Uganda is a country full of contradictions. Kampala is full of cars, yet there are only a handful (literally) of traffic lights. There is an unbelievable abundance of fruits and vegetables, of great variety, yet there are basically only 3 main dishes, which makes one wonder what happens to all the other fruits and vegetables. The streets are full of Mercedes-Benz…and pond-sized potholes. There are luxurious houses and classic suburban America homes a block or two from urban slums. All of the above contradictions, as I see them to be, do not gain to much public attention. People mostly seem to accept them as part of everyday life in Uganda. However, there is one major contradiction that has created a lot of controversy lately and will continue to gain much more in the future: Uganda is a constantly changing country and, yet, its view of “culture” is very much static.
Uganda’s static view of culture has put Uganda in the international spot-light twice in the last 6 months. First, people rioted over their “king” being denied access to part of his kingdom by the central government. Many people throughout Uganda believe the old kingdoms should be recognized, even granted federal status. The status of kingdoms in Uganda has a long controversial history, but that’s not what I want to focus on here. Instead, I want to focus on the second, more recent, issue: the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.
The Ugandan Parliament is entertaining a draconian bill against homosexuality. If you ask many Ugandans about homosexuality, then they’ll say it’s not a part of their “culture.” They’ll say, “It’s not part of African culture.” Yet, spend a weekend in Uganda without knowing the “culture” and you’d be a bit flabbergasted by this comment, especially coming from many places in America. Men hold hands with men, everywhere, freely. Women hold hands with women, everywhere. In the bars, men dance with men. In a lot of America, these things would seem taboo. However, here, it’s just part of the culture. Yet, in America, fortunately, even if some people would want it, we are not trying to imprison people for same-sex relations.
The bill presented before the Ugandan Parliament would make any same-sex relations and any knowledge of same-sex relations illegal. It is a bill that will imprison people or put people to death for same-sex relations, having sex with HIV, “attempted” homosexuality, knowing without reporting that someone is a homosexual, and the promotion of homosexuality. Advocates of the bill are arguing all this is necessary to protect the culture and to protect children. In reality, the bill opens up a black hole where people will be able to condemn and imprison enemies for same-sex relations. It also makes me wonder if, while I argued homosexuality was also a human-right in class, I could be imprisoned. According to my understanding of the bill, I probably could be.
The international community has, thankfully, condemned the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. Unfortunately, I am not sure the lip-service will do anything unless donors go as far as to freeze aid, which I do not see happening. There are many legislators that support the bill and the ones that do not support it fear not voting for it. Why would they fear not voting for it? Ugandans in general support it, vehemently. There is a trashy paper here called the Red Pepper and it sometimes has complete issues dedicated to revealing the names/occupations of homosexuals within Uganda. It’s the fastest selling issue of the paper. In fact, sadly, it sells out completely each time. That is why legislators fear opposing it, they know their constitutes support it, even if they don't fully comprehend its implications.
For more information about the bill and Uganda’s view of it, check out the following articles written by friends of mine.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/28/ugandas_do_ask_do_tell?page=full
http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/column/comment/70-comment/2092-anti-gay-bill-opens-a-pandoras-box
There are also articles that have been published by international newspapers/magazines such as the New York Times, BBC, and The Economist.
I'm hoping, if I blog about this bill again, it will be to say it failed to pass through parliament. Uganda is constantly changing and wants to "develop," yet the people are trying adamantly to preserve their static view of what their culture is. I find that a very dangerous, and potentially explosive, combination and contradiction.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Students I teach eagerly trying to see the computer. The most popular search topics, of their choice, after my lesson was done: Sydney Australia, Barack Obama, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Kony, and Micheal Jackson.
A new home and a new internship!
I have a new home, outside of the hectic city of Kampala. I moved outside of the city on November 1st, and I think it was a fantastic choice. The little neighborhood I am in, called “For God,” is surrounded by countryside, traditional homes, little kids, clear air, and an abundance of people speaking the local language. It’s very peaceful, relaxing, and fun.
