Its getting late the sun is setting and the fears of the night start to linger in one's mind a new town, a new people what should one expect!! We are riding in a rented bus about twenty eight people soon to be holding an ICT4D meeting in Kichwamba (sad memories of the massacre hit our hearts as we remember the innocent students slain by rebelling citizens)........
Looking out through the window there is a calming green so wide and to the distance, Josephine one of the members whispers isn't it beautiful "Tea". One of the largest tea growing places in Uganda - the fear is gone and the town appears - children are waving and looking for attention, Chris gives them some as Tony tells them to go home and bathe! We have arrived!
One quickly notices the old administrative buildings, former government hotel, now renovated and new, banks etc. Quickly one understands that its one of the oldest towns in Uganda built in the same planning administrative buildings to one side and commercial Asian style buildings to the other side. In the center of town there is a statue of Sir Gerald Portal glaring at you, and you know what - he is wielding a rifle in position! A sign that you are in the heart of Fort P as many would call it. Yet another beautiful place, Fort Portal is rich for its magnificent scenery but also the rich culture portrayed in the kingdom of Tooro and the Engabu Za Tooro (http://www.engabuzatooro.or.ug) a very popular cultural group.
Tooro has one of the oldest cultures in Uganda seems to be quite receptive to many other races. When in Fort Portal, one can not help but notice many half casts, whites, blacks, Asians and Indians all living happily and sharing the beautiful view of the Mountains of the moon! This place also happens to be adjacent to the western arm of the great East African rift valley. Asking one Mutooro lady what she thought about life in a multi-ethnic environment - she said "For us in Tooro we believe in the celebration of life and we are all children of God white or black, red or colored so I like all children of God".
A very sobering statement of life indeed strong and rare in its reassuring nature, a statement from a youthful girl it felt safe in Tooro, it was home away from home. The people of Tooro are known as the Batooro. They are proud of their heritage and enjoy a rich culture of oral tradition, tribal customs and dances as well as handicrafts. This is one place in Uganda where the people feel much more Ugandan than else where. To explain this statement in my personal way - tribalism is one of the biggest killers of development in Africa (A topic for another day)! The Batooro seem to accept people from various cultures, races and ethnicities. I like these people.
In Fort Portal at the highest point is the palace of the King of Tooro, still a young king who had to take charge of the kingdom at a tender age, with his caring mother known as Queen Best Kemigisha, they together promote the values of the kingdom. Something specially interesting about this kingdom is its minimal involvement, if any, in political issues of the country! This is indeed a sign of a tribe, a people who would like to see integration of the human race while keeping their values.
Standing at the palace one gets a view of all the sites around the town, its amazing as you look directly at the town below, turn to the right and there you see the parliament of Tooro very nice ancient looking block with large green in the front. To the left are the mountains of the moon towering high above almost disappearing into the sky above. The definitions of this naming are vague however the fact that the highest points are permanently snow capped could be related, Jackie, a Mutoro too, believes that the name came from ancestral beliefs that the mountains meet the moon and sometimes the moon rests at the peaks.
These mountain ranges formed as a result of lifting of the western flank of the rift valley are now called Rwenzori Mountains. In the neighborhood of the town are large tea plantations very large that one begins to imagine the green more like a gigantic golf course, deep inside the plantations are large ancient bungalows, club houses, landing strips and supermarkets forming small towns of mixed communities from all around the world. I think tea is more available there than water........
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Beauty of Apac
Little is known of a place so magnificent & rich in culture, scenery and people a part of the greater Lango region, it is characterized by Savannah like vegetation, flattish expanses of land with isolated mini-mountains, Apac fills you with a unique picturesque vision that you can only find here! Well this time I didn’t feel the adrenaline like that of the Kigezi Region, however the beauty of this place indeed infects one very slowly “like a Mona Lisa smile” and before you realize how much you are attracted, bingo its all over….
You want, to walk the plains, build country homes, picnic at the foot of the mini-mountains and land your Cessna on the swamps – they are so tempting and look like large football fields… You can not even start to imagine why you had not seen all this before….
The trip to Apac from Kampala is indeed a very short one 3 to 4 hours, the shortest being through the Gulu highway all the way to Kafu bridge near Masindi. About 15 minutes after the bridge a turn off to the right leads one to Masindi Port, here one meets the mighty River Nile as it makes its way to Egypt. Where the ferry man tells of the people living along the Nile, their small fishing villages.
