Here is the story of an important reunion...
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| Lake Bunyonyi on Easter Monday 2007 |
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| Albert: five years younger |
And so it was: over Easter this year we spent six days back in Uganda, exactly five years after our first visit. Shunning the 14-hour bus journey to make the most of our Easter break, we took a one-hour flight, landing at Entebbe Airport late at night to a warm welcome from Albert (and Uganda’s tropical lake-side climate!). Whilst we’ve made firm buddies in Kenya, it was wonderful to be greeted by a friend who’s known us for 10 years, and all the sweeter because we’d not seen each other in the last five. Albert lives and works in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. The plan was to hang out in the city, then drive to his rural home in South-Western Uganda, and chill there for a few days. Relaxation was on the agenda, and we couldn’t wait…
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Driving through Kampala on our first morning brought back vivid memories of our previous trip. The Uganda we remember was simply MAGICAL, an impossibly fascinating land unlike any we’d seen. We were under no illusion that this trip would hold the same sparkle; back then we were 25, untraveled and utterly enthralled; we’re 30 now and East African residents. Working in Kenya has given us a taste of daily life in this region we were keen to experience when we first discussed VSO, but it’s also given us a depth of understanding to interpret what we saw from the windows of Albert’s car...
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| Kampala, Uganda's capital city |
After Nairobi, we found Kampala to be a green, clean, safe, ordered city with much less traffic and a more relaxed attitude. Built on seven hills, the city showcases its neighbourhoods at the top of every hill, giving awesome views of a city at work. Kampala is now run as a city authority like London, Albert explains and we see no street stalls, stiff fines for littering and compared to five years ago, the roads are good, and a few beautiful modern buildings are taking shape. Best of all, we are ridiculously excited to see brand-shiny-new buses that are replacing matatus (called taxis here). These gleaming machines wouldn’t be out of place on a London street and (yes, it’s sad but) we gazed and gazed, in disbelief and joy. A VSO placement in Kampala would be a sweet deal! Dan announces, thinking of the ugly, over-crowded, broken-down Nairobi of our daily lives.
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| Shiny bus: a sight for sore eyes |
We were also immediately struck by how we were treated in Uganda as foreigners. Whilst we caused mild curiosity, we were not hassled or yelled at and we always felt safe; the same cannot be said for Nairobi. In Kampala we saw many white people walking on the streets after dark (!!), which our friends in Kenya will recognise as a big difference. Uganda was never a British colony, only a Protectorate, and perhaps that leaves a mark on today’s Uganda. Plus Ugandans have none of the shove and aggression we often see in Kenya, and so it was a welcome break from all that.
Kampala life was fun: it was a treat to be driven around in a private car, catch up with Albert and go walking in a nearby rainforest (Mabira National Forest Reserve). We were reminded that Albert’s wider family has succeeded in many areas of life, as we hang out with government ministers, shadow-ministers and ex-presidential candidates at the Kampala Club, discussing the issues of the day, including a president who is extending term limits beyond the patience of his people. We also discovered that Ugandan 40% spirit Waragi is sadly no longer sold in sachets, but is just as strong...
On Friday it was off to ‘the village’, a homestead on Mugumya family land in Ibanda county, five hours drive from Kampala. We whooshed past lush green valleys and through small shopping centres on our way to Ibanda, remembering again how extraordinary this journey was for us in 2007, and how it feels almost like normal life these days. Weird.
We marked our arrival in South-Western Uganda by visiting a new museum created by a local-guy-done-good, which aims to preserve the traditional culture and stories of the area’s tribes; ways of living that have only disappeared in the last 100 years. As the museum guide explained, This museum is about how our grandparents lived before the coming of modernity. Albert is Banyankole, and pointed out which traditional practices and foods are still part of rural life today.
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| Museum lady and Albert showing they belong to different sub-tribes. So we are allowed to marry! they joke. |
Then on to Ibanda, for an Easter weekend reunion. Our lives over this weekend once again revolved around food, sleep and Albert’s grandmother Eva, who was already 90 when we met her five years ago. Mother to Albert’s late father, she is the 95-year-old matriarch of the family, lands, crops and livestock that surround her simple house. No running water, no electricity but she’s ably assisted by cooks and houseboys who help run her businesses and home. She remembered Dan and I - possibly the only white folks to ever come? – but certainly as Albert is a favoured grandson.
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| Albert and Eva, his Grandmother |
As in Kenya, most older people in the rural areas only speak their local language, so we had a refresher before we arrived of the three Lanyankole words that were handy last time:
Agaandi Hello, how are you?
