Uganda

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Contents

LAND & PEOPLE

GEOGRAPHY

Uganda straddles the Equator. It lies within the Nile basin on the East African plateau, at an average of 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level, and shares borders with South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the west, Rwanda to the southwest, and Tanzania to the south, with which it shares a large part of Lake Victoria. Other major lakes include Lake Kyoga in the center and Lakes Albert, George, and Edward on the Congolese border. Although not an enormous country, like Sudan or Tanzania, Uganda is still the size of the British Isles, and many of the game parks, or areas of outstanding beauty, are six to eight hours' drive from the capital, Kampala. Murchison Falls, to the north, where all the waters of the Nile cascade through a twenty-six-foot (8-meter) wide gorge, is a spectacular sight, as are the fat crocodiles that bask in the sun near the foot of the falls. These prehistoric creatures have found the most favorable of habitats, where they feast on the fish that are stunned by their journey through the rushing waters of the Falls.

Murchison Falls National Park itself has a grand wilderness feel, where one instinctively senses that nature has not yet been tamed and wildlife reigns. The elephants are bigger than in many other parts of Africa, the buffalo herds larger, and the giraffes more majestic. Kidepo Game Reserve in Karamoja, in the northeast, is even wilder, perhaps because of its remoteness. Climbing the Rwenzori Mountains can be arduous, involving a trek through steep terrain, swamps, and glaciers for six days, but those who have completed it come back with tales of incredible natural beauty. The southwestern corner of Uganda, including Kabale and Kisoro, have been described as a "little Switzerland," and deservedly so, with its crater lakes and meticulous terracing of the farmlands on the mountain slopes. The hills above Lake Bunyonyi offer a stunning view of crater lakes and islands, and the impenetrable forest near Kabale is the home of the Great Apes. Getting to within a few feet of the Silverback and watching these great creatures interact is a surreal experience.

The scenery of Uganda is varied. There are areas of long elephant grass; elsewhere endless papyrus swamps crisscross the country, while in other areas one can admire the order of the tea plantations. The road network is improving continuously, so that it's now possible to make the journey from Kampala to Fort Portal in the west in less than four hours on an excellent tarmac road, and one can drive all the way to Arua in West Nile on a newly built highway. Off the main roads, the red dirt roads stand in picturesque contrast to the green of the banana plantations, the elephant grass, the coffee bushes, and the cassava or beans, all planted in small plots known as shambas.

CLIMATE

The climate is almost ideal year-round, with temperatures in the high seventies to low eighties Fahrenheit (high twenties Centigrade). Uganda lies on the Equator on a high plateau, with most of the country being at an elevation of 3,773 feet (1,150 m), rising to 4,921 feet (1,500 m) in the west, at Fort Portal and Kabale. It therefore has the advantage of having a tropical climate without the intense humidity one finds at the coast. The central region of Uganda around Kampala has temperatures with highs of 77–82°F (25–28°C) and lows of 60–64°F (16–18°C), and when one reaches the far west at Kabale and Fort Portal, or the eastern region at Sipi Falls and Mount Elgon, the temperature has highs of 77°F (25°C) and lows of 50–54°F (10–12°C). This is one of the few places in the world where one can see snow on the Equator.

There are two rainy seasons in the year — April to May, and September to November — but with the worldwide change in weather patterns, the rains are no longer predictable. Rains in Uganda are not monsoon-type rains lasting for days. Rain usually means heavy showers, which pass fairly quickly, and then the sun comes out and dries everything up. During the rainy season it usually rains at night or in the early morning, and it is an exception to have dull, overcast days. The north and the northeast of the country, particularly the Karamajong region, tend to be drier and have less dependable rains, with some years having complete drought and consequent food shortages. The temperature and the level of rainfall affect the life cycle of the mosquito, and therefore the malaria parasite, so the prevalence of malaria varies according to the temperature and whether it is a rainy or dry season.

CITIES AND TOWNS

Kampala

The capital city of Uganda is Kampala, with an official resident population of two million people, and a population in greater Kampala of three to four million. It is said to be a city set on seven hills, but has actually grown to cover at least ten. The city itself occupies a fairly small geographical area, with congestion being the word that springs to mind when one describes downtown Kampala. Many areas are densely populated, and the roads have simply become too small for the present-day volumes of traffic and people, though efforts are now being made to create overpasses and bus lanes to ease the flow.

