April 2017

The African Riches

Visiting Kampala in 2017 is like visiting any other big modern city, with lots of nationalities gathered together celebrating with international flair.

But amidst this bustling hive of multi-ethnicity and metropolitans, one can feel like the African flavor is lost.

This feeling is most evident when flipping through the average beauty magazine laden with expensive foreign lotions, photoshopped models, and pin-straight hair, not to mention western silhouettes.  Has Kampala lost its own flavor in pursuit of the modern city?

Maybe we are scared of looking outdated or backward. Most young people will tell you that to them looking African means wearing a traditional dress, a sometimes awkward look for modern Kampala almost strictly reserved for weddings and the like. To the modern Kampala yuppie, nothing is more terrifying than looking “local”. The connotations of which may include being backward, untraveled or ignorant.

It’s time we reached into our hearts and embraced the beauty and uniqueness of African culture. Can it be that we take for granted what we have or is it that we are distracted by western standards of beauty?  Slowly but surely the definition of local is changing. Uganda has started producing higher-quality products; implementing better design and holding producers to a higher standard of quality. The definition of local will also change when we realize that local can mean genuine, or traditional; it means paying homage to where we come from and how it impacts where we are going.

Any lack or dissatisfaction we feel should inspire us to redefine what “looking Ugandan” means. We are not stuck in the past, every day we get an opportunity to change how the world sees us, and more importantly how we see ourselves. It means buying locally made products when possible, it means supporting Ugandan businesses, and it means being #proudly Ugandans.

All over Kampala, you can get wax print fashion almost anywhere you are. In the basement of iguanas bar, across the street from the quality hill, or definition at acacia mall will have a wide variety of Afrocentric items. This includes shoes, hats, pillows, clothes and so much more. Try the fun graphic t-shirts from the definition, their funny slogans and quips perfectly sum up life in Uganda. Our favorite is the one proclaiming ‘I like R&B (rice and beans)’.

Even smaller tailors will usually have access to wax print fabric or kitenge print and will be able to custom make you a great piece. If you need inspiration check out Pinterest or Instagram to see what people all over the world are doing with African fashion.  African beauty is not a single look or trend, it’s fluid. Something anyone can rock. Becoming modern doesn’t mean giving up the tradition, it’s about adapting tradition.

Because of this rapidly increasing market for kitenge fashion, African design, and locally made clothes.  Looking Ugandan no longer limits itself to only a gomesi or a kanzu. It can mean a jerry-can backpack, a wax print skirt, or a handmade necklace.  As we go through 2017 we will expect to see more examples of African-inspired beauty.

African beauty embodies everything about our culture. It usually supports the environment, or a social cause; its bright colors personify the African spirit; and because Uganda’s Afrocentric movement is still so new that there is no limit to what we can do.

Travelling as part of my life.

Many people ponder what they should do for a vacation and I realized a lot of people do not seem to share my views about travelling.

I believe it is very important to see the world and different cultures.

It lets us open our minds to new things and we get to experience in existing different ways.

I know that travelling gives us the opportunity to disconnect from our regular life. We get to forget our problems/issues for a few weeks. It can also help us figure things out that we would not have understood without the distance travelling can give us.

We all have crazy schedules, work or a family to take care of; going away alone or with some friends can give you distance and perhaps even make us realize how important these people are in our life. Like the saying reveals; ‘we never know what we have until we lose it.

When travelling with friends or family it creates lots of memory for a lifetime. These memories will create a bond that nothing can erase no matter what happens with the friendship or relationship. One of the principal values of travelling is that it breaks the monotony of life and work.

Life, for most people, is, in a mad rush from one place to another, from one activity to another, trying to gather as much as possible.

In this process usually, people tend to forget, who they are and what they are. For those, there is no time to ponder and wonder. They tend to forget also the values of life.

Travelling is the time when people relax, reflect and ponder. Most people, after a pleasant trip, return home with a fresh outlook, with a new zeal and a better determination.

Travelling has also a great informative value. It widens the grasp of our knowledge of geography, different cultures and people. Travelling plays important role in our education. Our education remains incomplete without travelling. Travelling is certainly a basic activity which we should think about at a certain point in our life.

