Indianapolis, IN and Denver, CO – Dr. Banya Ku’Caya presents his autobiography, Out of the Village: Overcoming Barriers, published by Outskirts Press. Born in a village in the Gulu District of Uganda, Ku’Caya was encouraged to take up farming from the time he was a young boy. But he had larger dreams, a thirst for travel, and the determination to reach his goals; and despite political and social adversity that would thwart the average American youngster, this village boy escaped his farming future to further his education. His message to educators, counselors, parents, and students: “There is nothing unachievable with hard work and perseverance!”
Through Out of the Village, Ku’Caya hopes to encourage other young people facing the same types of barriers to transcend the roadblocks placed in their path and pursue their dreams. He ignored his village’s traditional songs extolling their young not to bother about further education—after all, a local high school was available and considered adequate education for its students, and farming was extolled as “the best occupation.”
“The struggle to overcome traditional messages urging me to not worry about education beyond the secondary school level was tough. Equally mind-boggling was the urge to rejoin my kith and kin as a peasant farmer should the outside world prove hostile to my goals. Nonetheless, I trudged on and, somewhat sheepishly, managed to get where I am today—far beyond my wildest dreams. It was a journey through thorns, with scratches all over my body, but then again, it was a journey worth the trials and tribulations.”
Refusing to attend the local high schools, Ku’Caya ventured one hundred miles away from home to attend Comboni College in Lira. This was his first real taste of life outside his village, and it awakened his desire to expand his horizons. But then President Idi Amin stepped in and declared that political science was an illegal institution, and Ku’Caya switched his focus to sciences with the aim of becoming a medical doctor, hoping to attend Patrice Lumumba University in the Soviet Union. However, he was told by the ministry of education that “you people want to go out of the country so that you can come back and overthrow this government.”
His story is one of incredible resolve, a trait sorely lacking in today’s privileged youth, and it is a study on the importance of cultural diversity and expansion of one’s horizons. As the author advises, “Dance to the tune of your own music. Living in a diverse world is choosing. In order to choose well, you must know who you are; know what you stand for; know where you want to go; and above all, know why you want to get there. With this resolve, nothing can stand in your path. All you have to do is maneuver your way.”
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3628-
Genre: Autobiography
About the Author: Dr. Banya Ku’Caya is a seasoned educator who began teaching chemistry and physics in 1981 at Nguviu High School, Embu, Kenya. He has since taught at Southeast Halifax (Halifax, NC), North Chicago Community High, St. Martin de Porres Academy, De La Salle Institute (Chicago, IL), Miss Porter’s School (Farmington, CT), and currently teaches at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, IN. He is a graduate of Kenya Science Teacher’s College (Nairobi, Kenya), the American Jewish University (Los Angeles, CA), Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL), and The University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg)
For more information or to contact the author, visit
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About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
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