The Radio Vagabond Palle Bo

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Join me in this episode, where I’m in Dakar, Senegal in the westernmost part of mainland Africa.
This one was first released in February 2019.

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Join me in this episode, where I’m arriving in Japan.
This one was first released in September 2017.

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Join me in this episode, where I’m at my first Pride and have a conversation with a trans woman.
This one was first released in September 2018.

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I do something I’m not proud of. Have a listen to what that is all about. 
This one was first released in February 2018.

Anything but First World Problems
There's nothing good to watch on TV. I can't decide what to order from the extensive menu at this restaurant. I have too many clothes and not enough closet space. The barista at my coffee shop spelled my name wrong on my cup. My phone is too big to fit comfortably in my pocket. Oh no… My phone battery is dying, and I forgot my charger. I can't find my favourite flavour of sparkling water at the grocery store. Do these problems seem familiar to you? These are first-world problems, and I’m just as guilty of having them: I’ve been frustrated when my phone was dying, and I’d forgotten my power bank at an Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta. And you’ve heard me complain about Starbucks getting my name wrong on an overcharged cup of tall Americano.
In this episode, we’re going to be dealing with other problems, like:
“Should we give our 13-year-old baby girl away to be married to an older man, or should we keep her here and risk that she will be abducted and turned into a sex slave.”
That’s the kinda stuff we’ll be dealing with in this episode, as Susan Laker will tell her life story.
WARNING
It’s also a story that will be hard to listen to. It’s heartbreaking, and with so many graphic details, that will not be suitable for children. At the same time, I feel this might be the most important episode of The Radio Vagabond that I’ve done up until now. 
My name is Palle Bo. Welcome back to the third and final part of my miniseries from the Acholi Quarter in Kampala, Uganda.
INTRO
I hope you have had a chance to listen to the first two episodes from The Acholi Quarter in Uganda, where Susan Laker, a small but mighty woman in her late 30s, took us around. She’s the co-founder and leader of 22STARS Foundation’s work here, always helping children and families in need with a big smile.
But let me tell you, her journey wasn't always a straight path. This tale is a wild one, full of crazy twists and turns. It could be a movie, maybe something like The Color Purple, set in Uganda.
CHILD BRIDE
Her parent gave her away to be married when she was just a child. She was angry at her parents when this happened and didn’t understand why. 
“I was 13 years old when I was force into early marriage by my parents.”
Most of us would say that there is nothing that would justify that. But her parents had a good reason.
“By that time, I didn't know the reason. I was just mad but later on, you realize they did that to protect me from being abducted from the LRA Rebels.”
LRA REBELS
The LRA Rebels, or “The Lord's Resistance Army,” was a rebel group operated in Uganda and other Central African countries, started by Joseph Kony in 1987.
The LRA would typically attack villages at night, using guns, machetes, and other weapons. They would kill or maim those who resisted, burn down homes, and loot property. They would then abduct children.
They used to abduct children, even babies, from their mothers and were forced to march long distances to LRA bases deep in the bush. And were then subjected to brutal initiation rituals, during which they were beaten, sometimes with their peers, and forced to kill other children or adults.
The abducted children were then trained as soldiers and used to attack civilians, other rebel groups, and government forces, using guns, sticks, and pangas – large, heavy, machete-like knives. The LRA's tactics of abducting children were particularly savage and brutal. The children were forced to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves.
The group often targeted vulnerable communities, including schools and churches, and used violence and intimidation to abduct children. And then, the children were subjected to intense physical and psychological abuse.
They used violent initiation ceremonies to break the children's spirits and force them to commit atrocities. The children were often forced to kill or maim their own families or fellow abductees

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I go to my first baseball game ever – and witness a Major League homerun.
This one was first released in December 2017.