African Politics...

                I am not a big fan of politics; however, the politics in Africa are a little more “exciting” than politics in the U.S.  The craziness started back in February when Yoweri Museveni was re-elected as Uganda’s president.  Like most African presidents, Museveni has created a dictatorship and has ruled for 25 years.  Many Ugandans favored Museveni’s opponent, Kizza Besigye; however, Museveni ensured his victory through bribes, ballot stuffing, and who knows how else.  Despite the rigged election, things were surprisingly calm in February.  It is only now that chaos is erupting.

                In the last month or so, the cost of living (specifically, food and gas) has risen significantly making it hard for many Ugandans to afford the necessities of life.  Besigye has taken this opportunity to organize protests against the rising cost of living.  Every Monday and Thursday, he has recruited thousands of Ugandans to walk to work to convey the message that people cannot afford the rising costs.  These protests have become increasingly violent, often resulting in tear gas.  In an attempt to discourage these protests, the police have arrested Besigye four times.

The past two days have been particularly eventful.  Yesterday, Besigye was arrested a fifth time, even though he was not participating in the protests that were happening around town.  During this arrest, a policeman used his gun to break the window of Besigye’s car, fill the car with tear gas, and essentially blind him.  All of this was caught on film and graphically shown on the news.  People are not happy and riots have erupted as a result of their discontent.

Uganda's military police in downtown Kampala
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1152948/-/c25w2jz/-/index.html



As the soldiers shoot at the demonstrators, the demonstrators began throwing rocks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13237058



                Needless to say, recent events have resulted in many injuries and deaths.  I have luckily been somewhat removed from the violence and riots.  From my office; however, I have a clear view of the hospital.  Never before have I seen the ambulances coming in and out of Mulago Hospital so frequently.  Also, because Kampala is a smaller city, it often seems that the violence is surrounding me on every side.  Although I have been lucky so far, I still find it necessary to restrict my movement around town and avoid public areas.  Things will hopefully calm down soon, though it is impossible to predict.

I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

                The last big event on our itinerary was to attend the wedding of Jolene (an American) and Herbert (a Ugandan) in northern Uganda.  Several years ago, when my dad was working in Lira Uganda, he had the opportunity to meet Jolene and has maintained contact with her ever since.  Though he returned to the U.S., Jolene decided to remain in Uganda, marry a Ugandan, and begin a new life here.   

                On April 2^nd, 2011, the couple made it official and married in a small church in Lira.  Many of the community members came, several mzungu friends, and a few of Jolene’s family members.  All of the groomsmen and half of the bridesmaids were from Lira while the other half was Jolene’s friends from the U.S. 

Jolene and Herbert saying "I do"

The wedding party

The bridesmaids with Herbert

The couple's gifts included 5 cows, 4 goats, and a chicken



My mom and me at the wedding - I don't know if it is because I hadn't seen her in a while, but it seems like we look alike...



My parents with baby Shaunessy

Paul, my favorite driver, and I drinking Stoney - kind of tastes like ginger ale on crack

My family and Paul

                I’ll admit, the ceremony was very nice, but the whole time I was experiencing a bit of culture shock.  Several times, the culture shock was so bad I got goose bumps despite the 90° heat (with no air conditioning or fans, mind you).  First of all, the culture in Lira is quite different than the culture in Kampala.  Put simply, it seems like northern Uganda is more African and less influenced by the western world than central or western Uganda.  There are fewer mzungu hotspots, fewer cars, more bicycles, and a more traditional African mentality.  After talking to my Baganda co-workers (the Baganda is the tribe that makes up the majority of Kampala citizens), it became apparent that even a marriage between a muganda (from central Uganda) and a lango (a person from northern Uganda) might be criticized by their respective families. 

