HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda

The youngest who is profiled is only 10 years old. Her name is Jovia Aber, and she works at a quarry on the weekends to pay for school supplies. She wants to be a doctor. The oldest is Akello Olga. She’s 74 and has been breaking stones to gravel for 28 years at the equivalent of 32 cents per day. They are two of almost four dozen women featured at Springfield’s Emerald Art Center in Dan Nelken’s photo exhibit HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda. Nelken, a longtime portrait photographer, has traveled to Uganda several times and, he writes in his artist statement, has become “impressed by the women’s work ethic, poise, sense of humor and resilience.” He teams up with Ugandan author Beatrice Lamwaka to translate the stories of these women into short biographies that accompany the photos. Uganda, Nelken notes, has one of the fastest growing and youngest populations, and in rural communities the women are often the primary wage earners. The portraits display the honor and dignity of these women and girls. You should see them and read their stories.

HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda by Dan Nelken, an ongoing photographic and storytelling project, is at Emerald Art Center through March 26. The gallery is open 11 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday. Nelken also will give a talk on the project1 pm March 14. The Zoom link is us02web.zoom.us/j/81518768008.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!