Sunday, February 27, 2011

back home

at three am, we arrived back in jinja after 10 days in kenya. we didn't intend to take the overnight bus, as we are overly cautious travelers, but nothing more than fate and luck control african busses.

the quality and luxury of our transport decreased dramatically from the beginning to the end of the trip. from our house, we hired a private car to entebbe. we flew from entebbe to nairobi to mombasa. even with delays, our trip from the house all the way to hotel room took less than half of the time it takes for the first leg of the equivalent bus journey. from mombasa back to nairobi we took the Modern Coast "first class" bus. it was air-conditioned. as if that isn't enough, you get a juice box and nuts. there are only a few people traveling on each journey, so you can own your own row and lay down completely.

the bus from nairobi to kisumu was a Kampala Coach. we sat on the bus waiting. i thought to myself "this is where the grenade went off." i generally don't put myself in any proximity to grenade attacks, so i was happy to take the daytime trip until we hit traffic after the tea estates. there are many steep escarpments and sandy cliffs along the way.

the bus from kisumu to jinja was supposed to arrive at 4:30pm. we rushed away from our lunch because we thought we'd be late, but we ended up sitting in front of the kampala coach office for six hours before the bus came. it was very crowded, luggage piled up in the aisles so the only way to pass was to step on the seats or, if they were occupied, to push with your arms and swing your legs as you vault your lower body forward to the spaces between boxes and bags. i sat in the back row. we were 6, then 7 bodies across. the drunkest ugandan in kenya argued cyclically with his lady-friend, a tall, sturdy woman wearing a long caramel-colored wig cut in the jennifer aniston face fringe frame style. he mumbled aggressively and she swatted at him with the paperback john grisham novel she carried. he accepted a few blows than stood up to his full 5' drunkiness and raised his hand as if to slap her. she screamed and our seat mates grumbled and laughed. this continued for the two-hour journey to the border.

i prayed he wouldn't make it across to uganda, but east africans (maybe africans in general) have a more sympathetic attitude toward drunkenness than westerners. at each checkpoint "Drunky" passed everyone in line queue, staggered his way up to the windows, shoved his passport through the window and mumbled something to the officer. each one laughed at him and helped him along. Drunky got on the bus while the police were still inside opening bags. they twice laughed and brought him outside. when it was time to get on the bus, Drunky was carried, pushed, and pulled up the stairs and down the treacherous aisle to his rearmost seat. he was carried by a seven foot tall sudanese man. a large woman pulled herself out of her window seat to lift and push Drunky. At 1 am in Busia, Uganda at the border-post with kenya on a bus that was 6 hours late, these Ugandans were having a blast mocking and tossing a short, drunk man.

thankfully, by the time he arrived at the backseat he was pretty well passed out and unconscious for the remainder of the trip.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

from a friend...

I got a message today:

Hello Friend,

I was just thinking of you as I have been reading news about the upcoming elections in Uganda. I imagine that there is a slight feeling of ease in the area with the seemingly smooth passage of the Sudanese Referendum, but i also know that there are still concerns about potential election violence. How things are feeling around there these days? Are you staying around for the elections or are you taking off as previously planned? Whatever it is you do, may it be safe. I'll be thinking of you and your current homeland as these next few weeks pass.

Good Evening,

I hope this message finds you and your family well. Uganda looks optimistic this morning. As I am writing this, I can hear a brass band coming down the street toward my house. Everyone is going out to look. I'll be right back... The band is from the "Inter-religious Organization of Busoga District." There are priests holding signs that say "Elections will end, but people will stay." and "Avoid election violence." Ugandan brass bands are funny. They have uniforms that were made in the the same style and color, but some are old and some are new. Their current color and condition range from clean and crisp to tattered and elderly. The drummers are very energetic - pounding and swinging their arms. They walk first, even before the drum major - the various horns and tubas follow at a high step shuffle. I'm reassured that there is visible evidence of people who are actively promoting peace after elections.

We know that Mr. Museveni has control of the Electoral Council and will make sure that they certify his victory. There are 5 opposition candidates. The strongest, Kizza Besigye, was imprisoned during the last election and is under threat of going to jail again because of his criticism of Museveni. Over the past few days Besigye has said that he knows the election will not turn out in his favor because of voter intimidation, poll rigging, and general fraud. He's starting to push rhetoric like "We will not win in the court of law, we will win in the court of public opinion." and "The electoral commission will not decide the outcome of this election. The citizens of Uganda will decide the outcome of this election." Yesterday, in a national newspaper: "I am not going back to court. I rely on you people. People have all the powers. Look at what is happening in North Africa-Tunisia, Egypt. People are saying no to dictators and leaders who are imposing themselves on the people and they have gone."

At this point, no one really has any idea how it will turn out. I'm going to Kenya and my employees are a little nervous. They reassure me by saying "Museveni will stay in power and knock down anyone who tries to stop him." "There won't be violence. Ugandans are not political, they are too lazy." They're worried that if there are problems here, I won't come back and they won't have jobs anymore. I'm worried that they are right. 92% of me says it will be all good, I'll spend 10 days in Kenya, check out the solar cookers, and head back to Jinja to resume my regular boring life. But the 8% remaining is a little bit nervous.

Its good to chat with you. I really enjoy any interaction with the motherland. I think I'm going to copy and paste this on my blog because I've been a little negligent in that area. Thanks for the prompt.

