Surviving Bery: A Girlhood Trauma
DeLovie Kwagala
Please be advised that this photo essay contains mention of sexual violence and child abuse.
Bernhard ‘Bery’ Glaser, was a German national who illegally operated ‘Bery’s Place’ in Kalangala, on Bugala island in Lake Victoria, Uganda for more than 10 years despite persistent rumours of abuse. Glaser was first arrested in December 2013 on charges relating to child abuse, but he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Despite this initial arrest he continued to operate a home for girls and young women, where he was responsible for their care and welfare. He was arrested again in February 2019, this time facing 19 counts of aggravated defilement, child trafficking and operation of an illegal children’s home, and it was during this second trial that he died of cancer in May 2020.
He maintained his innocence throughout the court proceedings, despite a litany of evidence against him, and many people observed that throughout his life and trial he seemed to have been granted indulgences that a similarly accused local defendant would not have dreamed of. Survivors have testified that they were groomed by him and were abused throughout their time in his care, while being threatened with homelessness and public humiliation if they spoke to anybody about their plight. In spite of a growing chorus of concern about the actions of his organisation, the surrounding community hailed him as a hero for his work. Rumours fell on deaf ears as community leaders closed ranks to protect him.
I spent time with around fifteen of his victims as they pursued legal action against him. From a shelter run by children’s rights advocate Namusoke Asia Mbajja, these strong young women pursued justice despite attacks from the Ugandan media which vilified them, questioned their integrity and painted Glaser as a victim rather than a pedophile. While there is no suggestion of any intervention in the legal processes of either of his trials, justice does not seem to have been swiftly pursued on behalf of his victims, and both the press and the state often instinctively believe Glaser over his victims.
The realisation of this project was supported by UPPA/FOTEA's Mentorship Programme. DeLovie was mentored by Michele Sibiloni.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
“Do you ever feel like you’re suffocating under layers and layers of debris and your body feels numbed by the minute, feeling every inch of you being overpowered and your whole system slowly shutting down in a never-ending loop with sharp daggers constantly poking at your soul? That’s how I have felt every day for the last 12 years of my life. I have a lot of hatred for that man and those that share his skin. I was 7 when I was taken to his house. The world will never know how many times I tried to end my life… to end it all so I don’t have to ever remember what he did to me. Education cost me my innocence and my life altogether. Because if it wasn’t about schooling, then I won’t have ended up at that house.”
Farida*, 19, fails to contain her tears each time she narrates her story to me amidst reminding herself that she needs to do this in hopes of saving other girls by reminding them to speak up.
“All of us ‘older’ girls from age 8 had birth control implants, ‘protecting us from getting pregnant from boys,’ and these were often inserted in our vaginas in the bathroom or his bedroom by Bery himself. He insisted it was a necessity and assured us this was normal as he was a medical doctor. He also ran a clinic by the home with help of some volunteers from abroad who came and went. One morning I woke up and my sister was gone, no goodbye, nothing. Got to find out later that she too was being raped by Bery and that she couldn't take it any longer, but couldn't say anything about it. She was 16 by then and had been living at Bery’s for 4 years and she went off to work away from ‘home’ where Bery couldn't threaten her anymore.”
Mercy*, now 17, was brought to Bery’s place following her older sister through a man who told her mum that Bery could provide a better life for both girls.
“I'm angry at the world. Adults are meant to protect us but I don't understand why they hurt us instead.”
Beth*, 14, has lived at Bery’s since she was 4 years old.
“I have occasionally made up stories in my head about my life. In that way, there is a bit of everything tangled up in my life story. Those made up stories have grown to be real to me and they help me cope with the pain.”
Mercy*, 17. Her mother still refuses to talk to her no matter how many times she has tried to reach out. She hopes that one day her mum will come around and at least acknowledge how this whole experience has impacted her.
“My mother still hates me to this day because I chose to seek justice for what happened to us. She doesn’t understand how I can turn my back on a man who took me in and cared for me when my own father abandoned us, a man that fed me and paid my school fees. It’s as if I unknowingly entered in this silent agreement to use my body in exchange for paying my way through life. It reminds me that no one cares about what I went through, even my own mum. It’s as if I somehow deserved it.”
Mercy*, 17. Her mother still refuses to talk to her no matter how many times she has tried to reach out. She hopes that one day her mum will come around and at least acknowledge how this whole experience has impacted her.
“I first got to Bery's when I was 8 and I remembered being very overwhelmed by the number of people that were there. But as a kid, I quickly got used to the place. I had never been in a big family before and this one looked like a big happy one. There were many people to play with. My mum told me she would pick me up after the school holidays were done. So I tried to have as much fun as I could before she came back for me. The holidays passed and she never came back. Months turned into years and I later learnt that she had gone off to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia. I spent many years without seeing or talking to my mum. And I missed her so much! So I sought love and affection from Bery, I did everything he asked of me. I didn't know that what he did to me was wrong. I recently reconnected with my mum. After 9 years of not seeing each other, she barely recognised me. She told me that she had me really young and after my father died, his relatives threw us out and she couldn't refuse the offer that Bery was presenting to take care of me as it was the only way she could go to work. Until now, she never explained why she never came back to visit even once.”
Flower*, now 20, was at Bery’s for 10 years and currently does advocacy work to encourage young girls to seek help in situations of abuse and rape.
“The lake reminds me of love. It mothered me whenever I was sad and didn’t have anyone to turn to. The water was always there to listen to my cries and together with the wind, they carried my deepest secrets.”
Eliona*, 18, sits by the port where boats, the only regular means of transport to her home on Kalangala Island, can be found loading and unloading.
BIO
DeLovie Kwagala is a non-binary self-taught photographer, artist and social activist currently living and working in Kampala, Uganda but is a citizen of the world. They discovered their true love for art and storytelling through visual mediums a few years back, combining their passion for social activism, human rights and advocacy for womxn’s equality. Photography has become a tool and a voice to spread messages of awareness, especially about their own communities. DeLovie uses their projects to defy stereotypes and change perceptions. They especially enjoy exploring narratives around sexuality, beauty and gender identity, both their own (harkening back to childhood) and those of other visitors and loved ones that transit in and out their my life.
You can find more of her work at: www.deloviephotography.com.
FOTEA Foundation was established in 2016 and is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to provide a supportive platform for photographers in East Africa. We believe that by creating opportunities for visual storytellers and people interested in photography to connect, learn, and grow, we contribute to the cultural and artistic scene in Uganda and East Africa. We are a small team passionate about photography, photographers and photographs. We’re based in Kampala, Uganda, where we move between lots of different spaces to host our events and gatherings. Despite our small size, we’ve seen great success in helping friends and alumni to gain exposure, get published, and forge careers in international media. Through our work we provide photographic and visual literacy education and organise competitions, exhibitions, and other related activities.
FOTEA’s main product is the Uganda Press Photo Award (UPPA), which was originally developed in 2012 and was a starting point for our operations. UPPA began as a competition for Ugandan photojournalists and photographers, to fill a gap in the market and appreciate the practitioners who strive to keep the public informed of the daily news, sometimes at great risk to themselves. Over the years it has grown into a platform that not only promotes the best of today’s photojournalism and documentary photography in Uganda but also supports emerging photographers through the Young Photographer Award and Mentorship Programme (YPA). On the regional level FOTEA aims to bring together visual storytellers from East Africa by encouraging and championing viewpoints that document and engage with social change in the East African region through the East African Photography Award (EAPA).