Nimeronji I’m fine
Webare Thank you
We were warned not to use our Swahili. Still the language of the police and armed forces, it has come to stand as the language of the Amin regime. People were tortured in Swahili, says Albert, just use the local language or English. Good tip. Meeting Grandma Eva again was really great – a very small lady so loved by her family and respected by all. Everyone squealed with delight as we greeted people in poorly-pronounced Luyankole. Her sister was there as well, two elderly ladies who must have seen so much in their lifetimes.
Young Uganda was represented by Albert and cousin Peter, also home for the holidays, so nice to be out of hectic Kampala! Several happy hours were spent sitting on a sunny porch, watching the birds and butterflies in this green, hilly area and discussing internet entrepreneurship in East Africa, the validity of Nairobi as a regional hub and Dating in Uganda. Interesting for us to hear these young men talking about why they will only marry a lady from Western Uganda (we will understand each other), why their children should be able to speak the local ‘vernacular’ better than them (they should know our culture) and all discussed on the family land where they expect to retire, and within sight of the family plot where they expect to be buried.
We visited an elderly neighbour in a small damp house on prime land on the opposite hill. He showed us political campaign posters from the last 20 years and his wedding photos from the 1940s: a severe-looking, unsmiling couple surrounded by equally serious well-wishers. He pointed out his best man, who’d been killed in the 1970s under Amin’s regime. He also said a prayer for our safe travels.
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| Albert's brother Moses, Albert, the elderly neighbour, Peter and Dan |
On Easter Sunday, Albert woke us to meet the goat that was about to be slaughtered ‘in our honour’. It must be the first time I’ve petted a goat on death row whilst wearing pajamas. Preparations for the lunch took over most of the day as we watched, and others worked. We took a short walk with Peter and saw the fields and cattle that were producing the feast (and a very large Black Mamba snake in a tree!), and so of course the meal was completely delicious with vegetables and other ingredients all grown in these surrounding fields. And we know how fresh the goat was (is this becoming a theme? How many goats must die in the making of this blog?!).
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| Walking the land |
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| MASSIVE BLACK MAMBA!! (apparently they kill) |
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| The efforts of many people resulted in: delicious lunch for all! |
All this peace and quiet gave Dan and I the chance to look back on our VSO experience from a distance, to chat about what brought us back here, what we’d like to do before leaving Kenya, what awaits us back in the UK, what we want from our lives and to wonder how we’ll make it all happen. It was truly some of the most relaxing days we’ve spent since we arrived last July. Wonderful.
As we left on Monday morning, Eva gripped our hands, talking fixedly in her language and holding our gaze. She is saying you are now also her grandchildren, Albert translates, her grandchildren from overseas. We promise her we’ll be back, that we’ll bring our future family to this land in years to come.
All too soon we had to catch a plane ‘home’ to Nairobi. But not before we’d eaten Pork Mchomo (roast pork). In Kenya, most people prefer goat, chicken or beef (in that order) but I think Ugandans have it right – sweet, succulent pork served with perfect roast potatoes, fried cassava, fresh tomatoes and avocado. All eaten with your hands. Beats Kenyan nyama choma and ugali any day of the week, and I even enjoyed munching on pigs ears…
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| Pork mchomo: vying for our 'tastiest food in East Africa' prize |
As we said goodbye to Albert once again, it felt like a long time had passed since we’d stood here five years ago, like we’d all changed a bit. When visited in 2007 Dan and I were both in very different jobs, we were living in our very first flat together, and we were still marveling at the wonder of taking pictures and reviewing them instantly with my very-first brand-new digital camera. More telling than that, there was no Facebook in April 2007, we’d never even heard the word. Whilst Facebook has certainly helped us stay in touch with our Ugandan friend, it’s good to know that whatever happens in life, we’ll stay firm friends.
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| On the shores of Lake Victoria, Entebbe |
Thanks for hosting us again so brilliantly Albert – we will miss you so come to the UK soon! Or better yet, come to Nairobi before July :o)
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| Albert Gomes Mugumya: full of lunch and happy |
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A final note:
Jonchards say Visit Uganda! Rightly named as the No. 1 place to go in 2012 by Lonely Planet, Uganda is a beautiful, friendly, fascinating corner of East Africa. You can go on safari, swim in the deepest lake in the world and even meet mountain gorillas. Even if your budget doesn’t stretch to that, Uganda’s simple pleasures are all still magical as they were on our last trip: drinking gin in the warm night air, eating pork with sticky fingers and dancing to Ugandan artist Chameleon (check this out). These all remain some of the highlights of my life so far….so we suggest you visit sometime. Uganda rocks.
Check out some more photos below or click through to Picassa to go at your own pace...
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