Amber

Sunday, January 23, 2011

three weeks

i returned to uganda on 2 jan. spent the first week planning and counting and organizing buying schedules and necklaces and big, serious talks with employees.

i started strong the second week. Sunday at Owino Market: buy paper and bracelet wire, entebbe: pick up jesse. I bought myself new sunglasses. Strategizing and asking questions. We'll interview everyone. What is your favorite color and why? Can you tell me about a happy childhood memory? Buying snacks for them and lunch for us and a generator for the lights. Had the serious conversation about bonuses and salaries - the kind that make me sweaty. Calculated and distributed paper and beads. Yelled about dyed seeds, but they came out ok in the end. Went rafting and got caught in a whirlpool - my first time, so i was scared. Bloody toe.

I repeated all of the questions again the third week. And distributed more paper. And negotiated rent per month prices and scrap per kilo prices. Picked up the aunties, more seed and bracelet wire purchases. Distributed paper again. Answered questions for myself. More sweaty discussions. Adding accounting: double buying, rent here, rent there, half month salaries, extra work, shipping, car rental. Happy Birthday baby of Lillian! We actually found the gold paper! That's right, watch out, its coming! Making samples. Broken beads again. More questions, more pick ups and drop offs. Goodbye Jesse! Make us look good. Aunt Sue? Where are you? Can you hear me? Another 24 hours in Kampala. Ate a great piece of meat. Ate some brownies. Stared at the pool.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

solstice

Two people were killed and 41 injured in an explosion next to a Kampala-bound bus in downtown Nairobi on Monday night. The blast occurred at 7.40pm as passengers were boarding a Kampala Coach bus in the River Road area.

Most of the people on the bus were Ugandans on their way home for Christmas. Earlier in the day, warnings were issued by Ugandan Police about terrorist attacks during the holiday season. This is the second grenade attack in Nairobi in December. Two grenades were detonated in suburbs near the city earlier this month. Police think today's explosion was from the same type of Russian made grenade.

Today I feel nervous. When I hear about this type of violence in a place where I have been (and will soon return to) my stomach tightens and my heart beats a little too fast.

My plan is to return to Uganda in January and then leave in mid-February during the election. I will take a bus from Jinja to Nairobi and then on to Mombasa. I will relax at the beach until the election results are confirmed and life returns to normal.

Today's news puts a dent in my confidence. And then there's Ivory Coast. I should probably also mention the January 9th referendum in South Sudan.

I can't control what will happen. For now I'll go with my motto: "plan for nothing, prepare for everything" but frankly, I'm a little frightened. I want to overcome this fear. I don't want to live in fear. I don't even want to live with fear. I want to feel confident and secure.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

weather: you like it or not

raining in nyc today. doing a little uganda research...

---from WikiLeaks via The Guardian: Yet the President's autocratic tendencies, as well as Uganda's pervasive corruption, sharpening ethnic divisions, and explosive population growth have eroding Uganda's status as an African success story. Holding a credible and peaceful presidential election in February 2011 could restore Uganda's image, while failing in that task could lead to domestic political violence and regional instability. read the rest here

This cable continues on to outline major issues facing Uganda in the near future: human rights and corruption, the LRA and ethnic tensions, HIV/AIDS, oil and the economy. The attitude presented here is one of Uganda as a "fading democracy" faced with numerous domestic challenges and foreign pressure to stand up and re-establish its role as "a confident and outspoken regional leader."

-- one of the first issues facing the region in 2011 is the South Sudan referendum on 9 January. From The Independent magazine in Uganda: "Uganda should pay close attention to the 2011 South Sudan elections." The TIME Magazine issue for this week asks the question, “South Sudan: Can this be the World’s Newest Nation?” The question is very pertinent for the world, but it is an extremely important question for Uganda and Africa. As a country, Uganda should be paying particularly close attention to the political situation in South Sudan. The result of the 2011 referendum could hurt or benefit Uganda. the rest here

This blog post draws out the impact of the referendum down to two possibilities: A) The referendum in southern Sudan does not go smoothly and Sudan descends into civil war. Uganda has a history of supporting the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA - representing the southern part of Sudan) while the government in Khartoum has supported Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. (LRA - infamous rebel group from Northern Uganda) A civil war could mean increased tension between Uganda and Sudan as each country supports the enemy of the other. Option B) The referendum does go smoothly and South Sudan is gtanted independence. Uganda already has strong economic ties to South Sudan. The region is "blessed" with oil and South Sudan's independence could result in major investment from oil companies.



-- And a hopeful note for the day...Project Justice

Imagine being brutally attacked by your husband. You are rushed to the hospital, on the verge of death. At the hospital, you are cared for, and when you are slightly stronger, you are sent back home to the perpetrator of the crime because the hospital workers are ignorant of the law and the police require a bribe to file a police report.

Or, imagine you are a 13-year-old girl, raped and impregnated by your assailant. Your family is so poor and ignorant of the law that they accept a cow from the family of the man as settlement for the deed. Case closed.

Project Justice - Just Like My Child Foundation

Incidents like these are what inspired Just Like My Child Foundation’s “Project Justice” – a comprehensive human rights education program conducted in partnership with FIDA, a Federation of Women Attorneys that is Promoting the Dignity & Human Rights of Women & Children Using Law as a Tool of Social Justice.








SIGNING OFF TO SELL,SELL,SELL!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

C O L D


chilly in the booth today. eating pretzels to stay warm.