                Secondly, because I had my parents there, I was continually reminded of how different my Ugandan life is from my life in Colorado.  The whole day I was thinking about how different Jolene’s upbringing was from Herbert’s.  Undoubtedly, their marriage can work, but will most likely experience some additional challenges that may not have been an issue if the two cultures were a little more similar.  Maybe it had been the constant questioning of whether I would marry a Ugandan that made me put myself in Jolene’s shoes and made this issue hit home a little harder than it may have otherwise.  Regardless, I am happy for Jolene and Herbert, but I don’t know if I could make the same decision and commitment as Jolene to live in Uganda as a Ugandan for the rest of my life.  I think come July, I will be ready to return to my semi-normal life.

                Apart from the wedding, we took advantage of the journey north and stopped at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.  Although Uganda used to have over 2,000 rhinos, poachers essentially made the Ugandan rhino population extinct.  Now, only 11 rhinos exist in Uganda – 9 at Ziwa and 2 at the zoo.

My dad and I at Ziwa - notice the rhinos in the background

We were told to stay near trees so we could climb them in case the rhinos decided to charge.  They seemed pretty harmless at the moment...I still stayed near the trees.

Like the rest of Uganda, Ziwa also is somewhat obsessed with Obama.  Since one of the rhinos in the sanctuary has a mom from America and a dad from Kenya, he was appropriately named Obama.

                Our trip to Lira marked the end of our whirlwind of a tour through Uganda.  Although pictures give an idea of how life is here, there really is no way to understand it apart from actually coming and seeing for yourself.  Because of this, I was happy to have my parents come for a while so they might better understand what I do and see every day.  I was sad to see them go, but there are only a couple months before I return to them and the rest of my friends and family.  I will be happy when I return, but am not quite done living life in Uganda.  There is still work to be done, people to meet, and places to go the next couple of months J

Fort Portal - Visiting Christ Aid

                Although our time in Queen Elizabeth was over, it was not quite time to return to Kampala.  An organization my parents’ church had been supporting for the last ten years was only two hours away, so we decided to drive to Fort Portal to check it out.  Over the next 24 hours, we were introduced to the excellent work that was being done by Christ Aid.  Their programs ranged from bringing water to the village, building a school and a church, and financially supporting a group of grandmas.

                When visiting Christ Aid’s school, my parents and I were given the most memorable introduction of our lives – never have we been (and probably will we ever be) so warmly welcomed.  As we pulled up to the school, three hundred children lined the road dressed in purple school uniforms singing at the top of their lungs, dancing, and drumming – all in an effort to make us feel welcome.  Upon closer observation, there were three little girls each holding a bouquet of flowers; a bouquet for my mom, dad, and myself.

My parents with David Mporampora, the founder of Christ Aid.  I guess if we were celebrities, this is how everyday life would feel.

The principal with his students

Margaret and Margaret

Hanging out with some of the students over the weekend.  One of the little girls was showing me her doll made of banana leaves.

                As our visit to the school was just about over, the teachers revealed that they had a surprise in store for me.  I was asked to come outside to discuss something with one of the faculty members.  As soon as I stepped outside, I found the three hundred students gathered around my birthday cake and were singing to me.  I have had some pretty memorable birthdays, but this may beat them all.

Enjoying cake together

                After visiting the school, we went to visit Christ Aid’s Adopt a Grandma Program.  Although many organizations sponsor African children, Christ Aid saw a need to support the African grandmas.  It is these women who often use all of their resources to support the children in the community.  Therefore, by supporting one grandma, a sponsor is actually able to support several children.

Our visit was appropriately timed - it was the day for the grandmas to receive their sponsorship.  We saw the gratitude and appreciation each one had as we handed an envelope to every grandma.



My family with all the grandmas

                After being briefly introduced to only two of Christ Aid’s projects, it became apparent that this organization is doing great things and is positively impacting the entire community.  Because of the work David Mporampora has been doing, he has gained recognition and has made some pretty important connections in Uganda.  One of these connections was revealed to my family when we showed up at our “hotel”.  David had arranged for us to stay in a bed and breakfast which ended up being the home of the former Ugandan ambassador for the United Nations.  When I saw a picture of him shaking Nelson Mandela’s hand, it was pretty obvious that he was an important man…

The ambassador's wife, her housestaff, my parents, and me

                Hopefully, as the good work of Christ Aid continues, they will be further recognized and further supported so they can continue providing for and positively impacting the community.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

                After spending several days in Kampala, my parents and I made our way out of the city and drove about six hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda’s most visited national park.  Along the way, we crossed the Equator, saw a few zebra, and enjoyed the lush rolling hills of Uganda’s countryside.

