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Peter is my guardian Angel -Salvado
What you need to know:
PEAS IN A POD. Patrick Idringi, alias Salvado, is a household name on the comedy scene. He gained prominence after contesting in the M-Net produced Stand Up Uganda, a comedy reality show in 2009. His older brother, Peter Cox Mawa, is a marketing gem who has worked with different beverage companies. NICOLAS AKASULA had a chat with them about life and brotherhood.
Salvado
How would you describe Peter?
Peter is my guardian angel. Growing up, we were not privileged, it was a hustle and Peter, having been the one who broke out in the whole family; fended for us with his little job, then at the university. He literally became our father, and fortunately the more he upgraded, the more he was promoted at work. So things started to soften for us. He’s been like our role model.
What is your earliest memory of him?
It was when I was still in primary. He took over the role of our father, finding out whether we had showered and slept during day. There was a policy where they would make us sleep during day, and whenever he returned from work he had two questions; “Did you bathe?” or “Did you sleep?” And the moment it turned out we hadn’t, he would beat us like a parent disciplined their own children.
What is the craziest thing you did together?
One time at a party for the Kakwa community, he and I hit the stage and started dancing. Surprisingly, we were uniform even when we were not rehearsed. It was a perfect combination that was unexpected.
How often do you meet nowadays?
He currently works for my company, so we are always together. Also during family meetings.
What is his favourite outfit?
He’s a suit guy.
Were you always friends?
Honestly, he was everyone’s best friend. His good heart cannot allow him to be anyone’s enemy. He’s too generous to the extent that he will treat one well, and forget all about himself.
What nickname did you have for him?
We used to call him mawa. He didn’t have any nickname.
What is he scared of the most?
He’s scared of being let down. This’s because he has helped so many people but they’ve turned their backs on him. What is the craziest thing he did as a child?
When he took alcohol for the first time. He came back home shouting, speaking like a chatter box, abusing everyone, and later threw up. It was hilarious considering the fact that he did not drink, we kept wondering whether this was the very man that always caned us when we hadn’t showered! It was so crazy.
How often did you fight?
Very much.
Did you ever team up to fight someone?
Yes. One time after a concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval; we boarded boda bodas to head home. And when we jumped on them, we urged them to ride us carefully. But as we moved, the boda guy carrying me started to lose focus. You know those things of a boda guy riding, and yet speaking to people on the side at the same time. Man, he eventually knocked a pavement and I flew off. It was serious that I fell on barbed wire, and it cut me crisscross. Thank God I was only saved by some flowers and grass adjacent. But on seeing this, Peter almost killed the boda-boda guy.
Peter
How would you describe Patrick?
He is a brother, and a friend. He goes beyond brotherhood, and also looks at me as somebody who inspired him. When he’s happy, I’m happy and we always interrelate along those lines.
What is your earliest memory of him?
The age gap is quite huge, but what I know about Patrick is that; he grew up in my arms. We used to carry him around. He’s our second last born, but he was very stubborn. We grew up near Kiswa Primary School in Kampala, and he used to wake up late. So because it was a perimeter wall separating our home with the school, he was never punished for late coming. He had broken part of the fence, and formed a hole where he would always pass when he woke up. And so fellow students and teachers kept on wondering; “Where does this guy pass?” He would never be seen coming in late. But eventually, they got to find out.
What is the craziest thing you did together?
I was a parental figure so rarely did we folly.
How often do you meet nowadays?
With the current modernisation by the Internet, we chat almost every day. But physically, we can meet at least twice a week.
What is his favourite outfit?
Give him a Kitenge any day, he will be the happiest.
Were you always friends?
Yes, we were. Our home setting and family was so jolly, both in good and in bad times.
What nickname did you have for him?
We used to just call him Pato.
What is he scared of the most?
He fears caterpillars. In fact, one day, he saw it on a woman and signaled to her. But funny enough the way he did it seemed as if he were more horrified.
What is the craziest thing he did as a child?
One time he went to play football in the rain, yet all along we had barred them from playing in rain. This is because it would cause them illness. So here he was playing about, then I arrived. I right away made a chase of him, rotating the field. He took me to the slippery side of the pitch, and little did I know I was headed for embarrassment. I aimed to kick his behind but I missed because he dodged it. I then rolled like a sack with all this weight of mine, got up offended, because he laughed hard at me, people noticed that I had fallen in mud, getting up all soaked in mud and angry at the same time. Our parents also laughed it away and I brushed it off.
How often did you fight?
I don’t remember if we ever fought. But we had quarrels over petty things, and eventually, whoever realised was at fault, would start to entice the other indirectly with good behaviour.
Did you ever team up to fight someone?
Not any I can I remember. But there were people in our neighbourhood who were unhappy of our success as we grew up. However, we decided to ignore them.
About Peter and Patrick
Born eight siblings, but one passed on, and it was the middle born between these 2. I.e. he was Salvado’s elder brother, and Peter’s immediate follower.
Their other siblings have a slight resemblance of each other, but these two are like twins, even in character.
Peter says they are spiritually drawn together, to the point that if one is sad; the other will also be, even if they are apart, and vice versa. He cites an example of when Salvado cried tears of joy at his introduction ceremony recently; he just found himself crying even before he had seen him do so.
- Salvado is a good cook according to peter. He can book in advance to cook for them on Christmas or Boxing Day. He can do this as early as September or October.
Their paternal village is Boyo, in west Nile, and the maternal side is Ombokolo in DRC. The reason Salvado likes it is because of its extreme remoteness, and uniqueness.
