Some parting thoughts

Today is my last full day in Uganda, and so this will be the last post I write from Africa. I have not shared many pictures because of internet bandwidth issues, but I plan to post a collection when I return to the Land of High Speed Internet. I have been thinking a lot about what the subject of my last (or close to last) post should be.

Much of what you hear about Africa is negative—focusing on wars, poverty and disease. The positive elements are generally Western-centric and involve some person or organization who has Made A Difference. The rest involves wild, exotic animals. The mental picture that emerges leads one to believe that this is a hopeless place, a lost cause, where lions, elephants and zebras roam the streets. That it is a continent deserving our pity and desperately in need of our charity. This picture is not inaccurate, except for the wild animal part (mostly viewed only in parks or reserves these days).

There is no doubt that life is very difficult here (especially for Westerners accustomed to a more comfortable life). Individual lives are cheap and life is precarious. You cannot count on the government to keep you safe. If you get sick, you cannot rely on the hospital having the medicine you need. When you travel to a place like Uganda, the importance of a well-functioning, reliable government becomes terribly obvious. Americans may complain about how the government intrudes in our lives, how inefficient and bloated the system is—yet we have organized means of public transportation, streets free of garbage and sewage, clean drinking water, food that is safe to eat and relatively clean hospitals stocked with antibiotics and other life-saving medicines. Our system isn’t perfect, but works well enough for us to forget the myriad of ways our life is bettered by its presence. We must remain vigilant and involved to keep our government working this way—the conditions in Africa serve as a warning of unchecked political power as well.

After spending two months here in Uganda, you realize that Ugandans, especially in Kampala, do not go about their days lamenting endlessly. They go about their lives much as we do, grow up, go to school (that is for those who can pay), get married, have babies (four, on average), go out with their friends, go to church. Those in rural areas here, blessed with fertile land, subsist on what they grow and what is left over they sell in local markets. I think what I find so compelling is not the differences but what we have in common—our humanity. Around the world, everybody hates Mondays, everyone laments that kids these days don’t get it and everyone complains that the weather isn’t the same as it used to be.

Another thing that has emerged that I truly admire about African culture (that we have lost somewhere along the way) is the role of family. The concept of family goes well beyond our definition—beyond biological and to include far reaching cousins of cousins and so on. Many of our efforts fail because they are aimed at individuals, when the average working African can be supporting as many as 15 dependents (from Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo, excellent read). A more extreme example is that of my Ugandan father, when I asked him how many children he had, he told me 42! After probing a bit further, only seven were his biological children, and thirty-five belonged to his (prolific) brother. After his brother died, he took responsibility of all the children, and supported them as his own.

It is hard to wrap up the sights, sounds and smells of two months in an exotic country; I hope posting some pictures will add some color. I am very, very excited to get home. I will miss the people here—at home and work—that welcomed me with open arms, looked out for my safety and talked about their life experiences with me.

Posted by: Kate, Kampala, Uganda

Microphones and Plastic Chairs, Part 2

I was unaware that the second event was wedding-related until after we’d arrived, I thought I was just going to a regular old party/bbq. It was a party, at a posh house way up in the hills of the Kampala suburbs, but it was also a fund-raiser for a different couple’s wedding. Because African families (the concept of family being a much broader concept than our own) are so large—weddings can have upwards of 1000 guests—couples can sell tickets to raise money for the ceremony or do a fundraiser, like this one.

It had all the outward trappings of a regular old barbeque, until the microphones came out. More English was spoken this time around than last, but much of the banter was again in Lugandan. I learned that they were calling for pledges from the guests for the wedding ceremony, and quickly became terrified that the microphone would come my way. I relaxed a bit after noticing it was only men who were being asked to pledge, but the microphone did come to me. The thinking is generally white equals rich, and therefore a good target. I was rescued a few terrifying moments later, annoyed that I had been uninformed about what the party really entailed!

Luckily this particular component lasted only a short while, and the party continued until about 4am, with lots of dancing and drinking. Dancing is some serious business here—the majority of the women at the party had the approximate hip-shaking ability of Shakira. Although I have not been to an actual wedding, I think I can safely say that American weddings do not hold a candle to this sort of celebration!

Microphones and Plastic Chairs, Part 1

So far, I have not been able to keep blogging at the pace that my trip has been unfolding. I have been getting out and about to a certain extent on the weekends, thanks mostly to the family that I stay with. I often find the work week exhausting enough that I don’t mind resting up over the weekend. I tend towards solitude and have been using the time to cross a few things off my reading list—just finished War and Peace, something I would never have done given the distractions at home of TV, movies, marvelously fast internet, etc.

This trip is testing even my limits, and I am grateful for my “host” family who has taken me out and about to experience how (middle-class) Ugandans live. For two weekends, these adventures took on a wedding theme though in a very different way than we Americans experience the tradition.

The first trip took me east, to Mukuno, where my family is from. We went to attend an Introduction Ceremony, the closest analogy for Americans being an engagement party, though the ceremony was far more elaborate than even a wedding and reception combined. This is a traditional ceremony in which the groom’s family comes formally to present gifts the bride’s family has requested. If the gifts are to the bride’s father’s satisfaction, a wedding will follow some time later, if not, the deal is off—though in recent times, the calling off is unlikely to happen.