Through it we gain important experience, learn many things about the culture and the history of the countries, lifestyle of the citizens, food habits and so many other experiences we have never thought that they existed.

First of all, I want to point out that visiting different places does not only broaden our mind but also teaches us how to cope with different situations.

Secondly, travelling will provide us with interesting information, which we would not otherwise learn. When we are abroad, it is also important to visit some museums and old buildings.

They will help us to understand better the culture of the other countries. Taking long walks while travelling can introduce to us the ordinary lives of the people.

In conclusion, I will say that travelling can improve our understanding of the world and give us wonderful experiences, which we will never forget.

Get to know this tip before traveling .

By Charlene Nerima
For many people from Europe and surrounding continents, it is summertime and as such, it is a time to jeton wonderful and warm adventures.
But what should you bring and what can you do without? Here are a few steps travelers can take to make packing perfect.

Step 1: Weight, size….
Understand limitations. Traveling by car, with an empty boot to fill? In this case, the more the merrier! But for those traveling by air, it is worth looking into weight and size restrictions to eliminate those last-minute surprises when checking it at the airport.

Most airlines enforce a 50-pound weight restriction for checked bags. So you need to pack cautiously, lest you end up emptying half your suitcase at the airport.

Step 2: The essentials
Make a master list of everything needed, every day. This list can include all the basics, like a toothbrush and toothpaste, and all personal must-haves, like special face cream or hair straightener. Now, keep this list and re-use it for the next trip!

Step 3: Mix and match
Forget total outfits. First, consult the local weather forecast. Then, choose a basic color theme and stick with it – blacks or navies, whites or creams – so that can pack a set or mix and match basics. Pack familiar items – now are not the time to experiment with new pieces. Leave behind articles that wrinkle too much or show wear too easily.

And take multifunctional pieces like a blazer or cardigan to coordinate with pants or a dress. With the space saved, there is room for one or two extravagant items – or for souvenirs picked up along the way!

Step 4: Shoes, shoes, purses and shoes!
Oh, the agony! Again, sticking to a color theme will make decisions so much easier. Take a comfortable pair of shoes, as traveling always involves a lot of walking. Now, take one pair that can dress anything up with for the evening. And finally, wear the biggest pair while traveling. As for purses, the same rules apply – take one for the day, which can possibly double as a second carry-on bag, and a little bag for the evening, which can easily slip into the suitcase.

Step 5: Toiletries
Searching for a little piece of home away from home? For many people, that comes in the shape of toiletries and cosmetics. Always remember the 100 ml rule – anything larger than 100 MLS can only be packed in checked luggage. And collect samples of favorite brands to use during the trip. This will drastically reduce the volume of toiletries required.

Step 6: Accessories
If there is one area people can pack a few outstanding items in, this is it! Pack all the basics, and sneak in a few extras just in case. Those sparkly earrings? Check. A bangle bracelet? Why not?

Step seven: Packing vs unpacking
One last rule? The less you pack, the less you have to unpack!

ViewUganda.ug

How to Change from Boys to Men

Every August, many Bagisu or Bamasaba boys are figuratively initiated into manhood. Bagisu inhabit the western and southern halves of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda. The boys, mostly aged between 12 and 16, undergo a traditional circumcision ritual called imbalu. This process is done without any anesthetics. Imbalu literary means a big knife.

In Bugisu, the main ceremony in the region is always held at Mutoto, one Kilometer  out of Mbale Town. Mutoto not only brings together Bamasaba from Uganda but also from Kenya. According to local folklore, Mutoto is the place where the first imbalu ceremony officially took place. All the subsequent imbalu opening ceremonies have taken place there ever since. In fact those who have witnessed the ceremonies equate Mutoto to Namugongo or Mecca where thousands of pilgrims throng annually.

It is not clear when exactly imbalu started. But folklore has it that the Bamasaba took it up “for the safety of the boys” especially so after a Mumasaba boy bruised his foreskin during intercourse with a girl.

“So to protect other boys, the Bamasaba adopted circumcision,” says Bob Mushikori, a minister in the Inzuyi Bamasaba (the House of Bamasaba). “It is now part of our culture. It is something that identifies us.”

Another tradition states that imbalu originated from the demand by the Kalenjin when Masaba, the Bagisu hero ancestor, wanted to marry a Kalenjin girl and so was forced to circumcise.