I am doing a home-stay with a Rotarian named David. It is just me, him, and his brother Stephen living in a small two-bedroom house. Stephen and David are both really nice. Stephen laughs all the time and is trying to help me learn the local language, which I butcher with style on a daily basis. There is a nice lady named Evelyn, who only speaks the local language, that comes and cooks for us. It is pretty good traditional food, mostly beans, rice, posho, peas, “greens,” or, once a week, fish stew. Last week she was sick with malaria and everyone quickly missed her when the kitchen became a black hole. I tried to help cook, but had no idea how to prepare the local food or even use the charcoal stove they have. Needless to say, we are extremely happy she has returned. Unfortunately, I don’t know the words to tell her how much we missed her.
The internship is with an organization that David works for. (If it wasn’t for him, then I would most likely still be on the busy streets of Kampala.) The organization is attempting to bridge the barriers that exist between rural communities and the rest of Uganda/the world. To do so, it has developed solar powered computer centers in around 20 sites thus far. The majority of these sites are in schools and community centers. Each site is connected to the internet via a signal sent through antennas around the countryside, many of which are on water towers. All these communities are not only connected to the internet (which is unprecedented for their location, considering most do not even have electricity), they are connected to an intranet community site which allows them to communicate with other villages on the network. Through this site, villagers can, for example, share stories, ask questions about health issues, receive agricultural advice, and sell products. It provides a way for people to bridge the gaps between villages.
My internship mostly consists of training students and teachers in how to use a computer and take advantage of all the resources it has to offer. Thus far, it has been great! In most cases, the people I am teaching have never even touched a computer. Nevertheless, they are very, very eager to learn. For students, it seems to be a much wanted connection to the rest of the world. For teachers, it is an unprecedented resource for the knowledge not contained in their outdated textbooks. For community members, it is a way to connect to other villages and receive advice on, for example, growing bananas. At first, I will admit, I was a little skeptical about how helpful these computer centers would be in rural villages. After 2 ½ weeks, my skepticism has very much turned to optimism. Being able to use a computer is a skill many, many people want. The trainings and available computers provide a means through which people can earn money, gain knowledge, and see what exists outside of their community. The only thing holding them back, really, is how many trainers and computers we can get in the field.
I am doing a home-stay with a Rotarian named David. It is just me, him, and his brother Stephen living in a small two-bedroom house. Stephen and David are both really nice. Stephen laughs all the time and is trying to help me learn the local language, which I butcher with style on a daily basis. There is a nice lady named Evelyn, who only speaks the local language, that comes and cooks for us. It is pretty good traditional food, mostly beans, rice, posho, peas, “greens,” or, once a week, fish stew. Last week she was sick with malaria and everyone quickly missed her when the kitchen became a black hole. I tried to help cook, but had no idea how to prepare the local food or even use the charcoal stove they have. Needless to say, we are extremely happy she has returned. Unfortunately, I don’t know the words to tell her how much we missed her.
The internship is with an organization that David works for. (If it wasn’t for him, then I would most likely still be on the busy streets of Kampala.) The organization is attempting to bridge the barriers that exist between rural communities and the rest of Uganda/the world. To do so, it has developed solar powered computer centers in around 20 sites thus far. The majority of these sites are in schools and community centers. Each site is connected to the internet via a signal sent through antennas around the countryside, many of which are on water towers. All these communities are not only connected to the internet (which is unprecedented for their location, considering most do not even have electricity), they are connected to an intranet community site which allows them to communicate with other villages on the network. Through this site, villagers can, for example, share stories, ask questions about health issues, receive agricultural advice, and sell products. It provides a way for people to bridge the gaps between villages.
My internship mostly consists of training students and teachers in how to use a computer and take advantage of all the resources it has to offer. Thus far, it has been great! In most cases, the people I am teaching have never even touched a computer. Nevertheless, they are very, very eager to learn. For students, it seems to be a much wanted connection to the rest of the world. For teachers, it is an unprecedented resource for the knowledge not contained in their outdated textbooks. For community members, it is a way to connect to other villages and receive advice on, for example, growing bananas. At first, I will admit, I was a little skeptical about how helpful these computer centers would be in rural villages. After 2 ½ weeks, my skepticism has very much turned to optimism. Being able to use a computer is a skill many, many people want. The trainings and available computers provide a means through which people can earn money, gain knowledge, and see what exists outside of their community. The only thing holding them back, really, is how many trainers and computers we can get in the field.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
No Longer in Limbo.
