The inspiration for this musical

Akampene Island, Lake Bunyonyi, commonly called Punishment Island

In remote Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda, girls who were getting pregnant before marriage were abandoned on the tiny island of Akampene, commonly known as Punishment Island. Here, most died, but some were saved by men in search of ‘free’ brides. I visited the island last fall (2012) on a school excursion with Year 8 students. Of all the activities planned for the four-day stay in the area, it was this ‘story’ which ignited a response from the students, providing inspiration for several very powerful fictional narratives and poems. On return to Kampala, and further research, I came across the work of Laura Cini, an Italian film-maker, who went to the area last year to look for survivors. The mission was successful and she has embarked on a feature documentary to raise public awareness of the story. For more on this, please visit: http://www.ulule.com/punishmentisland

Here are some pics from my visit to Lake Bunyonyi last September (2012):

These pictures speak for themselves

We had a chance to visit some local school children and spend some time with them

A local village boy is intrigued by the city children who are engaged in making crafts, helped by the village women

Some local children wanted to taste the snacks that my students were eating. (Chips, of course!)