Yet another legend says the first person to be circumcised was being punished for seducing other people’s wives. Legend states it was decided to partially castrate him by way of circumcision. When he recovered he resumed his former practices and rumour went around that he had become excellent at sex. In order to compete favourably, other men decided to circumcise also.

Now, any Mumasaba boy aged 12 and above can undergo circumcision wherever he wants as long as it is before they make 18 years.

The community largely frowns upon males who even after they clock 18 deliberately avoid being circumcised.

Such males are derisively referred to as basinde, to imply that they are cowards. Even those who opt to be circumcised in health facilities – under anesthesia – are referred to as cowards. Thus many boys in the rural areas prefer to do it the traditional way.

Mushikori says in the beginning the Bamasaba used to circumcise the boys during odd years. However, in 1907, the region was hit by famine because of a prolonged dry season. As is the case today and then, feasting is part and parcel of the circumcision. Therefore a good harvest is an important aspect of Imbalu season.

However, due to the poor crop yield then, the community did not have enough food to feed the tens, or in some cases the hundreds, of people who are part of the entourage that accompanies the boys for circumcision therefore Imbalu did not take place that year.

In1908, against a backdrop of good crops yield, the community had enough food for all. So they (Bamasaba) resumed circumcising. From then on, the large traditional circumcision ceremonies are done mostly during even years.

The circumcision ceremony is preceded by the ‘candidates’ moving around the villages as they dance to kadodi, a rhythmic dream-beat unique to Bugisu meant for the ceremony. They boys wear only shorts with a bare chest. The boys are subjected to hard conditions as one of the ways they can prove that they are men.

To mitigate the cold in the largely hilly and chilly Bugisu while bare chest in the wee hours of the morning as they jog around, dancing. And to mitigate the heat – should their processions be in the afternoon when the sun is intense – they mostly run around bare. The boys usually have flywhisks that they wave as they dance whereas the other people in the processions wave twigs.

In some cases the dancing begins at dawn and goes on until dusk though it is interspersed with breaks during which the boys visit some of their relatives. The relatives prepare meals for the soon to be men to re-energise them before they continue with their processions.

Once they are done with eating, some relatives’ offer the boys live chicken or in some cases goats ‘for their bravery’.

The dances last between one and four weeks, depending on each family’s preference. In some cases, one week to the circumcision date, some families fete the boys to a local drink made of fermented millet, malwa, mixed with hot water. The initiation into drinking implies now that the boys are due for the rite of passage; they can as well do what is considered a preserve of adults.

On circumcision day itself, elders smear the boys to be circumcised with ash. “It makes them look like warriors. It is to psychologically prepare them for the surgeon’s knife,” says Mushikori. Some unconfirmed accounts however, say it is meant to reduce chances of a hemorrhage.

However, all the boys who are due for circumcision are encouraged not to have sex especially weeks before and after circumcision. It is believed that if they have sex prior circumcision, their foreskins harden, which then makes the circumcision more painful. The boys, now ashen, leave their homes for a central circumcision venue.

Once they have undergone the cut, assistants sprinkle a powdered herb called ingu on the freshly circumcised penises to quicken the healing. In many cases, the wounds reportedly dry in three weeks. After the circumcision, the ‘graduates into manhood’ are feed on obushera – millet porridge. They are also feed on pumpkins and the chicken they got because they are protein foods.

There have been health concerns raised about using one knife on all boys like it used to be in the past. Inzu yi Bamasaba insists that the traditional circumcision surgeons use a knife strictly on one person. Even then, the knives must be sterilised with hot water before the surgeons can shave off the boys’ foreskins.

Mr Mushikori says Inzi yi Bamasaba also want the traditional surgeons to be licensed by the Local Government Health Departments. That way, they would operate according to a strict health code of conduct. Those who flout the rules would lose their licenses, which would deny them a source of income. Besidesl, adhering to health standards would clear the anxiety on the minds of many boys lined up for this rite of passage.

How to change boys to men

Every August, many Bagisu or Bamasaba boys are figuratively initiated into manhood. Bagisu inhabits the western and southern halves of Mt Elgon in eastern Uganda. The boys, mostly aged between 12 and 16, undergo a traditional circumcision ritual called imbalu. This process is done without any anesthetics. Imbalu literary means a big knife.