It’s been a long, long time since I last posted. I’m sure none of you were hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for a post, but, if you were, sorry. The reason I have not posted is because I’ve been in a state of limbo for quite a while. I am no longer in a state of limbo, so now I can explain what was/what is going on with me.
About a month ago now, I went to register for my classes. You don’t have to register here before a semester starts or even before the end of the first week. People want you to register early, but, in reality, you can wait until a couple days before final exams. Nevertheless, I decided to go register and have it done with. I heard it could be a long process and things just seemed too up in the air without me being registered. Anyways, I went to the graduate studies room to register. They told me to go to another room to get a student number. With this number, I could pay and, after that, I could register. I went up to the room; they told me they didn’t have a number for me and sent me to another room. After about an hour and a half of being sent to numerous rooms (mostly back and forth), I was told I had no file. I asked what this meant because, after all, I have an acceptance letter. Since I had a letter, I assumed I had a file. They said, “No, it was lost.” Thus, I asked, “What does that mean?” The lady stood up, went to a file of papers, shuffled through the papers, pulled out a form, and handed it to me. It was the Application for Graduate Studies, the same exact form I filled out to apply. She said something like, “Fill this out with all the documents.” I said, “What about my acceptance letter?” “Oh, add that in with the application.” After this, I was pretty much awe-struck and told her I didn’t have the documents. She pretty much shrugged.
Ever since that day, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. I have gone back to the University to ask people again. One day, I was told to "do them a favor and just reapply." Another day, I found some random documents of mine in a random room, but that was pretty much the extent of my success. I talked to Rotary International about what to do. I was given one more option (besides trying to push my re-application through) and one back-up plan if the other options failed. The back-up plan was an application to another university in the world. This way, if my other options failed, I’d have somewhere I could potentially go. I’ve spent many hours trying to figure out where that’d be, what the implications for that would be, and how I would even apply. My professors at Furman were extremely supportive and willing to rewrite me another recommendation letter. In the end, I was able to pull everything together that was needed for my back-up plan, except, of course, all the details if I’d actually have to carry it out.
However,(sorry to the professors who worked on those letters, but thanks again)the back-up plan will not be necessary. The second option I was given by Rotary International was to become a research scholar. Under this option, you’re still affiliated with the university, but you’re not in classes. Instead, as the title implies, you carry out academic research with supervisors. At first, I had no idea what I would research. However, after a couple of days, I thought of an idea from something that had really interested me in a few of my classes (which I was still attending despite being in limbo). After some quick research and talking to a few professors, I realized it had potential. Thus, I set on the task of finding supervisors. It took me a few weeks to find some supervisors. A few people liked the idea and were willing to work with me, but did not want to take on a supervisor status. Nevertheless, after a few strike-outs, I found a couple professors willing to work with me and help me carry out a research endeavor. After approval from my Rotary district (Thanks Dee!), I was granted research status by Rotary International officially on October 5, 2009. It feels good. And, I’m excited.
The anxiety over the situation is pretty much why I did not post for all this time. I was pretty much in limbo. In fact, I was downright freaking out at times. For much of the time, I was waiting for developments, and, at the same time, I really did not have any serious updates, except to say, “Hey, I’m in limbo.” Anyways, it’s all over now. It will be a good story later on. The fact that my file was “lost” is already humorous, except I still know about the anxiety it brought on. I can finally relax and focus, which is nice. There is no major weight on my shoulders. I have a focus, and, actually, I believe, the research could end up much better for me in the long run.
About a month ago now, I went to register for my classes. You don’t have to register here before a semester starts or even before the end of the first week. People want you to register early, but, in reality, you can wait until a couple days before final exams. Nevertheless, I decided to go register and have it done with. I heard it could be a long process and things just seemed too up in the air without me being registered. Anyways, I went to the graduate studies room to register. They told me to go to another room to get a student number. With this number, I could pay and, after that, I could register. I went up to the room; they told me they didn’t have a number for me and sent me to another room. After about an hour and a half of being sent to numerous rooms (mostly back and forth), I was told I had no file. I asked what this meant because, after all, I have an acceptance letter. Since I had a letter, I assumed I had a file. They said, “No, it was lost.” Thus, I asked, “What does that mean?” The lady stood up, went to a file of papers, shuffled through the papers, pulled out a form, and handed it to me. It was the Application for Graduate Studies, the same exact form I filled out to apply. She said something like, “Fill this out with all the documents.” I said, “What about my acceptance letter?” “Oh, add that in with the application.” After this, I was pretty much awe-struck and told her I didn’t have the documents. She pretty much shrugged.
