10/03/2026
"I ENJOYED WHEN THEY BICKERED. THEY DESTROYED FOOD. I TOOK IT TO MY FAMILY."
Hajji Ssemwanga Rashid, 80 years old, shares a story that shows the intelligence, strategy, and survival skills of those who worked for white families in Uganda.
THE JOB:
Hajji Ssemwanga worked as a houseboy and caretaker for a white family.
He called them "Daddy" and "Madam."
They argued. A lot.
And when they bickered at the dining table, they destroyed things—especially food.
Plates thrown. Food wasted. Arguments escalating.
Most people would see this as chaos.
Hajji Ssemwanga saw opportunity.
THE STRATEGY:
"I enjoyed when they bickered," he says with a knowing smile.
Why?
Because when they destroyed food at the table, he packed it up. Took it home to his family.
Food they wasted became food his family ate.
But his strategy went deeper than that.
THE DOUBLE PLAY:
Hajji Ssemwanga made TWO shopping lists for household supplies.
One list, he gave to Madam.
Another list, he gave to Daddy.
Daddy would buy from his list.
Madam would buy from her list.
Here's the genius:
Whatever Daddy bought, Hajji Ssemwanga took to his own family.
Whatever Madam bought, he used at the white family's home.
The whites never interfered with his kitchen workings. They didn't check. They didn't question. They trusted him to manage the household.
So he managed it. In his own way.
THE SURVIVAL:
This wasn't stealing. This was survival.
This was a Black man working for whites during a time when wages were low, respect was rare, and families needed food.
He used their conflicts to his advantage.
He used their lack of attention to feed his family.
He used the system that oppressed him to survive within it.
"They never knew," he says. "They were too busy arguing with each other to notice what I was doing."
At 80 years old, Hajji Ssemwanga Rashid still remembers:
- How "Daddy" and "Madam" bickered
- How food got destroyed
- How he packed it for his family
- How he made two lists
- How he double-played them
- How they never interfered with the kitchen
This is how our elders survived colonialism. Not with loud rebellion. But with quiet intelligence.
👉 Full interview coming soon on Chroniflix
Did your elders work for white families? What strategies did they use? Share below 👇