``White People are blessed,`` said Moses.

As I sat waiting for a shave, I struck up a conversation with the youth next to me; he was waiting for a haircut. We made small talk about this and that and the inevitable question arose – where was I from. This is always a complicated question because where I am coming from and where I am from and where I am genetically from is all different. I decided that the best answer would be to answer where I was coming from – Canada. I realised that I posit a contradiction of sorts to Moses. This was confirmed by his next statement – he said that my skin is rather dark for a Muzungu (this is the local word for Caucasians); I must be of mixed blood. I look somewhat Muindie (local word for Indians) but not quite so. I then had to launch into a complicated explanation about why I look the way I did and so forth. However, this was not the highlight of the interaction.

I was struck by the intensity and depth of feeling that the simple words spoken by Moses communicated: he said that white people are truly blessed; they are full of compassion and love to come to Uganda and adopt and care for orphans and do so many good and charitable works. People who do so much good must surely be blessed.

There are indeed many Churches and other Western based organisations doing great things here. However, the contrast that Moses was making was that the world have so many Asian (this generally means Indians) millionaires and Uganda even (apparently, the second richest man in the country is of Indian extraction) but so few are engaged in this kind of work. There is certainly some truth to this statement. I think that the Forbes magazine continues to list untold numbers of millionaires and billionaires in India and one hardly hear about the charitable ventures that they are engaged in. Indeed, there many children that urgently need care and an opportunity in India. Surely, those that have been so handsomely rewarded with the fruits of their labour could do much more that is currently the case.

Back to Moses and I - I opined that perhaps, the reason why many Asians are not that involved may be because they probably do much of their charitable works in Asia – which is largely a developing region of the world also. I also wanted to impart to Moses that we are all equally blessed (no group is more blessed than any other – even Moses is blessed, I said to him), but it is how we choose to live and what we choose to do with ourselves that is really important. The Westerners doing amazing work in Uganda chose to invest their efforts and resources in what they consider meaningful – to help children and the under privileged; this should be celebrated! I then pointed out a story in the news paper where it was reported that a group has sponsored the school feels and other needs of 100 orphans in Western Uganda and it was not a foreign group, but rather some local organisation. This should be recognised also.

Moses still thinks that some people are more blessed..... and who am I to argue with this! It is undeniable the number of Brits, Americans and Canadians who are here working with vulnerable communities. The Watoto church is engaged in many amazing projects centred on children! Indeed the visibility is there but I guess my post colonial warning signs are raised when I hear people speak in such terms...but I may have just over thought it.

At this time, the barber motioned for me to come get my shave. I bid adieu to Moses and went on to enjoy a shave that took me all the way back to Stewartville Secondary School and the year 1994!

You are most welcome....

Ugandans and, by extension, Uganda is one of the most polite people that I have ever encountered. These people are warm as the sun that graces the hilly land mass. It starts from the airport – the immigration agents are fast, easy, and amenable in personality.

Every time you are introduced to a Ugandan, they will respond by telling you that “you are most welcome.” You will hear this over and over, everyday. This is the most common greeting. Second to ‘you are most welcome’ is ‘yes please.’ Any visitor to this country will be hard pressed, not to be impressed by the warmth spirit of the people... truly friendly!

As always, in any of the developing world, there will always people who will see you as an opportunity and that is what you will have to guard against. This is not exclusive to this country ... but with good bargaining skills (here, I think my ADR negotiation skills came in handy...:) – I even invoked ‘common goals and interests’) you can negotiate a fair price for everything!

June 2/2010 – Getting back to the beginning!!!

This is a dark country; I am not sure of it is a dark continent, but it is really dark in Uganda. Now I know that many people may be wondering what I mean by dark and that I am stating the obvious; however, this is not about skin complexion (though I will cover race and ethnicity sometime, I am sure), but rather, this about electricity and lighting.

This was my very first impression as I came out of the airport last night. Street lights are not popular and many areas do not have lights on and even when they are on, it is a dull glow. Electricity might be expensive but I cannot get over the darkness.... I love when the sun comes up and chase the darkness away. The sun is bright here!

I was not too excited about the location of my lodgings – let me be honest: I am just a little scared; it is incomplete, dark and I am the only one in the building. There is a bar next door which is accessed by the same entrance as my ‘hotel’ which is what makes it a little iffy. However, I am dealing with it!

