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Sydney Airport
Waiting to take off to Bangkok. In November I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Human Rights Forum in Kampala, Uganda. I flew for over two days via Bangkok and Addis Ababa, travelling across a bazillion timezones and ended up on the other side of the world talking about the right to information.
I had a few days before the conference to have a look around Kampala . I visited the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria as it was the closest I was able to get to seeing wildlife while I was there as the gorilla and wildlife safaris were a bit out of my price range unfortunately. The Sanctuary was set up to house chimps who have been rescued from poachers. Unfortunately they cannot be released back into the wild as they are now accustomed to being fed by humans and there isnt much national park left in Uganda where they could be released without intruding on another chimp's territory.
I had a look around Kampala and visited the Kasubi Tombs were the last three Kings of Buganda (the area around Kampala ) are buried. It was interesting to learn about the history of the royal family. According to my
Dubai Airport
The biggest duty free store I have seen! guide, Mutesa I and that Steve guy from Australia (Steve Irwin) would have gotten on well because they both liked wildlife - Mutesa I had a tiger stuffed and placed at the entrance to the tombs!
I also visited the handicraft markets and it was interesting just driving around the streets. I didnt drive - thank goodness - the drivers in Kampala would give the Suva taxi drivers a run for their money and the potholes there could swallow up a small hatchback. Boda bodas (motorcycles) are a popular way to get around - they can carry everything from three kids on their way to school to what looked like a fridge on the back.
Everywhere I looked people were getting ready for CHOGM. From sweeping the streets to fixing the pathway to the Kasubi tombs in preparation for Prince Charles' visit. The posters all around Kampala asking people if they are ready for CHOGM have become a running joke amongst the locals. For example, while on the way to Entebbe to visit the chimps, the road was blocked due to flooding. My taxi driver got out to see what was happening and someone explained that the road
Addis Ababa Airport
Waiting for the final flight to Entebbe Airport. was flooded even though it has never flooded in that part of the road before. My driver replied with a rather sarcastic "Are you ready for CHOGM?" much to the amusement of the surrounding drivers and pedestrians.
While driving around Entebbe and Kampala , there are reminders of what is happening in neighbouring countries and Uganda itself. Entebbe is the sight of a major base for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it was quite normal to see UN peacekeepers boarding planes to the DRC. I did find it quite surreal (for lack of a better word) to walk around Kampala knowing a bit about the atrocities occurring in the north several hours drive away. I never felt unsafe while I was in Kampala (although I am not really used to seeing police, military and security guards walking around with semi automatics) and the people I met were so friendly and generous, not to mention the group of school kids visiting the Entebbe Zoo the same day as me who were full of smiles and waves.
But the reality of life in Uganda hits home when you realise that children the same age in
the north of the country live in fear of being abducted by the LRA or abused by government forces. According to the UN, “children make up almost 90% of the LRA’s soldiers. Some recruits are as young as eight and are inducted through raids on villages. They are brutalised and forced to commit atrocities on fellow abductees and even siblings. Those who attempt to escape are killed. Fearing abduction, streams of children, often with mothers in tow, leave their homes every night and walk for hours from surrounding villages to reach the relative safety of major towns, only to trek their way home in the first light. Some 40,000 “night commuters” sleep under verandas, in schools, hospital courtyards or bus parking places to evade capture by the LRA.”
I wish I had read up more on Uganda before I left to understand more about what is and has happened over there. I did watch the Last King of Scotland before I left but unfortunately it wasn’t a substitute for proper background information (although it was a very good movie and Forest Whitaker definitely deserved the Oscar). So I have come back with some books on Uganda and Darfur in
the hope that I will understand the situation better both in Uganda and neighbouring Sudan . I was only in Uganda for a very very short time and I am not across all of the issues facing the country but these are just a few of my reflections during my time there.
I attended the Commonwealth Human Rights Forum which was part of the People’s Forum in the lead up to CHOGM. The Forum covered a huge range of issues and it was a great opportunity to meet some really interesting people working in the human rights field and it was very motivating and inspirational to hear about the work being done everywhere from Tanzania to Jamaica.
Entertainment during the conference included amazing displays of traditional Ugandan dancing, a ‘Bring the Noise’ concert at the local cricket ground and trying some of the local food including bbq chicken and motake. Motake (mashed banana - cooking bananas not sweet bananas) is the favourite here but its resemblance to cassava meant I wasn’t such a fan. ;-)
My visit was all too quick and it was soon time to head back to Fiji . As we were boarding the
plane at Entebbe , they were literally rolling out the red carpet in preparation for the Queen’s arrival that day. It was a long flight back but bearable thanks to Emirates inflight entertainment system - yay! I transited in Sydney to catch up with my mum at the airport for a few hours. I was hoping to bestow my family with gifts of woven baskets from Uganda - unfortunately, not only were they full of bugs but they were also made from millet straw and banana leaves. So they had to go in special yellow bin - but the quarantine officer was very nice about it and as they weren’t filming Border Security that day I decided not to cause a scene. ;-)
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