Fences, the haves and the have nots...and expats!

Kampala is characterised by high fences: fences that seem to indicate that those on the outside are not welcomed inside. Imagine that they are so high that you can hardly see what occurs there. It really gives you a sense of separation. I guess I can understand that this may be part of security for those living inside, but they are none the less, quite imposing. The top of fences are covered with barbed wires or sometimes broken glass– just for good measure I suppose. I guess the nearest equivalent to this in NA are the gated communities, except that here, it is a gated house (sometimes a few houses as the person may be a small land owner).

Many of the structures that you can glimpse behind these high walls are quite magnificent. Walking along the roadside, I was struck by a thought: the fences reminds me of the description of the Patel’s residence in Alexander Mcal Smith`s Maam Ramotsve`s series.... this thought just came unwittingly to my mind..... that that is what the fences will look like.

I think that there are too many people who have little and too few who have a lot and for that matter, too many foreigners here who can have the most spectacular of places to live in and enjoy making money from. More must be done for the local people to get jobs and afford a better life. There may be more foreigners living in the posh neighbourhoods of Kampala than locals. This says a lot....

The tragic comedy of life is that the people who work in malls and stores cannot afford to buy what they handle every day. Day in day out, they serve the Ugandan elite and members of the very large expatriate community who makes the city their home, knowing and seeing that their life is a lot “less” that what others are enjoying. They cannot shop at the grocery store or even eat in the restaurants – imagine many have not even tried Chinese food – a cuisine that has mastered the art of being cheap and affordable...

Looking at the situation, I sometimes wish that with the wave of a hand, I could provide opportunities for the children of these people to be schooled so that they too will have a chance at a better life. However, even that may not be enough; as with most places, it is not only what you know, but who you know that will determine the outcome of your job application.
Suffice to say...the situation is far from satisfactory! The fences speak a lot....