It has been an exciting three weeks since I last wrote. I spent an evening in Philadelphia with my good friends Jim and Kristan and their children, as well as seeing my old college roommate Josh, who has been to Uganda and had great advice to share. Then on to New York to meet up with good friends Jeff, who just bought an apartment in Brooklyn, and Robbie who recently got hitched and loves married life, and has a little one on the way. Was very happy to see them both doing so well.
Then on to London, where I connected with Helen (friend from Thailand), her beautiful daughter Lauren, and her sisters that I also met in Thailand, as well as my friend Lyndsey from San Francisco. I had a great time with all of them. London is very difficult to do on a tight budget, but I did manage to wander quite a bit and see the Tate Modern Art Musuem and the British Museum (both free and awe inspiring) tour the Tower of London, visit Buckingham Palace, Soho and Covent Gardens, have a pint in a 400 year old pub, and absorb the pace and flow of life with the Brits.
But we’re all waiting for Uganda, yes? I AM FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY. Last night I went to the National Theatre to see a weekly jam session that local Ugandan musicians get together for. The room was packed, the music was great – a blend of Ugandan, Congolese, and Reggae with some Soul/Hip Hop/Rap flavor sprinkled on top – and the energy of the musicians and the audience was upbeat, lively, and welcoming. I am meeting many amazing Ugandans – musicians, dancers, teachers, visual artists – and feel like these first few weeks have been better than I ever could have imagined.
So I arrived on July 26th, and was met at the airport by my friend Conso and her driver Bakali. Let’s trace the connection. I was introduced to FDNC in Mbale by Roman Stearns, an Oakland resident who volunteered with FDNC for 8 months not too long ago. While here in Uganda, Roman met and fell in love with a Ugandan woman, Annette. Roman and Annette were recently married in the Bay Area, and Conso is Annette’s best friend. So, I have been staying as a guest in Conso’s home in Munyonyo, a nice area on the outskirts of Kampala. It is a safe, quiet area, within eyesight of Lake Victoria, with a much more village feel than the rest of Kampala. Conso has warmly welcomed me, and introduced me to many of her friends and family. The first week I was here was spent taking care of some things in Kampala, getting out and meeting people, and living very slowly! I have been playing a lot of guitar, reading, and it turns out that one of the nicest resorts in Uganda is a 20 minute walk from my house – so for 7 dollars a day, I’ve been swimming and working out – and feel so much better physically after running myself ragged for the last few months in San Francisco.
Uganda is definitely a country on the move. There is a lot of building going on – much of it preparing for the Commonwealth meeting that is scheduled to be held here in November of 2007. The streets of Kampala are hectic…more of a managed chaos. Although poverty surrounds you everywhere you go, people here are not starving in the streets, there is very little begging, and people are not in your face at all trying to hawk stuff. Because the government has been “relatively” stable since the Amin/Obote years and the free market has been allowed to operate, the situation here is not desperate in the same way it is in some African countries. The tiny amount of money people survive on here though hit home for me when I found out that the workers paving the road outside Conso’s house, who work morning to night, are paid the equivalent of $1.35 a day. Many of the young Ugandans I have met are starving for education – many times the inability to pay school fees comes up in conversation. In all of my conversations with westerners, we always agree that education is the key here. There is not a strong business culture within the black Ugandan community – South Asian Ugandans run most of the larger successful businesses – education is the key to raising the standard of living here for all Ugandans.
The people are friendly and welcoming, and the pace of life is slow (except on the roads!) When we can’t catch a taxi (Matatu) we can always hitchhike and people gladly pick us up. Many times walking in the neighborhood people will strike up conversations with me. All of the westerners I meet here talk about what a jewel Uganda is, and how many who come here decide never to leave.
I was waiting here in Kampala for my friend Begonia to arrive, and although it has been good to exercise and relax, I was getting a bit restless, as this trip is not about going on holiday, but working with a community offering my skills. Begonia got here a few days ago, however, and already we are working together with her NGO, In Movement. www.inmovement.org. Started in 2003, its mission is to work with disadvantaged Ugandan children and youth using visual and performance arts as a means for bringing about social change as well as personal growth and development. I went to one of their classes/rehearsals yesterday, and see the power of art for them. The performance they worked on at the beginning of the class dealt with sexual abuse, and combined theatre, dance, spoken word, and song. I have begun helping Begonia as a consultant assisting with organizational development, teacher training, and curriculum development. I will stay another week here in Kampala with Begonia to work with her organization, and will conduct an 8-hour teacher training workshop on Wednesday and Friday for all of her staff, and then head to Mbale around August 13 to settle in with FDNC. I am sure I will continue to assist Begonia and her team during my visits to Kampala.