A multi-ethnic settlement with minimum of five languages spoken in the villages along the shores including English, Swahili, Lunyoro, Luganda, Lango….. an interesting mix he adds “This place has all East Africans”, we are indeed one in Africa, “you people from Kampala talk about tribes and countries here we live together in harmony” he adds.
Riding aboard the ferry among business people carrying their merchandise including fish, cassava, many fresh foods, paraffin among others, you see this unfolding site of papyrus touching gently on the banks of the river, swaying slowly as if singing songs of harmony and praise to life and its beauties. Landing at the Lango side of the Nile - one gets accosted by the epitome of humorous people………. Also very Dutch (direct - these guys don’t mince their words) like Arjan my Dutch friend and one of the most inspiring partners in my recent life.
Apac is mainly a settlement for the Langi people one of the larger tribes of Uganda. Lango, as it was referred to in the earlier years, is proud to have produced one of the greatest leaders of Uganda a true nationalist, not very well known by the current youthful generation though.
Driving along the murrum road through Akokoro (a Sub-county in Maruzi county of Apac District), the feel of murrum, though considered second class road, is ecstatic the lose gravel gives you a sense of adventure. Looking out through the window, one sees a wide range of trees mostly short beautiful trees with thin leaves and thorns, in the distance you see grasslands clean and green rolling to the small rocks in the background to one side. Turning to the other side, you’re filled with site of the Nile winding along like another big road to Egypt only this time its blue……
Somewhere in the middle of no where emerges this small town next to a fishing village, here you meet Mr. Olinga Otollo Very humorous chap he tales of the pride of the sub-county “one of the great leaders comes from here his home is just 1000 meters a head” he says Obote is still a name to reckon. Indeed as we drive the first Ugandan Prime Minister’s home emerges, a small neat home there is no fence around the homestead as if to say welcome everyone this is home…… Still musing with the scenery we arrive at Ibuje, Jimmy the Mayor of Apac Town tells us of a giant footstep on top of the Ibuje hill where it is believed the biggest giant man in the world lived and left that famous foot-mark.
From the ferry point to Apac Town it is about an hours drive, a small town with a few streets, it’s amazing how much space is there between the streets and the shops, Kampala could learn from this small town the plots are well organized and indeed admirable.
Two main places one should know if you need a place to sleep Lamco and Nami. It’s still very difficult to eat out in Apac, the people are very much family people and will be in their homes for dinner. It is not surprising that visitors to this town, with out local hosts, eat BBQ (roast chicken or meat) for dinner once in a while. The food in Apac is so rich that one could easily put on 10 kg's in a week (Don’t know if its scientifically possible).
The Langi are believed to have remarkable leadership qualities and this was a highly respected standard for any individual who had the qualities, they are also a welcoming people and are known for honesty. “Our women are very beautiful too like the Iteso where your Mum comes from they do not put on so much weight, they are models” The Bar Man at Lamco adds…… Very funny indeed but very true I muse…….
Visiting the sub-counties of Aduku, Inomo, Bala and Ayer one comes across a think forest a rare site in this district however amazingly the forest is home to many species of monkeys, local picnic sites and traditional herbs used for treatment. I wonder in amazement “This district has potential for tourism. I think about the sites from the ferry, the homes of the great leaders, the Ibuje rock and now this forest looking just like the equatorial rain forests……..”
Then comes the mango trees, so many mangoes in the trees. he villager tells us "they are still raw that’s why you see green only, when they ripen you see a mix of yellow and green with a golden reflection from the sun over the trees and you know its time to harvest mangoes” He says. They also make money by selling off some of it to the fruits to makers of Splash Juice.
I look forward to going back to Apac where we shall launch one of the first of its kind of e-Society programmes to support the development initiatives of the people of Apac, Local Government and Civil Society as well as Private Sector Organizations.
Anyway I say to my self Uganda is beautiful and the people even more beautiful, it’s a wonder some times why so many ethnic differences and tribalism destroying human nature of living together in harmony with each other and the environment!
You want, to walk the plains, build country homes, picnic at the foot of the mini-mountains and land your Cessna on the swamps – they are so tempting and look like large football fields… You can not even start to imagine why you had not seen all this before….
The trip to Apac from Kampala is indeed a very short one 3 to 4 hours, the shortest being through the Gulu highway all the way to Kafu bridge near Masindi. About 15 minutes after the bridge a turn off to the right leads one to Masindi Port, here one meets the mighty River Nile as it makes its way to Egypt. Where the ferry man tells of the people living along the Nile, their small fishing villages.