In Bugisu, the main ceremony in the region is always held at Mutoto, one Kilometer out of Mbale Town. Mutoto not only brings together Bamasaba from Uganda but also from Kenya. According to local folklore, Mutoto is the place where the first imbalu ceremony officially took place. All the subsequent imbalu opening ceremonies have taken place there ever since. In fact, those who have witnessed the ceremonies equate Mutoto to Namugongo or Mecca where thousands of pilgrims throng annually.

It is not clear when exactly imbalu started. But folklore has it that the Bamasaba took it up “for the safety of the boys” especially so after a Mumasaba boy bruised his foreskin during intercourse with a girl.

“So to protect other boys, the Bamasaba adopted circumcision,” says Bob Mushikori, a minister in the Inzuyi Bamasaba (the House of Bamasaba). “It is now part of our culture. It is something that identifies us.”

Another tradition states that imbalu originated from the demand by the Kalenjin when Masaba, the Bagisu hero ancestor, wanted to marry a Kalenjin girl and so was forced to circumcise.

Yet another legend says the first person to be circumcised was being punished for seducing other people’s wives. Legend states it was decided to partially castrate him by way of circumcision. When he recovered he resumed his former practices and rumour went around that he had become excellent at sex. In order to compete favourably, other men decided to circumcise also.

Now, any Mumasaba boy aged 12 and above can undergo circumcision wherever he wants as long as it is before they make 18 years.

The community largely frowns upon males who even after they clock 18 deliberately avoid being circumcised.

Such males are derisively referred to as basinde, to imply that they are cowards. Even those who opt to be circumcised in health facilities – under anesthesia – are referred to as cowards. Thus many boys in the rural areas prefer to do it the traditional way.

Mushikori says in the beginning the Bamasaba used to circumcise the boys during odd years. However, in 1907, the region was hit by famine because of a prolonged dry season. As is the case today and then, feasting is part and parcel of the circumcision. Therefore a good harvest is an important aspect of Imbalu season.

However, due to the poor crop yield then, the community did not have enough food to feed the tens, or in some cases, the hundreds, of people who are part of the entourage that accompanies the boys for circumcision therefore imbalu did not take place that year.

In1908, against a backdrop of good crops yield, the community had enough food for all. So they (Bamasaba) resumed circumcising. From then on, the large traditional circumcision ceremonies are done mostly during even years.

The circumcision ceremony is preceded by the ‘candidates’ moving around the villages as they dance to kadodi, a rhythmic dream-beat unique to Bugisu meant for the ceremony. The boys wear only shorts with a bare chest. The boys are subjected to hard conditions as one of the ways they can prove that they are men.

To mitigate the cold in the largely hilly and chilly Bugisu while bare chest in the wee hours of the morning as they jog around, dancing. And to mitigate the heat – should their processions be in the afternoon when the sun is intense – they mostly run around bare. The boys usually have flywhisks that they wave as they dance whereas the other people in the processions wave twigs.

In some cases the dancing begins at dawn and goes on until dusk though it is interspersed with breaks during which the boys visit some of their relatives. The relatives prepare meals for the soon-to-be men to re-energise them before they continue with their processions.

Once they are done with eating, some relatives’ offer the boys live chicken or in some cases goats ‘for their bravery’.

The dances last between one and four weeks, depending on each family’s preference. In some cases, one week to the circumcision date, some families fete the boys to a local drink made of fermented millet, malwa, mixed with hot water. The initiation into drinking implies now that the boys are due for the rite of passage; they can as well do what is considered a preserve of adults.

On circumcision day itself, elders smear the boys to be circumcised with ash. “It makes them look like warriors. It is to psychologically prepare them for the surgeon’s knife,” says Mushikori. Some unconfirmed accounts however, say it is meant to reduce chances of a hemorrhage.

However, all the boys who are due for circumcision are encouraged not to have sex especially weeks before and after circumcision. It is believed that if they have sex prior circumcision, their foreskins harden, which then makes the circumcision more painful. The boys, now ashen, leave their homes for a central circumcision venue.

