Deo Kato, a Ugandan athlete based in London, is nearing the end of an epic journey few could even imagine – running 7,730 miles over 516 days from Cape Town, South Africa to England’s capital. His astounding run, which began in July 2023, was undertaken with a powerful purpose: to raise awareness about the history of human migration and the racism endured by many black Africans, a message given added resonance by the abuse Kato himself faced upon reaching Europe.
A Journey of Perseverance
Kato’s route took him steadily northward through Africa, a continent he traversed step by step over many months. Along the way, he spent weeks in jail, suffered serious illnesses, and had to navigate active war zones. He climbed a total elevation equivalent to scaling Mount Everest 11 times.
Despite the immense physical and mental challenges, there were moments of beauty, connection, and affirmation that renewed Kato’s faith in humanity:
- Running with a multilingual 15-year-old boy along Botswana’s Kalahari Highway, who reminded Kato of his own younger self
- Being spontaneously joined by a group of schoolchildren in Kenya who ran with him for 5 miles on their way to class
Harsh Realities in Europe
Tragically, upon reaching Europe, Kato was confronted with the same racism and xenophobia that spurred him to make this journey. In Croatia, he was stopped by police up to four times per day and made to feel like an illegal immigrant. Locals photographed him and reported him to authorities.
“I genuinely felt treated as an illegal immigrant. I didn’t feel welcomed or that I belonged in their society…This experience, coupled with everything I was processing from my journey in Africa and other personal challenges, made it intensely difficult to keep moving forward.”
– Deo Kato
A Message of Unity
Kato embarked on this journey to shine a light on the earliest migrations of humans out of Africa and to challenge the notion that people should “go back to where they come from.” He believes his run underscores the potential of migration to connect cultures and enrich societies globally.
While acknowledging that eradicating racism is unlikely in his lifetime, Kato expressed hope that his efforts, and those of others dedicated to the cause, are laying the foundation for a discrimination-free world for future generations. At the same time, his experiences reinforced concerns about the “fortress Europe” approach to migrants from Africa.
The Final Mile
This Sunday, Kato will complete the final leg of his odyssey, joined by hundreds of supporters as he runs through central London to his finish line in Hammersmith. His partner Alice Light, who called the 18-month endeavor an “unimaginable rollercoaster of highs and lows, of beauty, joy and heartbreak,” expressed immense pride in Kato.
As he takes his final steps of this monumental journey, Deo Kato will have not only achieved an almost superhuman feat of endurance, but also carried a vital message of shared humanity across continents and in the face of entrenched prejudice. His run stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and an urgent call for unity in an increasingly divided world.