Bride-to-be

We were seated in two tents opposite each other on the lawn of the bride’s house—guests of the bride on one side, guests of the groom on the other. A male member of each family held a microphone, and most of the proceedings consisted of banter back and forth between the two. In the middle, there was much dancing and parading, at various times, by the bride and her attendants, her aunties (who advise her, the mother is not involved here), male relatives, the groom’s mother and aunties, and finally, the presentation of the gifts. The bride wore at least three different outfits, by my count, traditional Ugandan dresses called gomesi, which resemble Indian saris.

Traditional dress, groom's family tent

Groom's family MC

It was incredibly interesting to witness the point where old meets new—the couple had met at university, much like Americans do—nothing arranged by the parents. Traditional gifts presented included foodstuffs and a certain number of cows, goats or chickens. The gifts presented did include flour, sugar and rice, a few live chickens and the hind quarter of a cow, but also soda and bottled water, luggage, and an entire living room set (couch and two chairs) carried in by the groom’s family.

Presents, presents

Basket in the middle containing chickens

The whole event lasted about 5 hours, with a break towards the middle-end for the guests to eat. Luckily there was a lot to look at because the ceremony was conducted entirely in Lugandan with only sporadic updates from my hosts. As the only muzugu present, I was quite a novelty. Thankfully, Mr. Lule made sure to inform the bride’s brothers that as a “student of Obama” I was unavailable.

This post is long, the next post will detail my second wedding themed adventure.

A Tragic End to World Cup Revelry

For all of you reading the headlines about Kampala, I am happy to report that I am safe in the wake of the bombings on Sunday night. I awoke Monday morning not feeling well and decided to take a sick day. I was totally unaware of what had happened until mid-day Monday when the mother hen of the LINKAGES office, Roselyn, insisted on stopping by my house to ensure I was alright. I was quite puzzled by this until she explained all that had transpired.

Following the pattern of many terrorist attacks around the world, these bombers targeted locations where they could make a maximum impact—in this case, the crowds gathered together to watch the World Cup final. Both local and international news sources agree that the attacks were most likely related to Uganda’s role in peace-keeping efforts to support the interim government in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

Business seems to be continuing as usual in Kampala, though everyone remains on edge. At this point, I am keeping a close watch, along with the CID home office, on warnings and updates from the US embassy. Instructions so far have been only to avoid large gatherings.

Uganda, and Kampala in particular, have largely been considered “safe” places to visit for some time. I have felt safe, on a personal level, during my stay here. Events like these are a reminder that safe is a relative term—an attack like this is as rare here as in the US. As things stand now, I will stay here to finish out my internship (only 25 days left!) until/unless further developments render it unadvisable to do so.

Sunrise over Gulu, Northern Uganda

Posted by: Kate, Kololo, Kampala, Uganda

Thanks for Reading!

I hope that you are enjoying the extended holiday weekend. I have received some questions about Uganda and the people here, and more specifically the work I’m doing that I am happy to answer (as best I can).

What types of stories are making news--local, national, or international?

One thing I have noticed since my arrival here in Uganda is that everyone still reads the newspaper. There are several dailies in English and at least one in Lugandan, the language most commonly spoken in Kampala and the surrounding areas. I have gotten into the habit of reading the papers as well, for general understanding of what’s going on as well as to keep an eye out for stories on oil and gas.

The World Cup has dominated the sports pages (and sometimes the covers too). People gather in bars and at home to watch the games and it is very much a topic of conversation. At least among those I talk too, there doesn’t seem to be allegiance to any particular team—they cheer on the African nations and even the US (while these teams still had a chance!). At least here, the excitement is in the event itself as opposed whatever team ends up winning.

The other stories run the gamut. The national budget was released soon after I arrived and was read aloud on television. Many Ugandans tune in for this and pay particular attention. National elections are under way next year, and though the outcome of the key race is likely already decided, there is much talk of the election process and races for Parliamentary seats. In Africa in general, the run-up to major elections is often a tense time. A local story that dominated headlines for some time was regarding the kidnapping of a one year old baby, who was held for ransom and eventually killed. The killers have been captured, but the entire terrible affair has played out in the news.

How are the Ugandan people, government and media reacting to the crisis caused by BP and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

Stories of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico are relegated to the international section of the newspaper. Most Ugandans are aware of what has happened, but like most events that take place on the other side of the globe, it hasn’t garnered more than passing interest. I don’t believe a connection has been made between that incident and the potential of a related incident occurring here. The majority of Ugandans are unaware of the terminology and technicalities of oil drilling (as most Americans were before the spill) because the oil industry is in such an early stage of development.

Part of the challenge of LINKAGES work is raising awareness of the issue as something that affects all Ugandans, not just those sitting on land with oil under it. The laws vary by state in the US, but in general, whoever owns the land owns the oil. In Uganda, oil and other mineral resources under the surface belong to the government. Landowners are entitled to compensation for their land, but not what lies underneath it. State ownership is a cleaner way of dealing with the issue as underground formations do not cleave to surface boundaries.

