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Sunday, 5 April 2020
Mourners celebrate Queen of Katwe actress
In the middle of the day - at the height of the dry season when the sun not only warms but burns too - hundreds of mourners are huddled under tarpaulin tents, trees and verandahs of houses - anywhere they can find some shade.
We're in Kabojja just on the outskirts of Kampala to the west.
From the speeches being given, especially by Nikita Pearl Waligwa's mother and father, the toll of her years' long battle against cancer comes to light.
Three recurring tumours and almost as many surgeries left her young body weaker and more fragile.
Her mother, Rachel Asiimwe Waligwa (below) talked of her daughter's pain but also the grace with which she managed to carry on through difficult times.
The cost of Nikita's treatment since her first diagnosis in 2016 has been funded with the support of the Disney company which produced Queen of Katwe, relatives, family friends and her parents' colleagues. And many of them are here.
As is so often in such cases, communities pull together and support one another.
This story resonates because a beautiful talented girl who achieved success at a young age has died much, much sooner than she should have.
It also resonates because stories like her's of illnesses that cannot be treated at home and need expensive care abroad are becoming all too common and families know it takes almost everything out of you to fight.
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