Once they have undergone the cut, assistants sprinkle a powdered herb called ingu on the freshly circumcised penises to quicken the healing. In many cases, the wounds reportedly dry in three weeks. After the circumcision, the ‘graduates into manhood’ are feed on obushera – millet porridge. They are also feed on pumpkins and the chicken they got because they are protein foods.

There have been health concerns raised about using one knife on all boys like it used to be in the past. Inzu yi Bamasaba insists that the traditional circumcision surgeons use a knife strictly on one person. Even then, the knives must be sterilised with hot water before the surgeons can shave off the boys’ foreskins.

Mr Mushikori says Inzi yi Bamasaba also want the traditional surgeons to be licensed by the Local Government Health Departments. That way, they would operate according to a strict health code of conduct. Those who flout the rules would lose their licenses, which would deny them a source of income. Besidesl, adhering to health standards would clear the anxiety on the minds of many boys lined up for this rite of passage.

Kyando with Bishop Hannington

A memorial site – Bishop James Hannington Memorial Site – has been constructed at Kyando in Mayuge District. October 29,

annually is a pilgrim day when Christians in Busoga Diocese make pilgrimage to Kyando village to commemorate the day when Bishop Hannington was murdered while preaching the gospel of salvation.

Located in Eastern Uganda some 20kms from Mayuge District main town and 30km from Jinja Town, Bishop James Hannington Memorial Site, is the spot of the first and largest Christian martyrdom in Uganda. This is because it is the place where one of the first missionaries to have visited Uganda from Britain was killed, in cold blood.

Your ride will be a bumpy one due to the nature of the road – bumpy and dusty. Along the way, you can be intercepted by trucks loading sugarcane parked in the middle of the road but all this is worth it when you get to the memorial site.

The story is told in bits and pieces by the locals some of whom visited the site after it took shape in 2012. Though fast-growing into a big tourism site, there are no tour guides and all one can depend on are the passers-by and locals who have acquired the story from elders.

But this is no problem at all as the site has signposts most of which explain the significance of the spots on which they are erected.

Most of the locals recall the story behind the Bishop’s death with empathy. “He was killed with so much brutality yet he was innocent, poor man,” Musa, a boda boda rider in Mayuge Town recounts

Just like the biblical Herod and Jesus’ birth story, Bishop Hannington’s death, it is said, was prompted by longtime suspicion and prophesies that KabakaMwanga’s rule would be overthrown by people coming from the east.

So, when the Bishop together with his group of 48 helpers, entered Busoga in current Mayuge, a territory that was under Chief Lube, one of KabakaMwanga’s collaborators, a message was sent to Mwanga who out of panic immediately ordered for the elimination of the invading strangers.KabakaMwanga’s fear was that Christianity was growing fast among his subjects and this, to him, became an increasingly great threat to his rule.

Today, a stone to mark and commemorate the point at which bishop Hannington was murdered still stands. It is sheltered in an iron-sheet hut-shaped shelter which is located downhill, at the end of the road that leads to the rocky Kyando hill where the bishop did most of his activities in the rocks before his death.

The memorial site
At this place, you will be able to relive the life that Bishop Hannington and his men lived many years ago through the various marked spots and rocks that are said to have been very significant to the bishop.

The centerpiece, which is an enclosed stone – found downhill – marks the spot or shrine where the bishop was tortured and killed, the site is composed of other spots that mark the different activities the bishop was involved in. On the rocks on Kyando hill is a cave that is believed to have been the bishop’s bedroom. The path that leads to that cave has been marked with a tree fence making it easy for tourists to find it.

Across from the bedroom is a painted rock which is believed to have been the spot where the bishop used to preach from. Another important cave is under a rock that stands opposite the ‘pulpit’ and that is the library. It is believed that is where the bishop during his time-off pastoral work, did some reading.

“Away from here is another cave where the bishop waited eight days in custody before he was killed by spearing him in both sides,” Musa narrates.

Just close to the shrine, is a well now modified into a spring, from which Bishop Hannington used to drink. It has been reconstructed to preserve it for generations to come. As a visitor to the site, you will probably be intrigued to drink from the same well that Bishop Hannington drunk from more than 130 years ago

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For those driven by the love to discover the beauty of nature, the rocky Kyandohill is the place for you. The magnificent view that you get of Busoga’s green belt while at the hill is proof that your visit despite the hurdles was not in vain. It is not only a leisure place but also one where people get spiritual renewal thanks to Bishop Hannington memorial site.

