Exiled activist and scholar Dr. Stella Nyanzi has marked her 52nd birthday with a deeply personal reflection on life in exile, family togetherness, and her plans to step back from public engagement to focus on unfinished work accumulated over the years.
In a social media statement, Nyanzi said she celebrated the day in the company of her children, who travelled over the weekend to be with her.
“I am turning 52 years old. Although I am living in exile as a refugee, my children are here with me. They travelled over the weekend so that they could celebrate my birthday with me. Just being with my children IS my best birthday gift,” she said.
She added that the family deliberately ensured she had time to rest, noting that she had been visibly exhausted in recent days.
“This year, the children insisted that I sleep much longer because I look visibly tired. They fussed over me,” Nyanzi said.
Nyanzi described how her children took charge of preparing the birthday meal, each playing a specific role in what she termed a coordinated family effort.
“They jointly shopped and cooked the delicious meal we shared. One twin son baked the carrot cake, peeled the matooke and cassava, and cooked the ground nut sauce,” she said.
She further detailed the preparation process, highlighting the range of dishes made during the celebration.
“Another twin son grilled the muchomo, fried some chicken stew, made the chapatis and put together two salads. And my daughter cooked the rice, made the cocktails and wrapped the thoughtful birthday gifts,” she added.
The scholar also expressed appreciation to friends and supporters who sent video messages and birthday wishes from different parts of the world.
“I am grateful to my family and friends who sent me videos with kind messages. Thank you for remembering my birthday, even when we are far apart. Watching these videos is among the highlights of my birthday,” she said.
Beyond the celebrations, Nyanzi used the occasion to outline what she described as a shift in focus for the coming year, saying she intends to reduce her public and online presence.
“My resolution for the next 365 days is to lock-in so that I complete multiple unfinished projects I started in the past five years or more,” she said.
She added that her current workload had become difficult to manage alongside public engagement.
“Juggling long lists of pending work is no longer sustainable. Locking-in necessitates reducing my circulation both in public and online,” Nyanzi said.
She expressed hope that the period of withdrawal would help her regain balance and return in better health and productivity.