I’m off to print materials for my class tomorrow. Love to everyone!
Justin
Then on to London, where I connected with Helen (friend from Thailand), her beautiful daughter Lauren, and her sisters that I also met in Thailand, as well as my friend Lyndsey from San Francisco. I had a great time with all of them. London is very difficult to do on a tight budget, but I did manage to wander quite a bit and see the Tate Modern Art Musuem and the British Museum (both free and awe inspiring) tour the Tower of London, visit Buckingham Palace, Soho and Covent Gardens, have a pint in a 400 year old pub, and absorb the pace and flow of life with the Brits.
But we’re all waiting for Uganda, yes? I AM FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY. Last night I went to the National Theatre to see a weekly jam session that local Ugandan musicians get together for. The room was packed, the music was great – a blend of Ugandan, Congolese, and Reggae with some Soul/Hip Hop/Rap flavor sprinkled on top – and the energy of the musicians and the audience was upbeat, lively, and welcoming. I am meeting many amazing Ugandans – musicians, dancers, teachers, visual artists – and feel like these first few weeks have been better than I ever could have imagined.
So I arrived on July 26th, and was met at the airport by my friend Conso and her driver Bakali. Let’s trace the connection. I was introduced to FDNC in Mbale by Roman Stearns, an Oakland resident who volunteered with FDNC for 8 months not too long ago. While here in Uganda, Roman met and fell in love with a Ugandan woman, Annette. Roman and Annette were recently married in the Bay Area, and Conso is Annette’s best friend. So, I have been staying as a guest in Conso’s home in Munyonyo, a nice area on the outskirts of Kampala. It is a safe, quiet area, within eyesight of Lake Victoria, with a much more village feel than the rest of Kampala. Conso has warmly welcomed me, and introduced me to many of her friends and family. The first week I was here was spent taking care of some things in Kampala, getting out and meeting people, and living very slowly! I have been playing a lot of guitar, reading, and it turns out that one of the nicest resorts in Uganda is a 20 minute walk from my house – so for 7 dollars a day, I’ve been swimming and working out – and feel so much better physically after running myself ragged for the last few months in San Francisco.
Uganda is definitely a country on the move. There is a lot of building going on – much of it preparing for the Commonwealth meeting that is scheduled to be held here in November of 2007. The streets of Kampala are hectic…more of a managed chaos. Although poverty surrounds you everywhere you go, people here are not starving in the streets, there is very little begging, and people are not in your face at all trying to hawk stuff. Because the government has been “relatively” stable since the Amin/Obote years and the free market has been allowed to operate, the situation here is not desperate in the same way it is in some African countries. The tiny amount of money people survive on here though hit home for me when I found out that the workers paving the road outside Conso’s house, who work morning to night, are paid the equivalent of $1.35 a day. Many of the young Ugandans I have met are starving for education – many times the inability to pay school fees comes up in conversation. In all of my conversations with westerners, we always agree that education is the key here. There is not a strong business culture within the black Ugandan community – South Asian Ugandans run most of the larger successful businesses – education is the key to raising the standard of living here for all Ugandans.
The people are friendly and welcoming, and the pace of life is slow (except on the roads!) When we can’t catch a taxi (Matatu) we can always hitchhike and people gladly pick us up. Many times walking in the neighborhood people will strike up conversations with me. All of the westerners I meet here talk about what a jewel Uganda is, and how many who come here decide never to leave.
I was waiting here in Kampala for my friend Begonia to arrive, and although it has been good to exercise and relax, I was getting a bit restless, as this trip is not about going on holiday, but working with a community offering my skills. Begonia got here a few days ago, however, and already we are working together with her NGO, In Movement. www.inmovement.org. Started in 2003, its mission is to work with disadvantaged Ugandan children and youth using visual and performance arts as a means for bringing about social change as well as personal growth and development. I went to one of their classes/rehearsals yesterday, and see the power of art for them. The performance they worked on at the beginning of the class dealt with sexual abuse, and combined theatre, dance, spoken word, and song. I have begun helping Begonia as a consultant assisting with organizational development, teacher training, and curriculum development. I will stay another week here in Kampala with Begonia to work with her organization, and will conduct an 8-hour teacher training workshop on Wednesday and Friday for all of her staff, and then head to Mbale around August 13 to settle in with FDNC. I am sure I will continue to assist Begonia and her team during my visits to Kampala.
I’m off to print materials for my class tomorrow. Love to everyone!
Justin
posted by Justin Silbaugh at 6:42 AM
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