And judging from the way Christianity has taken root in Busoga, Uganda over the years, the bishop indeed purchased its road to Uganda with his blood.

The rock under which Bishop Hannington spent his free time reading thus named his library

Bishop Hannington’s well now modified into a spring

Samuel Baker Foot steps at Baker’s Historical Trail

The popular Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s oldest and largest protected area and albeit one of the visited parks. A visit to the park is incomplete without a hike to the top of the falls using the famed Baker historical trail which offers the best viewing points for the Murchison and Uhuru (Freedom) falls.

Julian Monroe Fisher, an anthropologist, together with David and Christopher Baker, both descendants of Victorian explorer Sir Samuel White Baker have recently added value to the top of Murchison falls trail by installing interpretational signage specifying the journey that led to the discovery of the spectacular falls and Lake Albert.

The group hopes to correct the map of Uganda by establishing the true location of Baker’s View, the location where Sir Samuel Baker became the first European to see Lake Albert and to subsequently name the lake after Prince Albert.This is the bold vision of Fisher who, in early 2013, travelled along the trail in the footsteps of Sir Samuel Baker.

Setting out

A boat cruise upriver to view the famed Murchison falls presented a unique new year’s gift to Christopher Baker,64, a mechanical engineer as he mused at schools of hippos, a diversity of bird species and stunning landscapes.

Christopher a great-great grandson of the famed explorer, Sir Samuel Baker thought this was the best moment of his adventure, until he caught sight of the water falls, as great volumes of the Nile gushed through a narrow gorge to plunge into a 40 feet abyss. Though he was still at the bottom of the falls, he had already concluded that this was the most romantic place he had been to.

However, better sceneries were yet to come when Christopher and his brother David embarked on a one and a half hour hike to the top of falls including a stop-over at the renowned Baker’s view rock to view river basin, the northern banks of the park as well as Nyamusika cliff.

After this ride Christopher and David installed monuments to commemorate the 150th anniversary of their ancestor’s expedition into Southern Sudan and northern Uganda. David said, “This was a trip of a lifetime. Chris and I would like to thank the Uganda Wildlife Authority for all their assistance in putting up the markers for the Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker Trail.

We hope the trail will be more popular with those who want to see the awesome sights of Uganda, to understand the historical importance of Sir Samuel’s suppression of the slave trade along the Nile, and to experience the welcome Ugandans give to visitors.”

The Baker Historical Trail

The opening up of the trail to the bottom-top of the falls entails hiking from where the visitors disembark from the boat along the cliffs and the gorge to the top.

According to the Baker’s descendants who are armed with the 19th century explorer’s diaries and publications, this trail is part of the historical course along the Victoria Nile river banks followed by the Bakers in their expedition to discover sources of the world’s longest river before they named the falls after Roderick Murchison, the then President of the British Royal Geographic Society.

The goal

David says, “Sir Samuel Baker and Lady Florence Baker’s achievements are to be commemorated by the establishment of a trail through South Sudan and northern Uganda to Baker’s view of Lake Albert. The trail follows the shoreline of Lake Albert northwards to the Victoria Nile and the mighty Murchison Falls and up the river to the Karuma Falls.

But this is more than exploration for the Bakers who have pledged to market the trail as a tourism product with unmatched cultural and historical significance.This month alone, they have installed markers in Masindi, Gulu town near the Acholi cultural leader’s palace, Karuma wildlife reserve after the bridge on Kampala- Gulu Highway, Fort Patiko north of Gulu town- a rocky fortress Sir Baker captured from the Arabs in a bid to end slave trade as well as Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School built in memory of the explorer. There are other markers to be planted in South Sudan.

Significance

The historical trail has already received wide acclamation as one of the greatest trails in the world and many visitors have already expressed interest in retracing the 19th century explorer’s footsteps to compare the communities, physical features and other aspects of the time to present day developments.

