Jamada Exploring the Wonders of Washington D.C.
“As the 18th best oralist, Jamada was the only African participant in the top 20 oralists. To make it more exciting, it had been almost 15 years since an African participant had ranked that high.
This was exceptional growth, from a young boy debating and dancing salsa with his peers at the Action in Africa center 10 years ago, to a global top law student.”
After years of being an integral part of the Action in Africa community in Nakuwadde, Kalinda Jamada Musa became our communication contractor in 2023 and started writing posts like this and this. Meanwhile, he’s been studying law at Makerere University.
This year, he represented Makerere Law School of Uganda at the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC. A moot court is a simulated court proceeding that provides a realistic and interactive learning experience for law students, where participants take on the roles of lawyers and judges to argue and decide on a hypothetical legal case. He shared his experience participating in this competition with me.
During the moot court, they took up a hypothetical case “The Case of the Sterren Forty” before the International Court of Justice, which raised legal questions of Nationality, the UN Security Council, and the right to consular assistance. Jamada said he felt so happy and relieved when his team won the national rounds and was set to represent Uganda at the International rounds of the moot court competition in Washington. They had spent over three months preparing for the national rounds so it was nerve-racking when the team that would go to Washington was announced. But fortunately, his team had managed to defeat all other law schools in Uganda.
It took him approximately 18 hours to travel to Washington DC. He spent 10 days there but he had the experience of a lifetime. The most exciting moment was when he received the award of being the 18th best Oralist, a fulfilling moment for all the hard work he had put into preparing for the competition. As the 18th best oralist, Jamada was the only African participant in the top 20 oralists. To make it more exciting, it had been almost 15 years since an African participant had ranked that high. This was exceptional growth, from a young boy debating and dancing salsa with his peers at the Action in Africa center 10 years ago, to a global top law student.
Jamada was also very excited to have met Julie’s mom. Julie Tripp is the head of the communication team at Action in Africa based in the USA and she connected Jamada to her mom who stays in Washington DC. This is among his best moments because he got to meet someone so kind and helpful. She took him and his team for a tour of famous places in Washington DC like the White House, Lincoln Memorial, and Capital Hill. He got to see DC for its architectural and historic wonders. Jamada also got to visit the bustling New York City, a place he said had always been his dream destination. (Play Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys)
Jamada has big dreams for the future, and his main one is to make a great impact on his community as well as his country, Uganda, by improving the lives of people. This he hopes to do by improving the economic system of his country and making sure that all the young people can realize their full potential. He expects this impact to create a better world for each and everyone because all people will have more opportunities. He also dreams of working in the World Bank to finance social services like education and health, which are major challenges in his community.
