‘an afternoon with…’ Akram
“
My name is Akram, I’m 17 years old.
My father was a boxer, and my mother was also a boxer.
My parents live in Sweden. I live here in Uganda with my friend. I have siblings,
they live in this country but on the other side.
in Kasubi, do you know Kasubi? It’s far! They live with my stepmother.
My mother brought me to this boxing club (East Coast Boxing Club) when I was 15.
I’ve been boxing since I was 12.
5 years in boxing!
I want to be a champion! I want my family to be proud of me.
I want to make my sisters and brothers proud.
I want to become a champion; I want to be in the Olympics.
I want to leave this country with money.
I want to go to any country like the USA, Sweden.
But right now, I don’t have money. It’s tough.
I’m not in school, but I have a profession. I’m a barber!
I want to be a champion, that’s why I come here every day. Every day, yeah.
I want to tell myself one day “Akram, you’re the champion, do you know that?!”
I want to be a champion! I want my family to be proud of me.
I want to make my sisters and brothers proud.
I want to become a champion; I want to be in the Olympics.
I want to leave this country with money.
I want to go to any country like the USA, Sweden.
But right now, I don’t have money. It’s tough.
I’m not in school, but I have a profession. I’m a barber!
I want to be a champion, that’s why I come here every day. Every day, yeah.
I want to tell myself one day “Akram, you’re the champion, do you know that?!”
Coach David and the other coaches love me because I got talent.
They told me “You got talent, don’t play on your talent”.
I say okay, “I’ll make sure, I promise you, I’m going to be a champion.
Not today, not tomorrow, but in time I’m gonna be a champion”.
...Give up? No never,
but there has been one time I was like, I was angry. I came to the club,
for example like today I haven’t eaten anything, and I go back home,
there’s nothing to eat, I said, “my God, what the F is going on?”
But then my heart said, “Don’t give up” and I said “okay, it’s okay”
I know I will eat food again anytime, any day.
There are some days I go without food.
But I know one day I’m going to be a champion.
I’m going to try my best to be a champion. That’s why I want to leave this country,
but right now I don’t have a passport. Man, life is hard.
I want to help my friends, my family.
That's my dream.
When I’m not in the gym I stay home, sleep, get up and come back to the gym.
Every day, every morning. In the evening, I go for a road run.
For example from here I go to Makerere (around 7km).
It’s far, very far.
...I want to make my life better. I want to be the boy, you know, the boy!
I’m ready, right now, I’m ready, I will do whatever it takes to become a champion.
Maybe not today, not tomorrow, not next year, but I promise you,
I’m going to be a champion.
“