Ever since that day, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. I have gone back to the University to ask people again. One day, I was told to "do them a favor and just reapply." Another day, I found some random documents of mine in a random room, but that was pretty much the extent of my success. I talked to Rotary International about what to do. I was given one more option (besides trying to push my re-application through) and one back-up plan if the other options failed. The back-up plan was an application to another university in the world. This way, if my other options failed, I’d have somewhere I could potentially go. I’ve spent many hours trying to figure out where that’d be, what the implications for that would be, and how I would even apply. My professors at Furman were extremely supportive and willing to rewrite me another recommendation letter. In the end, I was able to pull everything together that was needed for my back-up plan, except, of course, all the details if I’d actually have to carry it out.
However,(sorry to the professors who worked on those letters, but thanks again)the back-up plan will not be necessary. The second option I was given by Rotary International was to become a research scholar. Under this option, you’re still affiliated with the university, but you’re not in classes. Instead, as the title implies, you carry out academic research with supervisors. At first, I had no idea what I would research. However, after a couple of days, I thought of an idea from something that had really interested me in a few of my classes (which I was still attending despite being in limbo). After some quick research and talking to a few professors, I realized it had potential. Thus, I set on the task of finding supervisors. It took me a few weeks to find some supervisors. A few people liked the idea and were willing to work with me, but did not want to take on a supervisor status. Nevertheless, after a few strike-outs, I found a couple professors willing to work with me and help me carry out a research endeavor. After approval from my Rotary district (Thanks Dee!), I was granted research status by Rotary International officially on October 5, 2009. It feels good. And, I’m excited.
The anxiety over the situation is pretty much why I did not post for all this time. I was pretty much in limbo. In fact, I was downright freaking out at times. For much of the time, I was waiting for developments, and, at the same time, I really did not have any serious updates, except to say, “Hey, I’m in limbo.” Anyways, it’s all over now. It will be a good story later on. The fact that my file was “lost” is already humorous, except I still know about the anxiety it brought on. I can finally relax and focus, which is nice. There is no major weight on my shoulders. I have a focus, and, actually, I believe, the research could end up much better for me in the long run.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
"I'm a Ugandan for Obama"
President Obama is extremely popular in Uganda. I noticed it immediately, but only realized just how popular he is this past week. I've seen plenty of people with shirts (campaign shirts, homemade shirts, etc), hats, pants (including black jeans with Barack Obama printed brightly on them in yellow) or bumper stickers declaring "I'm a Ugandan for Obama." It's pretty humorous, and nice to be someplace where people do not hate our President. (I only previously traveled when Bush was President, and, as you probably know, he wasn't too popular abroad.) All of this has sort of surprised me, but my experience this week showed just how popular he is. I saw a stamp with Barack Obama's picture and the U.S. Presidential seal on it. Mind you, this was a Ugandan government issued stamp. I was blown away.
As for other things that are happening, I went exploring last weekend, and the countryside was really beautiful. It was nice to regroup from the busyness of Kampala. Classes also started this week, sort of. I think about half of the professors showed up. My classmates are really nice though, and a few have given me suggestions for internships. From what I've been told, classes will really get started this week. So, we'll see how that goes.
As for other things that are happening, I went exploring last weekend, and the countryside was really beautiful. It was nice to regroup from the busyness of Kampala. Classes also started this week, sort of. I think about half of the professors showed up. My classmates are really nice though, and a few have given me suggestions for internships. From what I've been told, classes will really get started this week. So, we'll see how that goes.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
My First Week in Uganda
So, here is first attempt at blogging. We'll see how it goes...
The first week or so in Uganda has been pretty eventful, except in regards to actually starting university, and all-in-all things are going pretty well so far. I have spent days trying to figure out when I start school, when I have classes, and when I have to pay/register. All of these seemingly simple questions have been difficult to find answers to. Everyone is very nice, and tries to help, but, honestly, does not really know what I am supposed to do. Quite obviously, some of the confusion has been verbal. I repeatedly asked different people about my schedule, and, it ends up, a schedule is called a timetable here. That was a major breakthrough; they told me I could maybe get it this Monday (the “first” day of classes?).
