Meditations and Readings on Southern and Eastern Africa

Reading resources to date:

The White Nile:  Alan Moorehead (1960/1971))

The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi:  Authur Japin (1997/2000))

West with the Night:  Beryl Markham (1942/1983)

The State of Africa:  Martin Meredith (2005)

Jock of the Bushveld:  Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (1907)

The Teeth May Smile But The Heart Does Not Forget:  Andrew Rice (2009)

Say You’re One Of Them:  Uwen Akpan (2008)

Bradt Travel Guide to Uganda, History Section:  Philip Briggs (2009)

One of the great joys and frustrations in traveling to new lands is trying to understand these new places, trying to make some sense of them.  My scheme has been first to follow Mel Orbit’s advice:  “Keep your eyes open, keep your ears open, and move at will”.  “Mel” is Bruce Moleski, a friend from college and extensive traveler who gave me this sound advice many years ago. Added to this, I try to get as directly involved in the daily life of the new place as I can, ask as many questions as my hosts can tolerate, hold instant judgments at bay, and read as much relevant literature as is available.  I’ve been able to read the books listed above since arriving.  They are all very worthwhile and they are particularly strong reading as a group.  However, Two Hearts, West of the Night, and Jock stand out as stories steeped in the complexities/contradictions of colonial life.  The Teeth May Smile and Say You’re Not One of Them follow very compelling stories that reveal much about more contemporary Africa. So, after all this, what is left is to accept and enjoy the mystery that is at the heart of any truly new place.

I feel quite lucky to be back in southern Africa (Africa from the equator to its southern terminus in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans), to be able to consider again how this part of the world works. Sweeping explanations about any place should always be carefully scrutinized, but thinking about common experiences shared by those in a given region is helpful to me.  Here are some of those experiences that come to mind:

People have lived in parts of southern Africa for thousands of years.  Indeed, hominids first stood up here and walked this land for at least 5 million years

For much of that time, humans were far from the top of the food chain and only made their way up that ladder by their wits, curiosity, cunning, and complete dedication to their circumstances

Since a considerable part of this region sits by the Indian Ocean, there has been significant influence from the east, particularly Indian and eastern Muslim influence

The European colonization of Africa, at its height from 1860-1960, changed life permanently for everyone here; it forever changed the West’s perceptions about southern Africa

In more recent times, HIV/AIDS has killed over 2 million Ugandans, about 6% of those killed worldwide.  The height of the epidemic here was 2005, but still an estimated 1.4 million Ugandans are currently infected.

Life here in 2018 contains deep remnants of all of the above, but also is forming itself in new combinations and new ways every day

Learning about Mapungubwe:  An earlier SA kingdom

 By the time Europe divided Africa into 40 colonies and protectorates, over 10,000 distinct, native groups were forced into new political and social arrangements.  In Uganda, the British Protectorate of Uganda was first divided among the four largest existing kingdoms: Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole, and Toro.  The British used a system they called “indirect rule”, placing existing native leaders in positions of local authority.  In conversations I’ve had there is still pride among Ugandans that they were a “protectorate” led by their own people and not a “colony” led by outsiders. 

The greatest complications to indirect rule seem to have occurred when non-locals were placed in charge of districts because of some perceived favoritism and as the Protectorate expanded its territory, new governing groups were added outside the original four kingdoms.  Today, there are 56 tribes recognized in Uganda and nine groups are officially recognized in the 1995 Constitution. About 33 different languages are spoken in local areas throughout Uganda.  Kiswahili, English, and one’s local language are all taught in the national schools and students are expected to know each of them.  In Bududa, Lugisu is the local language, but driving just 45 minutes to Mbale, the regional city, another language is spoken. In most areas of Uganda we’ve visited, the local language is the language most people use. It is not uncommon for people to speak and understand 5-6 different languages and some form of English is often spoken.

While the Protectorate years attempted to take advantage of existing native distinctions, there was an overall favoritism toward the southern Kingdom of Buganda.  At the time the British arrived in Uganda on the heals of Livingstone, Speke, and Burton’s attempt at finding the source of the White Nile, the Kingdom of Buganda was well established and the one the British dealt with most directly.  This initial favoritism also supported a distinction between the south and north of Uganda, between the Bantu-Bagandan peoples of the south and the Nilotic-Sudanese peoples from the north.  Today, the south remains more prosperous and more stable than the north.  In addition, early political affiliations were formed along native group distinctions.  These political groups also tended to form according to religious preference: Catholic, Anglican, and to a lesser degree, Muslim.  In 1962, the year of Ugandan independence, many Ugandans had some experience with government administration, but the multitude of affiliations, loyalties, perspectives and divisions have clearly contributed to the difficulties of modern Uganda.

Sharing stories on the porch in Bududa

On the ground, we are fortunate to hear the stories of this past and of the present. We see the vestiges of this past playing out today and in our work with the Bududa Learning Center (BLC) we particularly witness the effects of HIV/AIDS. We also hear how the past was filled with exceptions and locally known stories that can alter our understanding the “history” of Uganda significantly.  I’m often reminded of the scene in Jurassic Park where Ian (Jeff Goldblum) finally finds a nest with eggs and repeats, “Life will find a way”. We witness those around us making choices, creating some new ways that may be moving Bududa and Uganda toward a different future.  Every day we witness the relentless weight of Uganda’s history as well. 

Helping the BLC extend its influence into the future is the ground on which all of these lives and experiences, coupled with our best understanding, come to bare. We try the best we can to hear the truth of today’s Uganda being shared with us and to help push the program toward that call.      

Uganda's future:  A former Child of Bududa, now a nurse, with her son

Some Statistical Comparisons:

                                        Uganda                                   US

 Land Area:                   Size of Oregon

Population:                 42 million                               325 million   

Average Age:              15.7 years                               37 years

% below 30:               78% (youngest in world)  25%

Life expectancy:        59 years                                  79 years        

Average income:       $1,200 per year                    $55,000 per year

% on $690 or less:    35% (down from 50% in 2006)

Average Births/woman:   6                                      1.8

AIDS related deaths:  Over 2 million                     636,000

Current prevalence:   7.3%                                       .012%