The days in the mountains of Uganda were emotional, seeing the Gorillas was so special for me but witnessing the poverty with a backdrop of Donald Trump taking office was just, quite sad, to be honest. As we set off in the truck from Kisoro to start our departure from Uganda those emotions were still running high. Whilst I have absolutely fallen in love with Uganda, I’ve also found it to be a very confronting experience, people really do have so little here and they mostly rely on living off the land around them. There is a clear and strong sense of community, as we witnessed when we saw 100’s of people attending a funeral in one of the villages we drove through. However, it is obviously not an easy life. Although there is that unity with family and the wider community, where people will help each other out when it is needed (something that is increasingly lacking in our western lives), people have little more than the basics of food and shelter. I’ve found the excesses of the western world a difficult concept for a long time, the things that people complain of or strive for seems so trivial when there are those whose primary concern is having enough to survive and, a desire to have security in their homes. That security is not a given, whilst tourism has brought work it us also introduced uncertainty for those whose land may be repossessed by the government for environmental and/or developmental reasons or for the natural resources of that land. For me it’s a new type of colonialism where we in the West want to dictate on how to protect wildlife and natural habitats but without a proper understanding or often solution of what that might mean for local people who rely on the land near these national parks for their survival. It’s that ever prevalent balancing act of protecting nature and human survival. The displacement of the Pygmy peoples from Africa's equatorial rainforests is a prime example of savage act of relocation with little consideration of the ongoing impact it would have on that culture, traditions and community. That said, there are also positive stories of integrating locals into the tourist economy including ex-poachers who now provide tours and education on the forest.
It was, therefore, with mixed emotions that we descended out of the mountains. We were headed towards Jinja, via a night in Mbala, where we would stay for a couple of days so that those without back injuries could participate in some more high octane activities. Jinja, on the shore of Lake Victoria is the Source of the Nile, we stayed 45 mins outside of the city at a very nice campsite on the shores of the Nile. Our first morning offered the chance to visit a local village to gain a better understanding of the small communities in Uganda. We were met by our guide Johanas who is from the village. He led us a short way past the dusty road bordering our campsite before turning off into the undergrowth where we were soon met by the first family.
A young girl of 20 was standing in the shade of a house, her 2 month old baby asleep inside whilst she watched on as a family member made bricks. We were told by our guide that he was an expert in the craft and made them to sell as well as for the new dwelling for his own family. Some young children from 9 months to 5 years started to join us and they followed as we met the rest of the family. JaJa (grandmother) was sat under a tree keeping a watchful eye on the 10 or so kids that were milling around. One particularly cheeky one, was insistent on getting his hands on the machete his grandmother was using to trim bark. The other family members were preparing the ground for the building of the new dwelling. Johanas guided us around the rest of the family plot, showing us where cooking and bathing takes place. He explained that at 17, the young men had to move out of their parent’s home and into their own dwellings, he also explained that young girls were not capable of inheriting land or houses! Three of the kids followed us through the village for the remainder of the tour, we played tag and they were fascinated by the blue veins running across my very pale legs. The two little girls grabbed a hand each and didn’t let go until we left. It was a really fascinating and lovely insight into local village life and good to break away from the confines of our tour. I am not usually a fan of community visits, fearful they only show a sanitised way of living and can have a negative impact on local cultural practices, however, absolutely nobody was bother by our presence. (I request permission before taking photographs of adults and children).
In the evening we set sail on a sunset cruise from the banks of Lake Victoria and down the river Nile or Kira as it is known in Uganda. Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable, an ex-journalist he had been in prison due to his reporting on the government (the political situation in Uganda is such that caution is advised before discussing the government in public or raising questions with local residents). He was full of facts and history to educate the ill informed westerners on his boat that day. I had no idea that Lake Victoria was the largest lake in Africa and third largest in the world. He pointed out a child's prison that was billed as a rehabilitation centre for kids as young as 9 but is reportedly more akin to prison with no beds and not a lot of food, the adult prison was on the opposite shore. A tramline from Mombasa to the fishing village was built at the turn of the last century to export goods that came across Lake Victoria from neighbouring Rwanda, Congo and Burundi.
The lake and tributary are teaming with birds, egrets, black and white kingfishers, small blue kingfishers. The kingfishers were all lined up on the zip line that runs along the river, we even spotted the head of an otter briefly. The water level is rising in the lake due to climate change and is altering the way of life of those fishermen and their families who live on the edge of the lake, only one row of houses remain where once it was three deep. It’s expected that there will be none within the next couple of months and these people whose home is the shoreline will be relocated. A small island at the outlet to the river has already been all but consumed by the water with all that remains being a shack that was once a shop. For now it can still be boarded for snaps with the Source of the Nile sign. Despite the earlier rains the sunset did turn out to be quite stunning, a lovely way to round out our time in Uganda before we head towards the border tomorrow.
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