Kampala could also be said to be a city that never sleeps, since in certain areas the bars close when the last customer goes home, while the markets seem to do business from early morning until late evening. Kampala is the home of the national parliament, the Buganda Kingdom parliament, the national museum, and the Kabakas' tombs (the historic royal palace of the kings of Buganda, where several of the kings are now buried). The tombs were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, but, sadly, were partially destroyed by fire in 2010. Currently they are in the process of being rebuilt.

In a bid to ensure more long-term planning, the city was given priority for development, and central government put its management under the Office of the President, who appointed an executive director. The new administration has been able to make improvements in the roads, infrastructure, and general orderliness of the city, and has introduced some innovations, such as the Kampala Carnival (held in November), Christmas lights, and the planting of trees and shrubs.

Other Towns

There are several other large towns in Uganda, including Jinja in the east, at the source of the Nile, Entebbe in the southeast, where the airport is located, Gulu in the north, Mbarara in the west, Kabale in the southwest near the Rwanda border, and Fort Portal in the far west, near the Rwenzori Mountain range.

Jinja is popular for whitewater rafting on the Nile. Recently some of the rapids were submerged due to the construction of the long-awaited Bujagali Dam and hydro power plant, but other rapids farther up the river have been substituted, and rafting the Nile is still popular. Otherwise the pace of life in Jinja is less frenetic than that in Kampala, and many expatriates have chosen to settle here, sometimes building houses and hotels on the banks of the Nile, providing such leisure activities as horseback riding, quad biking, and bungee jumping — if such an activity can be considered leisurely.

Entebbe town and its airport are set on a peninsula of Lake Victoria. Entebbe Airport is where the famous "Raid on Entebbe" took place, and Entebbe is also home to the botanical gardens, with hundreds of species of trees, plus the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. Off the shore is Ngambo Island, a sanctuary for abandoned chimpanzees. One can also set off from Entebbe for one of the many small Ssese Islands with which Lake Victoria is peppered. Some have hotels and tourist camps, and the largest have palm oil plantations.

Mbarara is a big town that mainly serves the farming community of this fertile area, but it also boasts a University of Science and Technology, so there is a large student population. Mbarara is a stop-off point for those traveling to the west, as well as being the largest town in the western part of Uganda. As such, it has a vibrant nightlife, though one has to know where to look. It may be something of a contradiction that the most "happening" place in town is a carwash; but this is true not only for Mbarara, but also for many other places in Uganda, where a daytime carwash mutates into a bar and disco in the evenings.

Fort Portal is set in beautiful farming country, where some early white settlers discovered the beauty and the fertility of both the land and the women! It is not uncommon to find mixed-race descendants in the Fort Portal area who can trace their ancestry back four or five generations to a white settler. There are beautiful tea plantations, set in spectacular scenery, and Kibale Forest nearby is also the home of the chimps, which can be trekked to on foot. Crater lakes in this area provide the backdrop for lodges and hotels perched precariously on ridges. Since Fort Portal is at a higher altitude than much of Uganda, it's cooler, making it suitable for tea plantations.

Kabale, in the southwest corner of the country, not far from the Rwanda border, has expanded rapidly, probably as a result of its proximity to Rwanda for trade, and also to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to the gorillas. When one visits the crater lakes, such as Lake Bunyonyi, with their breathtaking beauty, one understands why Kabale is known as the "little Switzerland" of Uganda.

THE PEOPLE

The people of Uganda can be divided according to tribe, with over twenty tribes in existence. The dominant tribe is the Baganda. The Baganda (the people) occupy Buganda (the land) and speak Luganda (the language). When the early colonialists arrived in Buganda more than a century ago, they found that the Kingdom of Buganda had a well-organized hierarchy, under an absolute ruler, the Kabaka (King), and his court. The kingdom was divided into fifty-two clans, each with its elders and emblems. The totems of the clans can be seen on the walls of the Buganda Parliament in Mengo, Bulange.

The British were impressed with the organization, administrative ability, and perceived superior intelligence of the Baganda people, and worked through the Buganda hierarchy to subjugate the rest of Uganda. However, they were not very sensitive to tribal sensibilities, and the borders they drew up cut through traditional tribal territories, so that some tribes cross the national boundaries between Uganda and Sudan, Kenya, and Rwanda. Some of the tribes of Uganda include the Banyankole (from the Ankole Kingdom) living in the southwest (Mbarara area), the Batoro from Fort Portal in the west (the Toro Kingdom), the Bakiga from Kabale in the far southwest, the Acholi from the north, the Langi from the northeast, the Madi straddling the border between Uganda and Sudan, the Itesots, the Basoga, and the Japadola from the east, and the Karamajong from the northeast. There are also many smaller tribes throughout the country.

