The beautiful Bududa District

Uganda as a country has a complex history, with people living in a society that has a strong legacy of the colonial times of Britain. In fact, the culture is much mixed with traditional ideas associated with tribes and different areas of the country and more modern influences that are particularly prominent in the bigger cities.

The traditions of different tribes are much evident when one travels around Uganda, not least evident in the tribal languages that the tribes speak. The Eastern side of the country has its unique characteristics. This summer I has a chance to explore the local culture of the Bududa District whilst in Uganda. The modern and cheerful yet grounded and wise outlook on life that people of this region possess has remained with me. Hence, I would like to share more information about the district with you and hope that you can go and visit it yourself one day:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bududa_District

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/UG/87/Bududa.html

Mbale Town - a beach town far from a beach

The orphan and needy school that we were going to do some work for was situated in the eastern part of Uganda. The public transportation to the village consisted of a rather scary motorbike ride, a comfortable bus trip and a slightly uncomfortable ride on a small mini bus crammed full with people.

During the nearly eight hour trip, we had a pleasant stop over in Mbale town. The town has a beach town feel to it with a relaxed feel to it. Everyone seemed to be smiling and in a good mood in this town. There were many cafes, restaurants and shops around, most of which had music flooding out of them. We felt at home right away in this beach town that was far away from an actual beach.

One reason for why we felt so good in this town was that we could see other foreigners here too. There were Asians and Arabs running shops, a Chinese restaurant, westerners sitting in cafes.... We were not the only odd ones out. After the slightly chaotic Kampala, Mbale felt like an oasis, in particular since all the local people were truly friendly and warm-hearted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbale

Kampala - modern city with all sides to it

The trip from the airport to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, happened in the dark of the night. The flight had landed in the middle of the night plus I felt dizzy and lightheaded after hours on the airplane. We got glimpses of high buildings, muddy slums, cows tied next to motorbikes and shabby market stall through the car window.

It wasn't till the following day when we had a chance to roam around the city, which proved to be a modern city with African, Middle Eastern and South Asian influences. The British colonial times had left their legacy. While talking with locals, we learnt that the education system, the political system and many others followed the models that Britain had given Uganda.

Kampala has everything that a modern city should have - restaurants, cafes, shopping malls, beauty spas, casinos... You name it, it has it. No wonder that more and more westerners chose to come here on holidays on their way to safari parks, golf courses or trekking trips across East Africa.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kampala#b

Touching Down in Uganda

I was finally heading to Uganda. I had been supporting an orphan school there for the past three years, by doing organising fundraising events for them with my small NGO in London and by recruiting volunteers for them. Hours of conversations, development plans and work had gone into the project, yet I had not seen it all with my own eyes. I reflected on all this, as I sat on the plane of Egypt Air, crossing the Saharan desert, heading towards my destination.

Uganda as a country has a turbulent history. After being colonized by Great Britain, rulers changes recently and the country was plagued by political problems. Election violence, conflict with neighbouring countries, dictatorship and corruption have been frequent features of the society. Poverty, famine and illnesses spreading around the country also touch the lives of millions.

There are many, many orphaned children in the country. Due to the various health and welfare issues, the life expectancy for adults is not much more than 50 years. Many children live with their relatives, family friends and at orphanages. This is why there were several international organizations and foreign workers helping the country to overcome their problems and to help those who suffered in their circumstances.

I closed my eyes as the plane started to descend. I could picture the smiles on the faces of all the children that I was soon to see.