question not only their personal circumstances, but the systems that shaped them?

In this episode of the Debunking Notions podcast, we meet two remarkable students from Muni University in northwestern Uganda: Anitah Samalie Namudumba (22) and Daniel Etumu (28). Different backgrounds, different studies, but a shared determination to think independently and to challenge the narratives they were taught.

Anitah is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. Born with kyphosis, a spinal condition caused by complications in the womb, she grew up confronting both physical barriers and deep-rooted prejudice. One of her teachers believed that a physical disability automatically meant intellectual limitation. That moment became fuel. Her turning point came when she fully accepted who she is and realized she has something to offer the world. Today, she feels recognized and valued at Muni University, and she speaks with confidence about her future in the ICT sector. Her message is simple and powerful: “Just wait for me.”

Daniel studies Biology and Sports Science and was raised by his grandmother after his parents separated before he was born. Growing up without knowing his father, he faced stigma and exclusion, both at school and in his community. His grandmother became his anchor and his motivation. “I owe her my life,” he says. Daniel’s ambition carried him far beyond expectations: he won the UBORA Biomedical Engineering Innovation Competition as the best student in East Africa, earning a scholarship to study medical innovation in Italy, where he worked on technologies such as medical robots, a digital otoscope, and a smart bra for early breast cancer detection.

Together, Anitah and Daniel deliver a sharp critique of Uganda’s education system. They question an approach that still echoes colonial thinking. One that rewards obedience over curiosity, memorization over critical thought, and foreign knowledge over local realities. Why learn about the Mississippi River, they ask, while knowing so little about Uganda’s own cultures and histories? Why is questioning authority discouraged, and why are students not taught to see themselves as problem-solvers?

Their critique goes beyond education. It touches on one of the most persistent stereotypes addressed by Debunking Notions: the idea that Uganda, and Africa more broadly, is primarily a recipient of solutions, aid, and ideas from elsewhere. “What kills Africa,” Daniel says, “is that we don’t think.” Comfort with the status quo, he argues, is more dangerous than poverty.

This conversation is about urgency, agency, and mindset change. About a generation that refuses to wait for permission to lead and that insists development must start from within.

Listen to the full conversation with Anitah and Daniel here:

In this new episode of Debunking Notions, we travel to Arua, in the far northwest of Uganda, where Muni University is doing more than teaching. It is redefining what knowledge and innovation can mean for Africa. At the heart of this transformation stands Professor Robert Kajobe, a leading agricultural scientist, tropical beekeeping expert, and former director of Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). After years in national leadership, he returned home to West Nile, driven by one goal: to strengthen knowledge production from within Africa itself.

In conversation with Cissy Nalumansi, Professor Kajobe reflects on his studies in the Netherlands, the lessons he carried back home, and his deep passion for tropical beekeeping. But the discussion goes far beyond bees and honey. Kajobe raises critical questions about power, equality, and ownership in global research. Why are African scientists so often treated as supporting partners rather than equal collaborators? Why is Western knowledge still viewed as inherently superior? And how can African institutions reclaim their role in shaping global understanding? From the role of local languages in education to the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge, Kajobe argues that Africa’s scientific future is not just about data or technology: it’s about identity, pride, and agency.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about how Muni University empowers its students to conduct their own research, why knowledge must serve communities first, and how, as Professor Kajobe reminds us, “the real revolution is not happening in the lab: it’s happening in the mindset.”

He has a Turkish father and a Dutch mother, and works as a Senior Coalition Builder at the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP). The NFP helps people and organizations collaborate to create more inclusive food systems, generate new ideas, and find solutions to major challenges.

In the second episode of Debunking Notions, reshaping mindsets, Cissy Nalumansi speaks with Ibrahim Palaz.

When he did an internship in Tanzania in 2007, Palaz thought his Turkish background would give him an advantage — that he would be seen as one of the boys. But things turned out differently. “When I told the first taxi driver I met that my father was Turkish, he looked at me puzzled and said: ‘You’re white, man — really white.’”

Palaz believes that both Western and African knowledge are essential to build inclusive food systems, but he also sees a clear shift taking place. “We need all parties to co-create solutions together. For a long time, we mainly exported knowledge developed in the Netherlands — knowledge that helped us become a world leader in agriculture. But now we see a growing movement towards more sustainable farming. Interestingly, the discussion around this is often much more advanced in Africa than in the Netherlands. That’s partly because the effects of the climate crisis are felt more strongly there, which in turn drives innovation. In the field of agroecology, for example, we can learn a great deal from African countries.”

On October 16, NFP will once again host its annual World Food Day Event. Click here for more information: