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!