The markers highlight the exploration and lives of Baker and Florence. The Bakers are nostalgic about the impact the discovery and subsequent publicity for Murchison Falls their ancestor made to the tourism industry. The magnificent falls have attracted high profile personnel like former US President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, Winston Church Hill in 1907, Ernest Hemmingway, and Queen Elizabeth in 1959.

Is God’s Bath Tab In Uganda

A friend, months back, informed me about the existence of a transparent lake in Uganda. Only the deadly seriousness of his tone made him believable.

It was easy to dispute the existence of such a lake. It was easier since this is a phenomenon I had never heard, read, or seen anywhere. A recent trip to the new but insipid Rubirizi district in Western Uganda cleared my doubt.

The day was a Saturday. The time was 2 pm. I arrived in the sleepy Nyakasharu a parish in Rubirizi. Armed with a camera and notebook, I was set to enter the records as the first person –at work – to punch holes in my friend’s claim. My next destination was Lake Kamunzuku (the transparent lake that was said to lay bare what was underneath it).

Benon Mutabazi, my elderly and friendly guide, briefed me about the journey. It was funny listening to him insist on speaking

View Uganda Apr-Jun 2014
to me in broken Luganda (maybe because he knew I was from Kampala) despite my utter assurance that I understood his first language, Runyankole.

“We’ll ride on boda boda in the first segment of the journey and walk to the lake in the last segment,” he said with his eyes painstakingly reading my face to register the reaction to his words. I regularly nodded to communicate my attention to his message. We jumped on one boda boda and sped off.

The journey on the motorbike lasted 15 minutes. It was amazing and a tad chilling. Amazing; because I, unconsciously, got to see the beautiful and gently twin lakes known as Nyanza’ ibiri sitted by the roadside. Chilling; because the burly cyclist was riding fast on the skinny road rendering me fearful of a looming head-on collision.

We disembarked from the bike at a place called Kanyara. It was time to walk. We quietly weaved through a weary banana plantation, crossed a thin pathway of River Rubale, and entered a man-made forest. A couple of the pine trees waved lazy branches against the sun. The slow but sure slope we were tracing got me panting. The aged Mutabazi was not.

The sun was scorching. My body was aching, a little. My soul was developing hesitance to proceed, but my mind blatantly dismissed the idea; it was determined to see the lake irrespective of the bottlenecks.

The foot track snaked to a natural forest with gnarled overhanging trees. These suspended out the sunlight most of the time. In other cases, the sunlight was only needling through the cracks left in the canopy. This forest was bubbly. Birds were chirpings, insects were and we heard human voices were within earshot – I later learned that these were illegally falling trees.

We also engaged in chitchat (earlier we were not because I was more concerned with the unenviable difficulty of moving up the slope). Swarms of beautiful butterflies occasionally wobbled across our trail.

The journey was longer than I had anticipated. The track led us into another forest of pine trees. This was as dull as the earlier one. Few sounds of birds, insects or humans could be heard. Anxiety was apparently having the better of me. But soon the trees thinned out and I could see a glimmer of a water body. “At last we have reached,” declared my guide. Excitement set in. We hurried through the thick bush of elephant grass – that was obscuring our view – to get closest to the lake.

From a distance, it really came off like any other lake. I could not see the transparency aspect that I had been told. “You just have to get closer,” replied Mutabazi as he led me closer to it. Lo and behold, my friend was right. The lake stripped bare all that was below it.

My emotions were a cocktail of joyous and disbelief. I could crystal clearly see a drum (probably cast down by an adventurous Mzungu), foliage, and logs underneath the lake. And the green color of the water was breathtakingly beautiful.

The child in me was now on a rampage. I picked stone after another and aimed at the water to wrinkle its surface and see the stone sinking. But I did not see the fish and

I was burning too. The option was to take a stand on a raft and take a ride on the lake or jump in to swim. I could not do either. It was creepy. There was no activity on the lake Kamunzuku. And it was just the two of us present.

There are more tourists who visit than locals, revealed my guide. Some of the courageous tourists go scuba diving to have an exact experience of the uniqueness of the lake. Locals, I was told, occasionally come around to fish. “It is not easy to fish from Kamunzuku.

Because it is transparent, the fish in the lake can see the nets. So we resorted to using rods,” says Julius Ainembabazi, a local. “They see these too, but sometimes they do not. On a lucky day one can leave with five fish. But this is after hard work. Besides, the lake is far from the local community.” Tilapia and mudfish are caught from the lake.