A multi-ethnic settlement with minimum of five languages spoken in the villages along the shores including English, Swahili, Lunyoro, Luganda, Lango….. an interesting mix he adds “This place has all East Africans”, we are indeed one in Africa, “you people from Kampala talk about tribes and countries here we live together in harmony” he adds.
Riding aboard the ferry among business people carrying their merchandise including fish, cassava, many fresh foods, paraffin among others, you see this unfolding site of papyrus touching gently on the banks of the river, swaying slowly as if singing songs of harmony and praise to life and its beauties. Landing at the Lango side of the Nile - one gets accosted by the epitome of humorous people………. Also very Dutch (direct - these guys don’t mince their words) like Arjan my Dutch friend and one of the most inspiring partners in my recent life.
Apac is mainly a settlement for the Langi people one of the larger tribes of Uganda. Lango, as it was referred to in the earlier years, is proud to have produced one of the greatest leaders of Uganda a true nationalist, not very well known by the current youthful generation though.
Driving along the murrum road through Akokoro (a Sub-county in Maruzi county of Apac District), the feel of murrum, though considered second class road, is ecstatic the lose gravel gives you a sense of adventure. Looking out through the window, one sees a wide range of trees mostly short beautiful trees with thin leaves and thorns, in the distance you see grasslands clean and green rolling to the small rocks in the background to one side. Turning to the other side, you’re filled with site of the Nile winding along like another big road to Egypt only this time its blue……
Somewhere in the middle of no where emerges this small town next to a fishing village, here you meet Mr. Olinga Otollo Very humorous chap he tales of the pride of the sub-county “one of the great leaders comes from here his home is just 1000 meters a head” he says Obote is still a name to reckon. Indeed as we drive the first Ugandan Prime Minister’s home emerges, a small neat home there is no fence around the homestead as if to say welcome everyone this is home…… Still musing with the scenery we arrive at Ibuje, Jimmy the Mayor of Apac Town tells us of a giant footstep on top of the Ibuje hill where it is believed the biggest giant man in the world lived and left that famous foot-mark.
From the ferry point to Apac Town it is about an hours drive, a small town with a few streets, it’s amazing how much space is there between the streets and the shops, Kampala could learn from this small town the plots are well organized and indeed admirable.
Two main places one should know if you need a place to sleep Lamco and Nami. It’s still very difficult to eat out in Apac, the people are very much family people and will be in their homes for dinner. It is not surprising that visitors to this town, with out local hosts, eat BBQ (roast chicken or meat) for dinner once in a while. The food in Apac is so rich that one could easily put on 10 kg's in a week (Don’t know if its scientifically possible).
The Langi are believed to have remarkable leadership qualities and this was a highly respected standard for any individual who had the qualities, they are also a welcoming people and are known for honesty. “Our women are very beautiful too like the Iteso where your Mum comes from they do not put on so much weight, they are models” The Bar Man at Lamco adds…… Very funny indeed but very true I muse…….
Visiting the sub-counties of Aduku, Inomo, Bala and Ayer one comes across a think forest a rare site in this district however amazingly the forest is home to many species of monkeys, local picnic sites and traditional herbs used for treatment. I wonder in amazement “This district has potential for tourism. I think about the sites from the ferry, the homes of the great leaders, the Ibuje rock and now this forest looking just like the equatorial rain forests……..”
Then comes the mango trees, so many mangoes in the trees. he villager tells us "they are still raw that’s why you see green only, when they ripen you see a mix of yellow and green with a golden reflection from the sun over the trees and you know its time to harvest mangoes” He says. They also make money by selling off some of it to the fruits to makers of Splash Juice.
I look forward to going back to Apac where we shall launch one of the first of its kind of e-Society programmes to support the development initiatives of the people of Apac, Local Government and Civil Society as well as Private Sector Organizations.
Anyway I say to my self Uganda is beautiful and the people even more beautiful, it’s a wonder some times why so many ethnic differences and tribalism destroying human nature of living together in harmony with each other and the environment!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
My trip to the Kigezi Region
I am mazing at the fact that I actually got to tour practically free of charge and every time I get too see places. I wonder why we have not successfully made Uganda a key tourist destination around the world? Well I guess there are many reasons for that however I think we could have made some real money out of tourism even before the discovery of oil came.
