The Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest from Uganda and a former Brown Foundation Fellow at the University, will be speaking in two venues this week.
On Sunday, Oct. 26, he will be the preacher at the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services in All Saints’ Chapel.
At 4:30 p.m., on Monday, Oct. 27, there will be a panel discussion of “Ugandan Stories: Faculty and Student Experiences in Kampala, 2014.” This will be in Convocation Hall.
Sewanee students and faculty who worked in Uganda with the Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation during summer 2014 will discuss their experiences. Canon Gideon will also answer any questions about student internship opportunities with his organization during summer 2015.
In 1992, Byamugisha became the first religious leader in Africa to state publicly that he had tested positive for HIV. In 2000 he helped found the Africa Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS and is currently the executive director of the Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation (FOCAGIFO), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS and reducing stigma and shame related to this disease.
In 2009, Byamugisha received the 26th annual Niwano Peace Prize “in recognition of his work to uphold the dignity and human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.” In 2012, he received the Cross of St. Augustine from the Archbishop of Canterbury for his distinguished service in the Anglican Communion. This month, he was one of the keynote speakers at the Thistle Farms National Conference in Nashville.
For more information about Canon Gideon and his work go to <www.focagifo.org/>.
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