Proudly displaying the Hooker Advance at the Uganda Equator so we will make have our picture in the next issue.

Zebra near Lake Mburo National Park

Being a Colorado native, I am continually amazed at how green some places are

                  Since my parents traveled so far, I decided to splurge and booked accommodations at Kingfisher Lodge.  The lodge is modeled after an African village with quaint white bandas with thatched roofs.  The bandas are built into the hillside, giving a stunning view of the park below.

Although we packed a lot in while we toured Queen Elizabeth, we did manage to take advantage of Kingfisher's beautiful setting, relax, and play some games.

There were tons of lizards at Kingfisher and around Queen; however, this one was by far the best



                  Our time in Queen consisted of several game drives, a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel, a tour of Katwe Crater Lake, and chimp trekking through the Kyambura Gorge.

Ugandan cob mating grounds - because the lions prey on the cob, you can often find lions around.

Warthogs were often seen roaming around the entire park.  Did you know that when they are being chased by a predator, they run backwards leaving the predator to deal with its tusks? 

Baboons were often seen on the road near Kingfisher Lodge.  Since they are fairly large and not scared of people, they are actually quite intimidating.

Water Buffalo

Our driver, John, trying to scare the water buffalo.  John won.

Vultures in Ishasha - seeing them and the lions definitely made me want to watch the Lion King

While in Ishasha, we went to the Uganda-Congo border.  Across the river is the Congo.  The little island in the middle is No Man's Land.  I should have claimed it while I had the chance...

                  The animal we saw most often during our game drives was the elephant.  One day we probably saw over 200 elephants.

Everywhere we turned, we saw a new herd of elephants

Note the herd of elephants crossing the road behind us

One of the elephants decided to follow us

Elephant family with a 2-week-old baby

There's even an elephant named Mary in a village just outside of Queen that has become a member of the community and hangs out with the villagers and tourists.

Mary about to eat my dad's camera

About to board the boat for our ride on the Kazinga Channel

We saw tons of hippos on our two-hour boat ride

If I were a birder, I might know what these birds are, but as I am not, your guess is as good as mine...

Uganda is a bird-watcher's paradise

                  The most exciting part of the boat ride (and maybe even the entire safari) was our leopard spotting.  As we were motoring toward the dock to end the tour, I saw something move in the brush and immediately began yelling “I see a cat!  I see a cat!”  We slowed down and watched the leopard for 10-15 minutes as it thought of stalking some cob.  Ultimately, it just decided to get a drink of water.  

You should be thoroughly impressed by these photos.  Our safari guide, who has been on more safaris than he can count, has only seen the leopard nine times.

                  Next on the agenda was a visit to Katwe Crater Lake where the locals collect salt.  On our way, we stopped in the fishing village on the way and met some of the local fishermen.

During dry season, the lake is 65% salt and is able to be harvested by the villagers.  Each family has a plot they tend - kind of like a community garden - for salt.

                  The final excursion in Queen Elizabeth was chimp trekking through the Kyambura Gorge.  We had excellent luck in not only finding the chimps, but also viewing them at a fairly close distance. 

Kyambura Gorge

Aren't they adorable?

Peering high into the canopy looking for the chimps

This is what we found

                   Near the end of our viewing, several of the chimps decided to come down from the trees.  Against our better judgment, my dad, Sebastian (a friendly German we met), and I decided to run after them through the jungle.  Only two weeks later did I find out that our guide thoroughly disapproved of this decision.

Every time the chimp turned around, my heart would skip a beat as I feared he would come rip my face off.  Yet I continued following him...

All in all, we had an amazing trip to Queen