The Semyanos have shared 50 Valentines
Feb 13, 2006
FIFTY years in marriage and both of us are still alive! We must thank God for our lives.†That is the tale of David Semyano and Ruth Namakula, who on December 9, 2005, celebrated 50 years in marriage.
By Paul Kiwuuwa
FIFTY years in marriage and both of us are still alive! We must thank God for our lives.†That is the tale of David Semyano and Ruth Namakula, who on December 9, 2005, celebrated 50 years in marriage.
The Semyanos say age is a matter of years, but love is a gift from God.
Semyano says, when he met Namakula, dating girls was non existent.
“Parents played a part in choosing partners for their children unlike today where couples tie knots independently,†he says.
David says he respects January 9 because it is his birthday and coincides with his wedding day.
“I was born on January 9, 1921 and tied the knot with Ruth on January 9, 1949,†David says.
David and Ruth were joined in holy matrimony at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe by Canon Hopickins. Semyano was 28 and Namakula was 17. They hosted their guests to a reception at Mengo Primary School.
“It was a memorable occasion. We served 400 guests with buttered bread, cakes and milk tea,†Namakula recalls.
“My wedding suit cost sh27 and Ruth’s gown cost sh30. We had no changing dresses then,†Semyano, 86, adds.
Bishop Balagadde Ssekkadde of Namirembe Diocese, who presided over their golden jubilee celebrations, praised the couple for keeping the vows they made 50 years ago.
“It is a memorable occasion because few couples mark 50 years in marriage; some die, others separate, while others may be widowed,†Ssekadde says.
At the Semyanos residence at Bunnamwaya, Ngobe, two miles off Masaka Road in Wakiso district, there are sets of black and white framed pictures in the sitting room. In one of the pictures, David poses with the manager of the Mascots Band, the late Elly Wamala, and George Kakoma, the composer of Uganda the National Anthem.
The five-roomed house, though built in 1960, has a good exterior of gray roughcast finishing.
David recalls that as a youth, he used to respect women and always feared to befriend them.
“I had an inferiority complex and feared to confront any person more intelligent than me. I respected women including my sisters and found it difficult to befriend girls,†David says.
“When I cited Ruth, my elder sister, Yayeri Nanziri, who was Ruth’s workmate at a government hospital in Masaka, recommended me to her family. At 16, she was a beauty, who had a charming smile and did not reject my proposal to marry her,†David adds.
Semyano was a talented musician, who headed Namirembe Church of Uganda choir, while training for the teaching career at Bishop Tucker College, Mukono. He says the notable people he taught include the late Elly Wamala of the Mascots Band and Steven Kavuma, who was recently appointed judge in the Constitutional Court.
Ruth says marriage should be built on trust, citing Mathew 5: 31– 32 in the Bible.
The Semyanos attribute the high rate of divorce today to mistrust. They say introduction ceremonies have lost meaning because they are just a show off.
“David paid (Omutwaalo) bride price of sh150 and only three people accompanied him to our home. However, today, a convoy of expensive limousines with a trail of goods is a sign of prestige at introduction ceremonies yet marriages do not last,†Ruth says.
David is now a wrinkled grandpa, who complains of stroke ailments, but still walks upright. At 73, Ruth is tall, with short dark hair. She speaks softly, and her face has wrinkles too.
Although the 50 years have had their toll, the Semyanos look healthy and energetic. They have had their share of ups and downs, which they have managed to wriggle through.
They say, tolerance, mutual respect for each other, trust and patience are the solutions to a long lasting marriage.
“We solve our disputes in the bedroom unlike today where couples fight in public,†Ruth says.
David, who retired in 1972, after 30 years’ service, says he taught in various schools including Namirembe Primary School, Mackay Memorial School Nateete, Bunnamwaya Church of Uganda and Sseguku.
David attended Namirembe Primary School, Mengo Secondary School and completed Junior Nine in 1939.
In 1941, he went for a teacher’s training course at Bishop Tucker. Ruth attended Kiwayizi Primary School in Masaka. Upon completion of Junior Secondary Education, she joined Masaka government hospital, where she trained as a nurse in 1947.
“I also trained in child healthcare, family planning and home economics,†she says.
The couple is blessed with five children. Rose Ndagire, a midwife at Entebbe Grade B hospital, Paul Kasozi, an assistant health inspector of technical schools, Dan Byakeesa, an employee with Uganda Red Cross, Peter Semyano, who is self-employed and Harriet Kakweera, a house-wife.
