Uganda 16: November 22, 2004

Election Night

The US Presidential election was quite a big deal in Africa. Several Ugandans stopped me and asked why they couldn't vote as the US President really was the leader of the entire world. Pre-election public opinion in Uganda was mixed. Some Ugandans supported Kerry out of opposition to US policy in Iraq, others supported Bush for his stance on social issues, which resonated with Uganda's large born-again community (one 14 year old was quoted in the paper as supporting Bush because "he will fight lesbianism.") Much of the rest of the continent was not as conflicted with the majority of people actively hoping for a Bush defeat. Our South African satellite provider beamed in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911 on November 1. Didn't seem to have much impact in the US.

Ambassador Kolker hosted an election night event at his house. "Night" is something of a misnomer, since the party didn't begin until 2 am. Uganda is eight hours ahead of EST, so the first state polls didn't close until 4 am our time. The event attracted many expat Americans, who sat transfixed in front of a host of TVs showing CNN, CNBC, and network coverages, along with a host of high-level Ugandan contacts whom we hoped to impress with evidence of peaceful and stable elections. The press also attended and my driver later told me he saw me on TV. He said I looked quite happy so we can guess at about what time in the morning I was filmed. Personal opinions aside, our job was to present the elections in as non-partisan a fashion as we could, no matter how painful. I staggered home at about 10 am for a brief nap and then back to work. Over the past two weeks, many of my contacts have repeated to me how they awoke in the middle of the night to watch the elections and many can recite the exact states carried by both candidates. I think educated Ugandans focus on US policies and politics more than most Americans.

Boys Night Out

Every few months, some of the men from the Embassy pick a Friday to go out for dinner and a few drinks. The other day, seven of us gathered for Indian food and then hit a couple of local bars. The first, the Rock Garden, is famous for its aggressive prostitutes (no, that was not what drew us to the place). Within seconds of getting a table, we were surrounded by a group of a dozen ladies of the night, eager to provide offers of short-term financially-compensated female companionship. I informed one persistent inquirer that I, indeed, already was married. Didn't I want a second wife, she asked. I replied that I didn't think wife number one would be too keen on that. Well, if she gets mad that easily, she noted, than I definitely needed a second, more accomodating spouse. I promised to consider that. Actually, I found the encounter pretty depressing. Some of the women were quite pretty and personable (and a few were obviously pregnant -- and drunk) and it's a shame that prostitution really is one of the few ways they can make money.

Kidepo

The Embassy has access for the next month to a small plane that personnel can use to travel up country. This is great as it opens up large sections of the country that are inaccessible due to security concerns or due to horrible travel conditions. On Sunday, the Ambassador decided to fly up to Kidepo National Park, which is in far northern Uganda, wedged in between Sudan and Kenya. It is one of the most isolated wildlife reserves on the planet and almost impossible to get to by road. Even when the roads are serviceable, you would have to run the gauntlet of armed cattle rustlers and bandits. So, air it was. Anyway, we gathered early Sunday morning at Entebbe airport to board the plane, a 10-set Twin Otter, with specially modified picture windows (the plane had previously been used for aerial tours of the grand canyon). We boarded and soon were off. As we rose over Lake Victoria, I noted the pilots scratching their heads and pondering a map -- not exactly confidence inspiring. However, after a moments consultation, they realized where we were headed and we turned north. We followed the Nile to Lake Kyoga and then headed over the dry savannah of northern Uganda. Mountains reared up on our right towards the Kenyan border as we flew over an internally displaced persons camp (Uganda has over 1.5 million internally displaced citizens, scared off their farms by continued raids from the Lord's Resistance Army). After an hour and a half flight, we reached the park. The pilots buzzed the tiny airstrip at low altitude to scare off the antelope grazing on the dirt track and we banked and came around to land. Our group of 12 eventually got onto a WWII vintage German transport truck and started on our safari. Kidepo is nearly 1500 square kilometers and we only had an opportunity to see a small fraction of the park. However, driving past thorn trees and sausage trees (named after the uniquely shaped fruit which hang down from its branches) we encountered numerous herds of elephants, a few grazing giraffe, a couple of bachelor zebras, a lone ostrich, and a massive gathering of about a thousand buffalo. As we traveled during the heart of the day, the large resident predators -- lions, leopards, and cheetahs -- were hiding somewhere in the shade. Almost no one lives in the park and it's not near any population centers. Thus, the only sound we heard was the wind sweeping through the high grass. We picniced at the burned out ruins of a lodge built during the Amin years. Never completed, its skeletal remains sit built into a rockface looking out over the valley. A beautiful location, but how could Uganda ever attract enough visitors to make it financially viable. After five hours in the hot sun, we boarded the plane to return to Kampala. The pilots treated us to an impromptu aerial safari, skimming the ground and startling the herd of buffalo and assorted elephants.