3 days of field work in Bwaise (one of the largest slum areas in Kampala)
life changing? a bit
career changing? more like solidifying
We held a focus group with youth who are school dropouts, the hopelessness in their eyes about their situation on one hand, and the beautiful smiles when talking about their interests and dreams on the other…what a contrast…what an inspiration…what a cause to work for…
at the same time, I knew the passion would die down…soon
Quote from one of my Ugandan professors:
“People always ask me why Ugandans/Africans do not accept homosexuals. Well I ask why do you not accept polygamous marriages?”
flip everything on it’s head and new perceptions come out. people in power (i.e. us in the West) define most of the world views.
my answer? if polygamous marriages are gender equal (i.e. a woman can have many husbands), then why not?
Living expenses in Kampala in Ugandan Shillings
exchange rate: about 1 USD to 2050 Ugandan Shillings
by the way, there is no way anybody is willing to exchange Canadian dollars here…
rent in bwaise: 20,000 per month
school fees (public): 60,000 to 80,000 per term (3 months, 3 terms per year)
renting a boda boda: 10,000 per day, 70,000 per week
renting a private hire taxi: 30,000 (old) to 60,000/70,000 (new)
minimum wage: 60,000 per month, 2000 per day
sex worker in Bwaise, worked at hotel: 1000 per day
sex worker income: 20,000 per day (from 2000 to 5000 per person)
tailoring job: 2000 per day, someitmes not paid
makerere university: 1.8 million per term (more or less depending on which faculty you are in)
pineapple: 2000
avocado: 300 to 500
rolex (egg and chapati roll): 800
gas: 2400 per litre
water: 1.5 L, 1000
beer: 2000 to 3000 when going out, 1700 when bought at supermarket
matatu ride from centre to hostel: 500 to 800
camera: 370,000 to 450,000
making a tailor made dress: 30,000 for the sewing, 20,000 to 40,000 for material
soda: 600 to 1000
biggest note: 50,000
smallest coin (I’ve seen): 60
<!– @page { size: 21.59cm 27.94cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } –>
Gunshots. Buring tyres. Angry mobs.
Riots have been consuming Kampala for the last three days. It was surreal to go through town on our school bus and see people pointing and shouting at us in such an unfriendly way. When one classmate took out her camera, the crowd on the opposite side of the road got aggitated. Our teacher immediately shouted, with a new note of urgency, for us to hide our cameras to “stop provoking them.” Some of my classmates were caught in the middle of a riot and couldn’t leave the internet cafe they were at. Smoke, shouting, gunshots, and more shouting. The battle of the people against the police raged on for hours before they could safely get on a taxi and go home. We passed by the centre yesterday evening; strangely quiet and ghostly, especially when Friday nights are always bustly in a friendly atmosphere.
From what we can gather (most of the news is in Luganda), it’s a combination of tribal tensions, anger against Museveni, high unemployment rates, all sparked by a visit to a youth conference the Buganda King wants to make this Saturday. Power struggle between the Buganda King and the King in the region where the youth conference is held; discontent with how most of the government elites are from the Western region of Uganda where Museveni is from; youth that are extremely loyal to the Buganda King; youth from another region who oppose the Buganda King… anger that has been brewing for three (or seven, our informant can’t really remember when a riot of this scale last happened) years erupts admist all the chaos. So far, roughly 21 are dead and 69 injured; 550 are arrested. Yesterday, riots started at 8 am and ended in the afternoon, then started again at 2 am. I can still hear gunshots going off every few minutes outside the hostel.
Rumours have it that the students at Makerere University want to strike against the 80% increase in tuition. Last time there was a strike, cafeterias were looted, chaos ensued, and 2 died. Currently, campus is closed and no strikes have started, yet.
Another round of gunshots and a stream of running people from outside the window.
(post written on Saturday)
<!– @page { size: 21.59cm 27.94cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } –>
The Ugandan sorry
Public transport: Matatus
Public transport: Boda Boda
Kampala pours (rain): banana leaves, plastic bags
Electricity outages
The Ugandan what
Our daily food
The hostel
The mosquito nets
The cold showers
The Ugandan speech
The fruits
The Mzungus
The taxi park
“Cheena”
The permanent African “tan”
The malaria medicine: Lariam
The lessons
The roads
African dancing
crafts market
Religion
Atheist
Rafting the Nile
Ringing cellphones in lectures
tbc
“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.” – Paul Hawken