An A-Z of Uganda Part 4

So to carry on from where I finished on Saturday

Q
Queen Elizabeth 
As a former British colony Uganda still has Queen Elizabeth as a figurehead and is proud of her various visits to the country. The most recent was to the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference when the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel was built.

One of the best known and most visited parks in Uganda is the Queen Elizabeth National Park in the South West. The park is fairly easy to get to from Kampala in a day and is in the right place to combine with a trip to see the gorillas in the far south west. We trekked chimpanzees in QENP in the beautiful Kyambura gorge. This is real rain forest and made a very interesting trip.

R
Religion
Religion is very important in Uganda. Over 80% of the population is Christian with roughly half of those Catholic. There is an Anglican church in the Church of Uganda but many people attend the various pentecostal or miracle churches. Church buildings are huge and are beautiful inside with excellent sound systems and packed congregations. We went to the baptism of a friend's baby at a Catholic Church. The service started at 11.30 and was the 4th service that morning. 10 babies were christened combined with a large number of children taking their first communion. Overall the service lasted for 3 hours.

Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala (Anglican)

S

Sustainable Livelihoods

The partner organisations I've been working with are part of the Sustainable Livelihoods programme. This divides roughly equally between those working on land rights and those working with farmers groups on sustainable agriculture. A real bonus of my time here has been the opportunity to learn more about the sustainable livelihoods programme work. Even seeing so many of the things we are used using processed as the original unprocessed crops has been really interesting. 

 Cotton

 Pineapple

Teak trees

Swahili

Swahili is not a common language in Uganda unlike other countries in East Africa such as Kenya or Tanzania where it is one of the main languages uniting different regional groups. However, as Uganda becomes more integrated in the East African Union, Swahili is now an official language and is being taught in schools. 

T

Tribes

In Uganda the tribe you belong to is an important part of your identity. While I have been living here the government has been rolling out a national identity card programme and a key question is which tribe you belong to. Tribes have their own cultural identity and customs. 

U

Uganda 

Uganda is a fascinating, beautiful country with an interesting history. The name 'Uganda' comes from a mispronunciation of name of the tribe living in the central area by the British. The tribe is the Buganda but when the country was named the 'B' was lost. 

Uganda is a landlocked country bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There is a natural border formed by the Nile through the middle of Uganda. The official borders were drawn up when Africa was split by the colonial powers and don't fit with natural borders. Hence the borders in many areas are porous as people move between their different family members in different countries. Even the local languages are the same across many border areas. 

An A-Z of Uganda Part 3

I haven't posted any more on the A-Z since May as there have been so many other things to write about. I do want to finish the series so here is the next instalment.

L
Lakes
Uganda has them in abundance and so many are beautiful, Lakes Victoria, Albert, Edward, George and Kyoga are the large lakes. We have also visited Lake Bunyoni, Lake Mutanda and Lake Mburo among other smaller ones.

 Lake Bunyoni

 Lake Mutanda

Lake Victoria at Entebbe

Lugandan

The language spoken by the Baganda people of the central area, which includes Kampala. Many of the volunteers based in Kampala have learnt the basics but with 9 different languages spoken in the areas I've worked I've not learnt much. The most useful words are:

Ssebo - Man or sir, used to address everyone

Nyabo - Women

Weebale - Thank you

Kali - OK

Land Rights

A key area of work within the Sustainable Livelihoods programme I've been working with. As pressure on land increases with the growing population then more land conflicts are breaking out. Much of the land is unregistered so establishing ownership involves working back through the family tree to see who gave which bits to who, when and why. 

M

Matatu

A main form of transport around Kampala and other towns and also between the towns. Generally referred to as Taxis these 14 seat minibuses travel when they are full on unwritten routes so you need some local knowledge to use them. The fares are cheap, 1,200 UGX to get from where we live into the city centre or just over 20p. 

Mango

Mangos are one of my favourite fruits in the UK so living in a country where they literally grow on trees is a real bonus. Every village has a mango tree, it's wide shade makes it ideal as a meeting tree where the whole village can meet to discuss issues in the shade. In May and June mangos are everywhere, with a second season in December and January. 

Mountains

Uganda is home to the Rwenzori mountains, the highest mountain range in Africa. The highest peak, Mount Stanley, at 5,110 metres is the 3rd highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. Rwenzori means 'Rain Maker' and it is not easy to get a good view of the mountains as they are usually covered in clouds and mist. Several companies offer treks in the area of the mountains, which sound lovely but very hard work. 

