Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do? Why you make the choices you make? Why you choose to go somewhere, but for the most inconsequential reason, you decided against that place and went elsewhere instead? Well.... I have been wondering this for the past ten hours because of a choice I made...and I had no reason to change my mind...well, no pressing reason.
I spent the day at home in Makindye, Kampala doing just about nothing and resting up for a night out on the town. I made the decision earlier to take in the FIFA 2010 World Cup (South Africa) final in one of the local establishment. I could not make up my mind and was a bit lazy to go all the way DT so I decided that I would just see it in Kabalagala at the Ethiopian Village restaurant – I had dinner there one evening last week and they had this huge screen that they projected a TV feed onto...ideal for the final! However, as I was leaving, I impulsively made the decision to go DT instead - because I was bitten quite a bit by mosquitoes when I was at the Village last week and the lighting was too dim/dark....I like bright lights! On the way, change my mind I did, and headed DT. The daughters of Eve will just have to do without my presence there ...I thought with a smile (darn those mossies). This was indeed fortuitous as the events that unfolded later would attest to!
At the height of the match, twin blasts ripped through the Ethiopian Village and the Rugby ground – both areas packed with people enjoying the absolutely marvellous African debut of WC football. I could only react with horror when I learnt about the carnage – I was actually going to the very restaurant and even lamented that I did not know about the big screens at the rugby ground. It is tragic that people who went out for revelry had to be subjected to such horrors and destruction. What should have been a party turned out to be a nightmare! The fact that the perpetrators of this heinous attack targeted places that were crowded indicates that they intended to cause maximum destruction and wanted major loss of life. There can be no reason for this and it just goes to show the depravity of the souls that would plan such an attack.
Word out on the street is that it was the handy work of Somali Islamists; there is also talk that it may be related to the upcoming Ugandan elections. There have been 60 confirmed deaths and numerous injuries. I am not sure if any of the injured were foreign nationals. No one is really sure who is behind the attacks and there have been no claims of responsibility. However, the sad reality is that these places are ill equipped to deal with such attacks – so the result will be a huge loss of life. To compound matters, which makes it even more tragic, is that most of the injured and the dead are poor people who can ill afford to go a day without work and cannot afford the medical bills. Where have all the Gods gone? Why is it that the poor continues to bear the brunt of suffering and yet, they are the most devout? What insanity continues to inspire people to slaughter with such impunity? I do not know what possessed me to change my plans halfway to the Village....or were the Gods there for me? This I ponder....
Thankfully, I was at Mateos on Parliament Avenue; even more grateful am I for the call I got from a friend – Tamara - (well.... she is a friend of a friend that I had dinner with at the Ethiopian Village last week) who informed me of the blast and advised that I head home. I immediately called Rick, a taxi cab driver that drove me around a few times before and he organised a car to take me home. I did not think that I was in danger, but thought it prudent to call it a night. I had to resist the urge to convince the driver to take me to the scene of the blasts. I got home only to find that the internet was down....
I was very happy to have a cab and a driver that I know to take me home. This underscores the importance of building relationships. Rick was not working but he quickly organised another cab driver to come get me and whisk me away. While it is always difficult to trust easily, especially when you are in a foreign land, it is equally important that you learn to trust and develop some contacts that you may be able to call upon in emergencies.
To those who lost their lives – may their souls rest in peace; to those that are injured – get well soon and continue to live life to the fullest. To the criminals who orchestrated this – well go rot in hell!
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