Fashion blog star Haguma on Ugandan style

Gloria Haguma’s Liteside

Any three things we don’t know about you?

I actually didn’t major in writing but got there somehow. I am a staunch Catholic but last year I removed my rosary because I thought God had let me down somehow. I never allow fame to cloud me even when my work involves working around famous people especially in the fashion world. I wanted to be a lawyer but feared being in school for so many years. I chose to take a shorter path into mass communication.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Happiness comes from within or self satisfaction of being very content with yourself after learning to appreciate the little you have.

What is your greatest fear?

It’s dying before accomplishing at least 50 percent of the things I set out to do.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I am a short-tempered person to the extent that the smallest of things will switch me off – which I don’t like but what to do?

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

That thing about making comments about people’s appearance especially weight are a form of bullying; but also being very judgmental with very funny comments that are not even needed or gainful.

Which living person do you most admire?

It is definitely my father because he strove to get us through top quality schools. I don’t know how he did it but I will forever be grateful to him for such a big endeavor to get us the basics of life.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Home stuff just to make my house look prettier and more appealing.

What is your current state of mind?

Everything is just in place.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Having senseless opinions about others because sometimes they don’t even matter; How about if we find something else to do and focus more on things that matter.

What does being powerful mean to you?

Being in charge of oneself without being under anyone’s control.

On what occasion do you lie?

I am quick to tell lies because, for some reason, I have an answer to everything.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I don’t like my upper arms and belly area because of the too much flesh.

Which living person do you most despise?

I don’t despise anyone because in just a blink of an eye, things can flip.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Respect for others, hard working, and sense of humour .

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Self drive to take herself places.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

It would be my mother but she has since passed on. For now it is my little sister Nshuti Haguma whom I grew up with and share a lot in common.

When and where were you happiest?

In 2016 when I finally won the East African Journalist of the Year for Swahili Fashion Week, 2016 after three nominations.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I think I am not cut for TV but I feel like it gives one the command.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Working hard and getting myself to achieve whatever I have is very satisfying and fulfils me knowing I have done something good for my life.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A human being specifically Bonang Matheba (South African business woman, television & radio personality); she is talented, pretty, and has a fabulous life.

Where would you most like to live?

Living in the Maldives or near the beach in Zanzibar would be the best.

What is your most treasured possession?

I treasure opportunities that have got me somewhere.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Losing a parent because the whole purpose of working hard was to make my parents happy and try to give them what they didn’t have in their early years. My mother passed on at a time when my life had certainly started falling in place.

What is your favourite occupation?

Being a writer because I like what I do .

What do you most value in your friends?

The connection that bonds us and being at the same pace.

Who are your favorite writers?

I don’t focus on people but their writings and I will go with anything that pushes me to the next level.

Who is your hero of fiction?

The Ant-man has the ability to get into every space and disappear anywhere.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Michael Jackson is a true legend; he made many decisions and many times society was not very receptive of them but he kept on and remains very phenomenal in the industry.

What are your favorite names?

There are names that sound so old fashioned but have spiritual attachments. Names like Grace, Destiny and Immaculate still work for me.

What is your greatest regret?

Regret changes nothing so it is pointless to dwell on something that has already happened. It is better to learn a few lessons and move on.

How would you like to die?

I prefer painless death in my sleep.

What is your motto?

‘Always be better than I was yesterday’ and ‘Life is too short, do something meaningful with it’

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editor@independent.co.ug