Regional Differences

The colonialists tended to choose their civil servants from among the Baganda because they were seen as good administrators, while soldiers were recruited from the north as they were thought to be good fighters. Idi Amin was from the Kakwa tribe, which straddles the northern border with South Sudan (he was also the Ugandan national boxing champion). To this day, different tribes suffer from different stereotypes and it is often other tribes who highlight the caricatures. For example, the Bakiga have a reputation for determination, hard work, and intolerance of stupidity. This is probably because they come from Kabale, where the terrain is mountainous, and they are used to backbreaking work while attending to their crops on the mountainsides. The Banyankole, on the other hand, are from the western plains, where there is lush pasture for their cattle. Therefore, being pastoralists who tend to their cattle and drink milk, they have the reputation for being more laid back.

Some tribes had their own kings and royal families, and the early European explorers are reported to have been fascinated by the women of the Banyankole royal family because of their enormous backsides — even going to the trouble to take measurements. The Banyankole royal males were thought to have a preference for rounded, doe-eyed beauties, like the cattle they tended, and so the royal maidens were fattened on a diet of continuous milk drinking. Even today the women from that part of Uganda are very well endowed in the rear, though this can also be said of the Baganda women. Ugandan men are thought to like women who are well endowed, and don't go for skinny, Western-style beauty.

Ethnicity and Color

Ugandans are not slow to poke fun at each other, especially at the different tribes, colors, and accents that abound in this rich culture. While it may not be politically correct, and is even quite rude, to comment on the shape of someone's nose, or the way they pronounce their Ls and Rs, Ugandans can be merciless in mimicking each other. There are even professional comedians who mimic the President, with some being invited to functions with the "Big Man" himself present. Although, to the untrained ear, one may just hear a Ugandan accent, one soon realizes there are distinct differences in the pronunciation of Ugandan English and one can determine, as in most countries, whether a person comes from the north, south, east, or west of the country.

We tend to think in terms of Ugandans being black, since Uganda was a protectorate and not a colony and there are very few white settlers. However, there are also many shades and tones of black, with the darker-skinned people generally being from the hotter, northern parts of the country. It seems that everyone in the world wishes to gravitate to a common brown color, with whites damaging their skin in the sun in order to tan, while some Ugandans are prepared to use skin bleachers to make themselves lighter. In the end, the terms black and white are all relative, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is striking about Ugandans is that no matter what their skin tone they are arguably the least racist people one could hope to meet. Ugandans are very secure in themselves, and if you accept them they will accept you.

The Baganda

The dominant tribe in Uganda has remained the Baganda to this day, because of their central location, their size, and their tendency to assimilate other tribes; one could say that there is "Bagandanization" of Uganda, though the subject of which tribe has political dominance is hotly debated. The lineage of the Baganda is paternal, so when a Muganda (singular for Baganda) man marries a woman from another tribe she is adopted into the Baganda tribe, and the offspring are Baganda. There are some who say that the lineage of the Kabaka is matriarchal, in that children take the clan of their mother and not the king, but traditionalists dispute this and say that the king has his own royal clan even though it has no totem. Offspring of the Kabaka must be from a Muganda wife in order to qualify as heir to the throne.

Ugandans' identity is both tribal and national: some will put their Ugandan nationality first and then their tribal identity, while others will put tribal identity first. There is no doubt that the Baganda have a very strong loyalty to their king, the Kabaka, since he embodies their long-held traditions. The Kabaka is revered, and in Buganda many official functions commence not only with the Ugandan national anthem but also with the Bugandan national anthem.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Uganda can trace its history to fifty thousand years ago with Paleolithic evidence of human activity on the shores of Lake Victoria, which was originally covered by dense rain forest. The forest was gradually cleared by Bantu-speaking agriculturalists, who by 400 BCE were forging iron tools and raising chickens, cattle, and goats. They displaced the indigenous hunter-gatherers to the mountains and settled in the area of the plateau north of Lake Victoria, while Nilotic pastoralists settled the areas west of the lake. Governance evolved gradually through clan leadership, which was used to organize labor, and ultimately evolved into the tribal structure that was well established by the nineteenth century.