N

Nile

The Nile comes out from Lake Victoria at Jinja and crosses through the centre of Uganda creating a giant swampy lake area which is virtually impassible. The road north crosses the Nile at Karuma falls then the river goes over the Murchison Falls, giving the park it's name, into Lake Albert and out heading north again. The Nile cuts the West Nile region off from the rest of Uganda with only one bridge at Pacwach and some ferries further north. From Uganda the Nile goes on into South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. 

Crossing the Nile over the Owen Falls Dam in Jinja

Nilotic Languages

The natural barrier of the Nile is also a cultural divide between the Bantu people in the south of Uganda and the Nilotic people in the north. The different groups have very different languages so a Lugandan speaker from Kampala wouldn't be able to understand a Luo speaker from Gulu. Traditional dances, songs and costume from the different areas are also very different. 

O

Opportunities

The southern area of Uganda is beginning to prosper, although the development is not spread evenly. There is a growing middle class in Kampala and poverty levels are reducing. However, the same is not true in the north of the country where life is still a struggle. 

P

Pearl of Africa

Winston Churchill called Uganda the Pearl of Africa after a visit here. Uganda is very proud of the title and you see it everywhere in hotel and restaurant names, book titles and public buildings. As well as the beautiful scenery Uganda has very welcoming, friendly people. 

Population Growth

The average age in Uganda is around 15 and the population growth is around 4% per annum with families generally having 5 or 6 children. A young population gives great opportunities but only if the youth are engaged and employable. The focus of several VSO projects in the north of the country has been on training young people in vocational skills. 

The 7 Hills Revolving Restaurant

Yesterday was a public holiday in Uganda so we decided to have one final trip into Kampala city centre in search of souvenirs and a nice lunch. The car has been sold so we are back to travelling on a matatu. We walked around the hill into Bukesa so that we could get a ride to the Jinja Road and save the long walk across the city. It was probably just as well as with the holiday we didn't see many and it was good to board at the starting point for the journey.

Riding on a matatu is always interesting. There are 14 official seats, including 3 that fold down into the corridor. However, children, goats, chickens and the conductor don't count. On top of that the conductor will often try to squeeze an extra person in so you usually travel with 4 people squeezed into each 3 seat row. Not so great for Glen who finds a matatu pretty small anyway!

Once we were in the city we headed to Banana Boat in the Garden City Mall to buy our souvenirs. Next door is the Golf Course Hotel which has a revolving restaurant on the 12th floor. Bizarrely it is closed on Sunday but it was open yesterday despite the public holiday and we settled ourselves in to enjoy our lunch and the 360 degree view of the city.

The section of the floor with the dining tables on revolves slowly, completing a full revolution in around an hour and 15 minutes. The bar and serving areas doesn't move so it must be odd for the waitress when the food appears to have to go and find her customers who have moved since she took their orders!

A bonus was the best steak we've had in Uganda! I wasn't allowed to eat it until Glen had taken the picture!

Packing Up

With just 10 days before our flight home we're starting the process of packing our bags, clearing the flat and saying our goodbyes. We took 2 very full cases back in June but there still seems to be plenty to fit in now. Between us we have 3 cases of 23kg each plus a generous hand luggage allowance so Saturday was spent packing and repacking to get everything into the bags.

The packing process left us with a large pile of things to give away in the middle of the living room. Luckily we met up with most of the Kampala based volunteers for lunch on Sunday at Caffe Roma and they helped us out by giving most things a good home. The flat is now starting to look quite empty, especially as we've managed to sell most of the things we had for sale.

Sitting on the shady patio at Caffe Roma over a leisurely Sunday lunch is one of our favourite pastimes here so quite appropriate to spend our penultimate Sunday there with lots of friends.

Experience Sharing in Ethiopia and Kenya

In the last few weeks of my placement I was asked to travel to the offices of my placement organisation in Addis Ababa and Nairobi to share the experiences gained from the work I've been doing in Uganda. I've developed a good understanding of the work with the partner organisations and lots of training resources and templates that I am only too happy to share. Plus of course it was a wonderful opportunity to travel to two very different African countries and meet the staff teams there. 

