Wangala Obama

So, Ugandans take much pride in the fact that America's president is African. Nearly every day that you walk down the street I hear exclamations of Obama's new presidency. They see my our white skin and his name is always a topic of discussion. As a matter of fact, I have met Obama's cousin (which I highly doubt). "Wangala Obama" in Luganda is translated to English as "long live Obama!". This phrase our group quickly learned as we prepared to head out into the city of Kampala to watch his inaugeration. It was to be held at 8 o'clock, because of the time differnce.
The city of Kampala was alive with anticipation as our group rushed to a site called Magic Park. After some negotiating with the doorman of the park about the price of our group entry, we rushed in and sat down at a table. What a joy to hear the cheers from fellow supporters of our president...even though we were in a different country. We had our picture taken as we stood up when our national anthem was played. Never have I ever felt such a sense of pride in my country. I guess it takes a little traveling to do bring about such feelings.

Rural Family Portrait :)

This is my newly made Ugandan family. I acquired them on my weekend scheduled rural visit to the small town of Rakai (southern Uganda). They lived pretty much out in the bush but the sense of community was still strong. The person to my left, his name is Counselor, this was his family. But the shining star of the entire group is the woman to the far left in the reddish dress. Her name is Marie Claire, or more affectionately known as Mommy!

Kasubi Tombs

Today, January 20, our African culture and tradition class took a visit to the Kasubi tombs in Kasubi. This is the place where four kings are buried. It seemed like the drive to get there was longer than the tour itself. I think maybe just because of the abundance of early morning traffic which slowed us down.
When we walked in, our tour guide, Fred, who had a very good informing voice, stopped us to describe a little about what we were going to see. As we walked through into the courtyard, it was explained to us that this is where the first king had lived. The tin-roofed huts along the side were designated for all 84 of his wives. And today, the symbolic widows of the king still reside. But, because there are so many, they are on rotation – every 30 days a new family of widows comes to live and keep the tradition.
I really respected their drive to keep the tradition. They still keep this small burning hut lit on the inside out of a ritual of respect. The symbolic widows still wear the boarding outfits with the big shoulders and teach the children how to weave just as their ancestors did. When we crossed the courtyard in to the biggest hut in the world, Fred made us all take off our shoes. As we walked into the gigantic hut, and onto the beautifully colored straw mats, our attention was drawn to a stuffed leopard which served as King Mutesa’s pet. Then, we were asked to “sit as Baganda” with our feet facing away from the tombs, in respect to the kings. So much information was then provided such as the acceptance of Christianity by King Mutesa and how he wrote a letter inviting the Christian missionaries to introduce their beliefs to the people of Buganda. Also, we learned how the kings are said to have disappeared into the forest instead of saying that they have died, how King Mutesa stopped the tradition of beheading the deceased person, how exactly the kings were buried and many other small, interesting facts.
I really enjoyed my time there because I was able to put the information that was given into the picture of what I had already learned. Having some background of the culture was most definitely helpful in understanding the architecture and traditions. All of the things learned today just added more color to my tapestry of African culture. Everyday, a new piece of the puzzle is fixed into place and everyday I can see the African history and culture more clearly.