The Celak Story

GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT Historical Background: In early 1930s, late Muzee Eriya Kalubenge was an experienced hunter & a Christian Missionary Aide, around the now Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda & Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (the former Zaire) where he guided tourists and missionaries using signs due to language barrier, & this made him dream of a language school but was limited by resources & level of education. In 1987, Kalubenge’s son Nyakango Thembo Eri, while celebrating their senior six leavers’ party at Mweya Safari Lodge, witnessed a situation where two white tourists almost failed to go for a launch drive because the staff responsible were unable to speak English. This reminded Nyakango of his father’s stories of stranded tourists and Missionaries that made his father think of opening a language school. Nyakango picked up his father’s dream and planned to establish a language and tourism school. Muzee Eriya Kalubenge first CELAK patron, on 22nd of March 1995, during the first CELAK graduation, was memorably quoted saying in Lhukonzo; “….namatsema erighunzerera ery’ebyosi ingalhangira ekyabya kyilhotho kyikabererera. Ngayisyetha ingalhangira erithendekero ry’emibughe omo Rwenzori, ethabalho eyatsuka nibya oyuwamathandika CELAK isalyabuthwa. Ngabya ngawithe emyaka eyiringa ikumi na munani omughulhu abasungu ababya bakabulhabulirwa bakabungira omo musithu owa Virunga bakasyalebya ebisoro ibakanyisaba eribathwalha omo musithu kundi nabya muhighi w’ebisoro nyakabara. N’obuli yenga abandi basungu abaletha edini yekyikurisitayo e Zaire ibakabugha ambu nyithulire ekyinywa Kya Nyamuhanga kundi nabya inabirithoka erisoma n’erisakanga omubughe w’ekyinande n’ekyiswahili. Mubanza erinyikulya eribya futa-futa, eky’obuhanya isingasi olhufaranza. Ekyo mukyaleka inathunga ekyirengekanio ky’eritsuka erithendekero ry’emibughe. Nahabwekyo, omughuma woko baghalha bayi eritsuka erithendekero ry’emibughe hano e kasese, Kyamaberererya ekyilhotho kyaghe….” In English meaning, “…..I am glad to finally witness the development of a dream into reality. I am proud to see a language centre into existence in the Rwenzori region after a long struggle that I must say started before the ‘practical’ initiator of CELAK was born. I was around 18 years when stranded tourists visiting Virunga National park could take me for guiding for I was an experienced hunter and on Sundays Christian missionaries in Zaire could take me for preaching the word of God because I could read and write Kinande and Kiswahili. I was to be promoted to an interpreter but was limited by French. It was when I dreamt of a school special for languages. So the practical beginning of centre for learning languages Kasese by one of my sons has made my dream come true….” Nyakango shared the idea with his classmate Kule Deusi Muthabali. And in 1991 while attending a French language refresher course at Burundi University, Nyakango together with his colleague Magezi William and Dr. Victoria Bakulumpagi the course team leader, further developed his vision and decided to establish an institution of higher learning in the Rwenzori region. On 20th April 1992 at 3:00 pm, Nyakango and his wife Eudia, further shared the vision with his father Kalubenge and Mugenyi Joshua by then the Head Teacher Bwera Secondary School. Nyakango then shared the idea of establishing a charitable Non- Governmental Organisation Called “CELAK”, in full meaning “Christian Community Efforts for Liberal Access to Knowledge” which these enthusiastic members of the community resolved to make it CELAK Development Foundation , to address people’s needs in the fields of education, culture and health, for ignorance and poverty alleviation. It is under this umbrella organization that we humbly established a language centre in 1992, which would eventually develop into an institution of higher Learning. CELAK Evolution -The Dream: This great institution CELAK began as a Dream in the 1930s. It gradually developed. In 1992 the dream hatched into a Language Centre, gratitude is due to the one who dreamt, the one who conceived and all those who believed in what they had not seen, nursed the dream through generous contributions in one way or another before and after CELAK was physically established.