I set off from Kampala to Entebbe on Sunday afternoon on my week long round trip. I was to spend 2 full days in each office with a travel day on the Wednesday in the middle. I must confess to being rather nervous with 3 flights and 2 new countries ahead of me. But I needn't have worried everything ran very smoothly with the airport pick up in place each time and hotel accommodation all sorted out. 

First stop was Addis Ababa arriving early evening on Sunday. The hotel shuttle met me in the arrivals hall and we drove right across the city as the office and hotel were on the opposite side from the airport. It was a brilliant introduction to Addis. The hotel was very nice with a comfortable room that reminded me of a travel lodge. Another bonus of Addis is that it is one of the highest capital cities in the world at 2,350 metres, so no mosquitoes, no insect repellent and no need to sleep under a mosquito net. After a good nights sleep and a good breakfast I was ready to meet the team. 

The office was only a short walk from the hotel but the area is under construction so I had to pick my way over the stones in much the same way as in Kampala. Traffic is not quite as crazy as Kampala as there are good wide roads and people are a little more patient. Everywhere you look there are blue taxis, both the larger minibus taxis and small saloon car taxis. 

View from the hotel window

The office team were very welcoming and we had two successful days sharing experiences and discussing the issues arising with the partners in the two offices. Several were similar but there were also different challenges. In Ethiopia the distances are huge compared with Uganda meaning that visits require a flight to the North. But in the south there are no flights so some partners are 2 travelling days away! 

On the first evening we went to Yod Abyssinia, which is a cultural centre with traditional food, music and dancing. Then on the second evening we went for dinner at the Taitu Hotel. The Taitu hotel is named after the empress Taitu, who established the first guesthouse in Addis in the 1890s. 

I've enjoyed discovering Ethiopian food at Fasika restaurant in Kampala but it was even better to be able to try the authentic version. I have to say I'm hooked and I was very disappointed to discover that there are so few Ethiopian restaurants in the UK and that most of them are in London. The food arrives on a large platter which is covered by an injera, a kind of savoury slightly sour pancake. The meat and sauces are served onto the injera and there are more injera around the edge of the platter. To eat you tear off a small portion of injera from in front of you and scoop up some meat and sauce in it. It makes a somewhat messy but very sociable meal. I let my colleagues order the selection of food as much of it is very spicy but we had two wonderful meals. 

On Wednesday morning I had some time before my afternoon flight so the office allowed me to use the vehicle and driver and we went to the Entoto mountain. This is where the first palace in the Addis area was built by the emperor Menelik II. The story goes that his wife, the empress Taitu, found the palace too cold and damp at 3000 metres so moved down into the valley, where the emperor eventually had to follow her, founding the modern day city of Addis Ababa. 

The view from the mountain over the city of Addis Ababa was quite spectacular.

Unfortunately my time in Addis was over far too soon and I had to return to the airport to fly onto Nairobi. 

I had another very successful and interesting visit to the Kenya office before flying back to Entebbe at lunchtime on Saturday. 

Overall a wonderful opportunity, which I hope the country teams found as interesting and as useful as I did. But I would definitely like to return to explore Ethiopia properly. 

Bye Bye Rowena

Last week we were very sad to have to say goodbye to our trusty RAV4, which has taken us around Uganda on so many adventures.

Glen has put a lot of time and effort into keeping her maintained and fixing the numerous things that were wrong when we bought her. However, any hope of increasing the value has been lost in the depreciation of the Uganda Shilling over the past few months. Most importantly she has gone to a good home with another VSO volunteer in the north. No doubt she will have many more adventures to come.

We started the transfer process early and with good reason. Sorting out paperwork here can be tricky and selling the car has proved that to be true. But after 10 days we think we're nearly there and we still have just over 2 weeks to finalise everything.

Looking back we made the right decision to buy a car for the 2 years we've been in Uganda. It has dramatically improved our ability to travel both in and outside Kampala. We've been able to go out around Kampala in the evenings and at weekends without having to worry about how we're going to get back late at night. We've also had some wonderful holidays travelling the length and breadth of Uganda.

A Night Game Drive

With a sale hopefully agreed for our RAV4, we decided to have a final weekend away to Lake Mburo National Park. We went there last September to use our park passes for the first time so it seems fitting to have travelled there to use our park passes for the last time.