Outside of school, I have been welcomed into the Rotary community. I was picked up at the airport and arranged convenient accommodation for the first evening. On my first day, by chance, my host club had a meeting. I met some really nice people, including a member of the University’s Rotaract, Ian, who has been a great help. On Friday, I went to Jinja with a member of a fellow scholar’s Rotary Club. Thus far, it is my first and only trip outside of Kampala.
Through a chance encounter, with a Makerere professor, I have been invited to two organizational events. One was an annual meeting for the Foundation of Human Rights Initiative. There were over a 100 members of the community, all representatives and/or members of some local organization. I befriended a number of people, and now I have about 5 potential hosts throughout Eastern and Northern Uganda. One lady heads an amazing organization that deals with the rehabilitation of Women and Children affected by the war in Northern-Uganda. Very Interesting. I will visit her for sure.
At the annual meeting, I was formally invited to attend the launch of a new organization called “The Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda.” And, it just so happens, this event had major representatives from Uganda and the world. There were embassy representatives from the U.S., Britain, Sweden, and the E.U. From Uganda, there were district Governors, members of Parliament, NGO representatives, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, political party representatives, and, yes, the Speaker of Parliament (Edward Ssehandi). It was a very interesting and thought-provoking event that gave a great amount of insight to Ugandan politics. One of the most interesting speeches came from the Vice-President of the Democratic Party, Morbert Mao, who is a possible candidate for the presidency in 2011. He sharply criticized the government, talked about the fight for democracy, and had a quote about tyranny from Fredrick Douglas. To sum, he and many others are deeply upset about President Museveni changing the constitution before the last elections to allow him to run for elections again. Obviously, they are upset about other things as well, but this was a big issue at the meeting.
The first week or so in Uganda has been pretty eventful, except in regards to actually starting university, and all-in-all things are going pretty well so far. I have spent days trying to figure out when I start school, when I have classes, and when I have to pay/register. All of these seemingly simple questions have been difficult to find answers to. Everyone is very nice, and tries to help, but, honestly, does not really know what I am supposed to do. Quite obviously, some of the confusion has been verbal. I repeatedly asked different people about my schedule, and, it ends up, a schedule is called a timetable here. That was a major breakthrough; they told me I could maybe get it this Monday (the “first” day of classes?).
Outside of school, I have been welcomed into the Rotary community. I was picked up at the airport and arranged convenient accommodation for the first evening. On my first day, by chance, my host club had a meeting. I met some really nice people, including a member of the University’s Rotaract, Ian, who has been a great help. On Friday, I went to Jinja with a member of a fellow scholar’s Rotary Club. Thus far, it is my first and only trip outside of Kampala.
Through a chance encounter, with a Makerere professor, I have been invited to two organizational events. One was an annual meeting for the Foundation of Human Rights Initiative. There were over a 100 members of the community, all representatives and/or members of some local organization. I befriended a number of people, and now I have about 5 potential hosts throughout Eastern and Northern Uganda. One lady heads an amazing organization that deals with the rehabilitation of Women and Children affected by the war in Northern-Uganda. Very Interesting. I will visit her for sure.
At the annual meeting, I was formally invited to attend the launch of a new organization called “The Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda.” And, it just so happens, this event had major representatives from Uganda and the world. There were embassy representatives from the U.S., Britain, Sweden, and the E.U. From Uganda, there were district Governors, members of Parliament, NGO representatives, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, political party representatives, and, yes, the Speaker of Parliament (Edward Ssehandi). It was a very interesting and thought-provoking event that gave a great amount of insight to Ugandan politics. One of the most interesting speeches came from the Vice-President of the Democratic Party, Morbert Mao, who is a possible candidate for the presidency in 2011. He sharply criticized the government, talked about the fight for democracy, and had a quote about tyranny from Fredrick Douglas. To sum, he and many others are deeply upset about President Museveni changing the constitution before the last elections to allow him to run for elections again. Obviously, they are upset about other things as well, but this was a big issue at the meeting.
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