The day (by default, the trip) started quite ingloriously; apparently the KLM staffer did not think I was in the check in line because I was not in the queue – I had pushed my suitcase under the barrier so that I do not have to struggle with it as I meander the rather circuitous rat path that has become standard fare in airports. Even on telling her I am in the line and has come through the line, she chose to be difficult. I think that she was in a bad surprise – I was not about to let a rude KLM staffer tell me that I was not in a line that I had stood in for the past 40 minutes. I told her this much and let her know that I am not accustomed to autocracies – not sure where she is from but here in Canada, if I am telling you in front of a number of people who can dispute my statement if it was incorrect, show some respect for my honesty! Amen....

The KLM plane was huge – double deck; the executive class is truly executive. However, economy class is tight – tighter than say, the Caribbean Airlines flights. It was a very uncomfortable journey – and imagine that it lasted for many hours.....way too many for my liking. I was seated next to a Ghanaian Canadian who was going home to get married. He was quite excited, as he should be, and could not wait to arrive home. He has been living in Canada for about ten years... next to him sat a lady from Spain... she did not share where she was off to.

Bride Price and Dowry!!!! Who would have thought?

I learnt today that some of the indigenous cultures in Uganda practice what is called ``bride price.`` Under this system, the guy has to pay a price to the bride’s parents for her hand in marriage. Ostensibly, this is to honour the parents for raising a daughter. There is some movement afoot to abolish this system as many claims that it is detrimental to women. I could not help but contracts this to the other well known marriage price system that existed and continues to exist in India. There, the woman’s parents have to pay the downy for their daughter to get their daughter married. It is the opposite to the Ugandan system, but none the less, it is a marriage that is fixed by price. It is a cultural similarity that is manifested in different forms in different regions.
A lesser known system exists in Islam, where the groom is required to pay a dowry to the bride, to be used by her at her leisure (though this is hardly operationalised on the ground as anticipated). This is similar to the Ugandan process!

Have I discovered a cultural universal?

At the end of the day, it seems that there is a price to a woman, whichever way it is looked at and this can only lead to loss of dignity and ill treatment. One of the letters I came across in a magazine detailed how a woman was ``arranged into a marriage`` and could not leave because of the bride price paid to her father. As a result, she had to suffer the abuse and neglect. This brings up an interesting book I just completed: Dahanu Road by Anosh Irani (Indian Canadian Parsee) had one main character plagued by some form of bride price. It makes for an interesting read.

Dear STF, P.O. Box 22366, Kampala, UG - girlfriend demands sex!

I came across the funniest and most interesting thing in a sex education news paper that is distributed to the youths in Uganda. It is most interesting because the format is letters to STF (Straight Talk Foundation) and the responses are usually peppered with sage advice....:). It was funny because of one of the letters – the boys in North America (and everywhere else) would love to be in this guy`s position....here goes:
``Dear STF, I have a girlfriend, but each time I meet her she demands sex to prove my love for her. What does she mean? Olwa Samuel, Senior 6, Kyambogo College School, Kampala.``
I bet most guys are wondering why their girls are not more like this one???

Welcome

I have decided to chronicle my thoughts on this, my maiden trip to Uganda, and Africa in General. Going to a new country, alone, and not knowing how one will adapt is always a challenge; however, it is also an oportunity to live outside the comfort zone and push barriers and boundaries. I have done this before - hop, skip and jump to another country. At that time, I was much younger and was quite excited for the adventure. That was my move to Canada.... a lifetime ago, it seems! Now, I am older, and dare I say, wiser, and headed to the unknown again. The difference now is that I am not sure if I am as adventerous as I was when I was 22.

I will be writing about everything that strikes my imagination and sometimes, may just detail what I did in a particular day. I hope that the readers will find it as interesting and enjoyable as I most certainly will find it... while living and writing! I am here on an International Social Justice/Human Rights Internship and will be working with a local NGO. I am quite political, and race, politics, culture and everything controversial will find its way in this blog. This is my personal reflections and does not reflect any official positions or views of agencies that I am associated with.

Now... welcome to Uganda - the Pearl of Africa!