Lake Mburo Park is one of only 2 places in Uganda to see Zebra, the other one is Kidepo right up in the North Eastern corner.

It's a beautiful park on a smaller scale than Queen Elizabeth or Murchison Falls. We left early on Saturday morning to get to the park for lunch so we had a full 24 hours there. It was incredibly dry as there hasn't been any rain for 3 months! Rain was expected and hoped for at any time and while we were there it did feel like it would rain and there were a few drops.

After lunch we drove into the park with the aim of finding our way to the Kazuma Lookout viewpoint. This is on the south side of the park and gives a wonderful view over the plains stretching towards Tanzania and the 5 lakes along the southern edge of the park.

But en route we saw lots of zebra, impala, warthogs and a few buffalo.

A particularly grumpy impala!

We found the road to the lookout and headed up. And it was up, nearly a 1:2 we thought. Our little RAV struggled a bit on the stony surface but made it safely to the top. We were rewarded with a fabulous panorama over the plains and the lakes. 

The road to the viewpoint - before the steep bit!

We stayed in Rwakobo Rock again and had a lovely banda with a fantastic view across the park. After an early dinner we headed off on the highlight of our trip, a night-time game drive in the park. The Lake Mburo park is one of the few where you can take a night game drive. We decided not to drive ourselves but hired a land rover with a pop up roof and driver from Rwakobo Rock. We also had a UWA guide and a very large powerful spotlight.

We were barely into the park before we saw a spotted hyena on the road ahead. During our 2.5 hour drive we covered most of the park and saw several animals you only see at night, bush-babies with their big eyes glowing in the spotlight, a white tailed mongoose and a marsh mongoose, but sadly not a leopard. It was a beautiful clear night with a full moon so we could see quite clearly. There were many more buffalo around at night and at one point we had to follow a herd as it made its way slowly along the road. All in all a fabulous experience we'll remember for a long time.

Sunday morning was just a lovely quiet lazy morning followed by a good lunch and the drive back to Kampala.

Glen in the restaurant at Rwakobo Rock with the lovely views out over the park.

'I need to go to Acacia Mall!'

It's 5.45 on a Friday evening and I'm having dinner with a volunteer who is about to leave Uganda. The restaurant we've chosen is on the other side of Kampala in the new Acacia Mall and traffic on a Friday night is always very heavy. Glen is not joining me this time so the best means of transport is a boda. The advantage of a motorbike is that they can weave through the traffic to get you there much more quickly than in a car.

I don't use bodas very often at the moment as we have the car so there is no need. But luckily my placement organisation has some boda drivers that they use for work journeys so at least I have a couple of contacts I know are safe and reliable. After a couple of calls Sula arrives more or less at the agreed time. I climb on hanging onto the bag with my wrap in for later in the evening.

The journey across town to Acacia Mall is one of the longest I've taken on a boda. But it's a warm evening and pleasant to be outside rather than inside a car. We head around the back way through the industrial area, avoiding the worst of the pot holes, the cars that just pull out and the other bodas. The many speed bumps are always a little unsettling but unavoidable.

Soon we're into the traffic as we approach the double railway crossing and the lights that control the Jinja Road junction. Sure enough there is plenty of Friday night traffic.

There is always plenty of interest when travelling around Kampala in watching the antics of the drivers. No one has any patience so they overtake or undertake to get to the front of the queue. Then the traffic trying to get out of the junction is 4 or 5 vehicles wide so nothing can turn in. All of the vehicles then push their way across the left hand lane to join the queue going right so nothing can move at all. If that happens at several junctions then the whole thing comes to a complete standstill as no one can go anywhere! The traffic police try to control the traffic at key junctions at busy times but it's a thankless task.

Bodas are fairly immune to all of this as they can just go around. We've seen bodas going the wrong way up a road or even the wrong way around a roundabout! Sula feels safer than most so we move up around the queue but without taking any risks. Soon we are stuck waiting for the lights to change so that we can move.

But it's not long before we're out of the traffic turning off the Jinja road to use a back way to get to the Mall.

I'm very pleased to arrive safely and get off the boda. I never feel very comfortable on a boda so various muscles ache from holding on tight! But we still have the car so Glen is travelling across town to meet me after dinner so at least there is no return boda ride at the end of the evening.

We have a lovely meal and a good chat. We arrived on the same flight and now I'm the last one to leave, with just a month to go.