The Semyanos earn a living on subsistence farming and gratuity from the Government.
FIFTY years in marriage and both of us are still alive! We must thank God for our lives.†That is the tale of David Semyano and Ruth Namakula, who on December 9, 2005, celebrated 50 years in marriage.
The Semyanos say age is a matter of years, but love is a gift from God.
Semyano says, when he met Namakula, dating girls was non existent.
“Parents played a part in choosing partners for their children unlike today where couples tie knots independently,†he says.
David says he respects January 9 because it is his birthday and coincides with his wedding day.
“I was born on January 9, 1921 and tied the knot with Ruth on January 9, 1949,†David says.
David and Ruth were joined in holy matrimony at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe by Canon Hopickins. Semyano was 28 and Namakula was 17. They hosted their guests to a reception at Mengo Primary School.
“It was a memorable occasion. We served 400 guests with buttered bread, cakes and milk tea,†Namakula recalls.
“My wedding suit cost sh27 and Ruth’s gown cost sh30. We had no changing dresses then,†Semyano, 86, adds.
Bishop Balagadde Ssekkadde of Namirembe Diocese, who presided over their golden jubilee celebrations, praised the couple for keeping the vows they made 50 years ago.
“It is a memorable occasion because few couples mark 50 years in marriage; some die, others separate, while others may be widowed,†Ssekadde says.
At the Semyanos residence at Bunnamwaya, Ngobe, two miles off Masaka Road in Wakiso district, there are sets of black and white framed pictures in the sitting room. In one of the pictures, David poses with the manager of the Mascots Band, the late Elly Wamala, and George Kakoma, the composer of Uganda the National Anthem.
The five-roomed house, though built in 1960, has a good exterior of gray roughcast finishing.
David recalls that as a youth, he used to respect women and always feared to befriend them.
“I had an inferiority complex and feared to confront any person more intelligent than me. I respected women including my sisters and found it difficult to befriend girls,†David says.
“When I cited Ruth, my elder sister, Yayeri Nanziri, who was Ruth’s workmate at a government hospital in Masaka, recommended me to her family. At 16, she was a beauty, who had a charming smile and did not reject my proposal to marry her,†David adds.
Semyano was a talented musician, who headed Namirembe Church of Uganda choir, while training for the teaching career at Bishop Tucker College, Mukono. He says the notable people he taught include the late Elly Wamala of the Mascots Band and Steven Kavuma, who was recently appointed judge in the Constitutional Court.
Ruth says marriage should be built on trust, citing Mathew 5: 31– 32 in the Bible.
The Semyanos attribute the high rate of divorce today to mistrust. They say introduction ceremonies have lost meaning because they are just a show off.
“David paid (Omutwaalo) bride price of sh150 and only three people accompanied him to our home. However, today, a convoy of expensive limousines with a trail of goods is a sign of prestige at introduction ceremonies yet marriages do not last,†Ruth says.
David is now a wrinkled grandpa, who complains of stroke ailments, but still walks upright. At 73, Ruth is tall, with short dark hair. She speaks softly, and her face has wrinkles too.
Although the 50 years have had their toll, the Semyanos look healthy and energetic. They have had their share of ups and downs, which they have managed to wriggle through.
They say, tolerance, mutual respect for each other, trust and patience are the solutions to a long lasting marriage.
“We solve our disputes in the bedroom unlike today where couples fight in public,†Ruth says.
David, who retired in 1972, after 30 years’ service, says he taught in various schools including Namirembe Primary School, Mackay Memorial School Nateete, Bunnamwaya Church of Uganda and Sseguku.
David attended Namirembe Primary School, Mengo Secondary School and completed Junior Nine in 1939.
In 1941, he went for a teacher’s training course at Bishop Tucker. Ruth attended Kiwayizi Primary School in Masaka. Upon completion of Junior Secondary Education, she joined Masaka government hospital, where she trained as a nurse in 1947.
“I also trained in child healthcare, family planning and home economics,†she says.
The couple is blessed with five children. Rose Ndagire, a midwife at Entebbe Grade B hospital, Paul Kasozi, an assistant health inspector of technical schools, Dan Byakeesa, an employee with Uganda Red Cross, Peter Semyano, who is self-employed and Harriet Kakweera, a house-wife.
The Semyanos earn a living on subsistence farming and gratuity from the Government.