The individuals who are most vocal and involved are those who have gotten attractive (and occasionally out of the blue) offers to buy their land and those who have seen the build-up of activity as exploration efforts have increased. To avoid the ethnic conflict that can come with such wealth, it is important that all Ugandans share ownership and gain benefit from their country’s resources. However, it is also important that the affected areas receive increased attention and funding to deal with the local environmental and cultural impacts that extraction will create.

Are Ugandans concerned about environmental issues related to oil exploration and production? Are there multinational companies working with them on "mining" oil and gas resources?

Environmental issues are a top concern among those who have taken up the issue of oil and gas—local, national and international organizations are involved. As I mentioned in my last post, the oil lies underneath ecologically diverse areas that are already endangered. Much of Uganda’s tourism revenue comes from these areas. Attention is being paid to potential environmental impact and liability assigned to cover what damage occurs.

There are multinational companies holding licenses for the exploration and eventual production process. Initial estimates of oil deposits were quite small and so many of the big companies did not bother. London-based Tullow Oil has been the most publicly involved, though there are multiple other African, Canadian, Middle-Eastern and Chinese companies involved as well. There are large multinationals—including Halliburton—acting as subcontractors, though they operate far from the public eye.

Next post will be devoted to something other than oil and gas!!

Hoping for the best

The growing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is a vivid and recent example of the dangers that come with the production of oil. With that fresh in mind, I am happy to help promote awareness and advocacy on oil and gas development; however it is difficult to be optimistic. The literature frequently refers to the curse that accompanies the production of oil, with few exceptions, all over the world. With that said, Uganda is ahead of the curve with the legislation and policy that have been written well in advance of the production phase of development.

The oil is located along the Lake Albert region in the western part of Uganda that borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area that is prone to conflict. It is one of the most ecologically diverse regions of the African continent, estimated to contain roughly 40% of all mammal species and 50% of all bird species. Much of the region consists of national parks and wildlife preserves, not to mention the many people who reside there. An interactive map of Uganda from National Geographic is available by clicking on this link: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/uganda-map/.

The first oil was discovered in the 1920’s. For political and logistical reasons, removing oil from this region was not considered economically viable until the late 1980’s when more extensive surveys revealed the full extent of the oil fields. Since this oil is located well inland where little or no infrastructure exists, it will be necessary to not only develop oil production capacity, but construct a way to move the oil for export and/or refining. It wasn’t until 2008, when the Ugandan government released its National Oil and Gas Policy, that it became clear that efforts were underway to create a viable oil and gas industry in Uganda.

Two weeks ago, I attended a conference sponsored by the US Embassy and CSCO, a coalition of civil society organizations dedicated to upholding the principles stated in the 2008 policy. This policy set out an admirable goal: to use the national oil and gas resources to contribute to the early achievement eradication of poverty and the creation of lasting value to society. As the keynote speaker of the event noted, the upside is that Uganda writes great laws and the 2008 policy contains the components to achieve its lofty goal. Another draft bill is in the works and should be released soon to the public.

The road from oil discovery to production in any nation, especially developing ones, is fraught with pitfalls; damage to the environment is but one aspect. Ethnic conflicts often emerge over land and distribution of newfound jobs and wealth. Introducing oil profits into the economy causes inflation, which must be managed properly. Countries like Uganda, which are dominated by agriculture, are particularly susceptible to this inflation as the money coming in from oil soon makes the farming sector unprofitable.

At this time, the government seems determined to forge ahead in development—the potential upsides for a country where 30% of the population below the official poverty line—are high. For now, the best course of action is for stakeholders to start advocating for their rights, and holding their representatives accountable to the best of their ability. This is where a project like LINKAGES can have a major impact by helping individuals organize and find their voice.

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Posted by: Kate, Kampala, Uganda

Now for the Intern part...

As is expected when starting any new position--intern or otherwise--it takes a while to get used to the new environment and culture. My fellowship with LINKAGES is my second international internship experience, the first being a self-arrangement with a non-profit in South Africa. Settling into an international internship (at least in my experience) involves a much steeper learning curve. In addition to adjusting to the workplace culture, it is essential to cultivate an understanding of the larger cultural context and expected norms. An additional degree of difficulty is added when considering how little time there is to not only adjust but to make a valuable contribution to the organization.

The LINKAGES project supports advocacy and capacity-building on multiple different levels--for civil society organizations, for local governments throughout the country and at the Parliament level. This has the staff running in many directions and working on a wide variety of initiatives. I arrived without a clear mandate but a general idea of the work I would be doing--assisting in research on Uganda's developing oil and gas sector.

My "office" aka the conference room

In general, I was aware that there is a call for information from LINKAGES constituents on the role that they can play in development of good regulations and governance in the developing oil and gas sector. This has been formulated into my current assignment: to gather information to help inform Ugandans on their role as stakeholders in creation of an industry that has the potential to transform the country--for better, worse, or some mixture of both.

I'll use the next post to give you some background on oil in Uganda.

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Posted by: Kate, Kololo, Kampala, Uganda