Elders, in the village that I talked to, said 20 years back the lake was more transparent than it is today. 80-year-old Pregrino Bijune said in the 1980s Kamunzuku was receiving more white visitors. “These whites wanted to know what made the lake transparent. First, they attempted, in vain, to drain it of its water to see what was at its base. Then they started depositing chemicals in it,” he said. “All these regrettable acts slightly affected its transparent nature.” Most of the locals believe there are untapped minerals – gold or oil – beneath the lake that explains why it is transparent.

Enthusiasts of nature have the luxury of going for a nature walk through the rich forest that sits on the larger part of the shore. On our way back, I did not feel the strain of the journey for I was reflecting on how generous Mother Nature was to Uganda. In the same breath, I was picturing my friend punching the air upon receiving news that I confirmed his statement; Uganda has a transparent lake,

Luo Dishes

When many think of Northern Uganda’s culinary claim to fame, they think malakwang, an exquisite traditional Luo dish whose tongue bewitching taste has given many a reason to believe in love at first taste as opposed to love at first sight. Unknown them, especially those who haven’t been to the luo land-for a taste bud quest is that malakwang is just one of the many Luo dishes adored for hitting the tongue at the spot where one wants it to. HERE’S to all the understated but exceptional Luo dishes.

Famous malakwang

Malakwang is the outcome of simmering okra, a sour finger like vegetal with moderate heat and later pasting in it peanut butter plus minimal salt. The outcome is not only a feast for the eye but further a justification for one to drool.

Malakwang goes beyond turning on you’re a petite, it gives the tongue a tickling sensation. The source tastes better when served with millet bread or sweet potatoes. It is a fantastic lunch food that will keep you going till the next breakfast and you’ll probably resume with another serving.

Due to its pleasant and easy taste on the palate, it is said to be the reason many tourists believe in love at first taste as opposed to love at first sight. To say the least, the food is mwwaaaahhh, or as the French say, Oh lá lá!

Alagu

Unlike most the other dishes, alagu doesn’t have that seductive name, and neither does it have that striking aroma that instantly captures a diner’s attention. However, your life won’t be the same the moment it reaches your tongue. See, the peanut pasted-cheesy vegetable source- engulfs the tongue in a sensual dance that will leaves many fighting over the last drop-without the slightest consideration of letting go. A spoonful of the soup is all

you need to make your worries a distant memory because there is something supernatural in the way its flutters the tongue causing it to coil in excitement.

Dominic Opio a professional luo chef recommends that if one wants to wash it down, he pick a glass of pineapple juice or milk and take a careful sip. However, he is quick to doubt that anyone would want to rush alagu down their throat-let alone swallow it because its taste in the mouth is nothing short of incredible.

“Its taste will make its eater squeak like an excited toddler.”Opio says

Agira

Agira is mashed peas or beans simmered till it is perfectly smooth to be swallowed without chewing. Depending on your preference, you can either settle for the fried or pasted type. Whichever option pleases you, you might want to add just a little bit of Shea butter oil for a heady aroma. Yes you’ll get fat, but you will have a great time doing so because the oil is proven to be free of cholesterol.

Pot okono-the fresh leaves of a pumpkin

Pot okono. Say it out loud as one word, and try not to smile. POTOKONO….now that’s how its pronounced in Lango, the land where it is one of the favourites. Any way potokonoo is definitive, rough but oddly clean-tasting at the same time and the sauce is no doubt “lovable”.

According to Angella Susan ,Langi, 62, pot okono is highly thought of as a love charm that Luo wives use to find their ways into the hearts of their husbands.

“The Langi men love it to bits because besides having a strong green aroma that sends a prickle of sensual awareness skittering across their tough skins, it awakens the taste buds with its greasy taste.’’ she says

“Above, it boosts their manpower and makes them feel like the lord of the land instead of landlord-simply powerful.” Angella adds

There you have it folks, if all the above doesn’t meet your expectations, then I am afraid you might have to go on hunger strike or try out the otigo, a food which is adored for its delightful and attractive green colour. Aside from that, it is so fresh and you’ll think its flirting with you.