Anyway one sweet day I went to Kabale, the road to Kabale has these hills with large terraces looking like gigantic stairs to heaven, winding roads climbing the hills till you see the road you came from far below. Some places flat land with expanses of ranches extending to the hills faraway with large shades moving over them as the clouds cover the sun.
The air in these places is very fresh of course! And the islands on lake bunyonyi are paradise. The lake blue and gray in a jigsaw puzzle with the hilly islands! A night on Bushara islands next to Bwama island (where the lepers used to be taken and abandoned for dead - I hear its now mostly owned by the Church of Uganda), right in the heart of the lake is so silent with the sounds of nature coming to life from time to time.
Anyway my highlight was a night canoe ride it was ecstatic only interrupted by the sounds of water and birds plus echoes of their sound in the trees, I wonder how that was happening may be
I was in imagination mode! ......... however the depth of this lake is something to send chills through ones spine.
The next day I was on the road again to the edge of Bwindi park and then Rubuguri where Nkuringo (Home of Gorillas) Cultural Centre is located, the hills and valleys in this case were extremely steep and very scary, I imagined any mistake by the driver and we would be history or statistics. Roads cut right into the slope, murrum and are really narrow some of the valleys were viewed by us as if we were in a low flying aircraft at this point we were depending entirely on the drivers brain, health, the machine and GOD!
Now if you think lake bunyonyi is beautiful then you have not seen Lake Mutanda, very still and deep too just like bunyonyi but this one looks more remote nice for honey mooning I think...... (Yah I think no experience). A very enterprising gentle man actually has a wooded resort there with a restaurant overlooking the lake and the mount Muhavura ranges about six peaks in line, the man also has a floating restaurant of course good enough for two may be four at most, on the lake they also have moving islands.
A unique thing about this place is snake tracking and an island with caves for the dead! Anyway from there I went to Kisoro - was once gain shocked to find that it was a relatively flat area at the bottom of the muhavura! Taking my more direct trip back from Kisoro, there was this interesting phenomenon, we were driving very high at one of the highest points on the Kisoro - Kabale route and we spotted a cloud at our level covering the land very far below believe me again very very scary....
So next time should I tell you about Apac?
Anyway one sweet day I went to Kabale, the road to Kabale has these hills with large terraces looking like gigantic stairs to heaven, winding roads climbing the hills till you see the road you came from far below. Some places flat land with expanses of ranches extending to the hills faraway with large shades moving over them as the clouds cover the sun.
The air in these places is very fresh of course! And the islands on lake bunyonyi are paradise. The lake blue and gray in a jigsaw puzzle with the hilly islands! A night on Bushara islands next to Bwama island (where the lepers used to be taken and abandoned for dead - I hear its now mostly owned by the Church of Uganda), right in the heart of the lake is so silent with the sounds of nature coming to life from time to time.
Anyway my highlight was a night canoe ride it was ecstatic only interrupted by the sounds of water and birds plus echoes of their sound in the trees, I wonder how that was happening may be
I was in imagination mode! ......... however the depth of this lake is something to send chills through ones spine.
The next day I was on the road again to the edge of Bwindi park and then Rubuguri where Nkuringo (Home of Gorillas) Cultural Centre is located, the hills and valleys in this case were extremely steep and very scary, I imagined any mistake by the driver and we would be history or statistics. Roads cut right into the slope, murrum and are really narrow some of the valleys were viewed by us as if we were in a low flying aircraft at this point we were depending entirely on the drivers brain, health, the machine and GOD!
Now if you think lake bunyonyi is beautiful then you have not seen Lake Mutanda, very still and deep too just like bunyonyi but this one looks more remote nice for honey mooning I think...... (Yah I think no experience). A very enterprising gentle man actually has a wooded resort there with a restaurant overlooking the lake and the mount Muhavura ranges about six peaks in line, the man also has a floating restaurant of course good enough for two may be four at most, on the lake they also have moving islands.
A unique thing about this place is snake tracking and an island with caves for the dead! Anyway from there I went to Kisoro - was once gain shocked to find that it was a relatively flat area at the bottom of the muhavura! Taking my more direct trip back from Kisoro, there was this interesting phenomenon, we were driving very high at one of the highest points on the Kisoro - Kabale route and we spotted a cloud at our level covering the land very far below believe me again very very scary....
So next time should I tell you about Apac?
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