Day 19: Ugandan Reflections

As we come to the end of our time in Uganda, here are some thoughts from each of us as we try to interpret all that we've experienced in this country.  Some of our impressions are best explained in contrast to our experiences in Rwanda, while others stand on their own.  From our short time in just two countries, we've started to see the complexities within this part of the world and the inability of simple generalizations to accurately describe East Africa.

Katie:
In contemplation about my experience in Uganda, especially in relation to my conclusions drawn from Rwanda, I am unfortunately not as optimistic about what the future holds. What truly impressed me about the Rwandan government was their initiative to forgive for the recent genocide, but not forget. I did not observe this mindset of remembrance in the post Idi Amin Ugandan system. When attempting to meet with government officials in Uganda, no meetings came through, and the system as a whole seemed much more turbid and hidden from the public. For example, only one of Idi Amin’s torture chambers has been preserved out of many, and the tour guide stated that he “was not supposed to talk about the other torture chambers” when asked. The government as a whole, as was told to us from many sources and personal stories, is extremely corrupt and does not seem to be making great strides to come out from that anytime soon. Additionally, I would have a greater hope for the future of Uganda if critical thinking was promoted in the younger generation, but the current memorization only education system is currently raising a generation that will most likely not be prone to igniting change. Unless major systemic changes occur in the coming years, I sadly foresee a continuation of the current corrupt system. 

Miguel:
I find myself thinking that the country is probably going to stay the same for quite a while. While more business might enter the country, the rampant corruption will probably help to dampen the effect big-business has on the country. All of the schools that we saw seemed to not be developing the ‘critical-thinking’ aspect that our school prides itself on. While there is something to be said for this, mainly the fact that the populace will take most anything without thinking about it, there will be very little new enterprise that is generated in-country. It seems that the country will continue to grind along at its current pace, and stay lagging behind the other countries that it borders, with perhaps the exclusion of the DRC.

Sophie: 
Near the clinic, we visited St. Gertrude’s School and walked around the campus. The classrooms were empty and hot air swept through the rooms as we toured the school. A few schoolchildren found us and followed us around out of curiosity. The school had previously been a boarding school that taught 400 students. However, now only 36 remained. Why? Corruption. It’s a common word heard in Uganda. Here, it represented the story of how after not being paid for a long time, the teachers were all forced to leave due their poor financial status. Boarding students were then left to fend for themselves over the weekends and eventually most classes ended and students went home. With 80 percent of Uganda’s population living in rural areas, it is impossible to know how many other schools are affected by cases of corruption and how many students are not receiving a decent education.

Corruption is a part of many aspects of Uganda. Another example has been the recent political scene in Uganda. Post-election protests have been occurring recently, and many people have been upset about Museveni’s unfair and illegal election strategies. We also heard about bribery in the healthcare and police sectors. Just to receive medications that are supposedly free, many people are forced to hand over money that is used to pay for workers’ lunches. Although, as everything is, Uganda is a complicated place with its cons and unmentioned pros, if the people wish for it to succeed, they must work to eliminate corruption at all levels. 

Ian:
My experience in Uganda has proved fundamentally different from Rwanda. For starters, we spent a much greater portion of our Ugandan travels in rural areas. Since we spent most of our Rwandan stay in Kigali, I believe that my impressions of the country were skewed towards the clean, modern, bustling, electrified, capital city: an environment not reflective of most Rwandans. Due to the extensive time spent in Ddegeya and Bududa, I feel that I observed a more accurate impression of the average Ugandan. Noting my almost luxurious accommodations in rural areas, I feel that I came to appreciate more fully the nature of subsistence agriculture–a reality of life for far more common than most Americans imagine.

While I wish to make as few judgments upon Uganda, and bearing in mind my disproportionally rural stay, I believe Uganda faces far greater developmental challenges than Rwanda. The most obvious difficulty lies in the systemic corruption that exists at every level. Not only does Museveni buy vote by paying citizens 500 shillings for every campaign poster they put up, but police officers bribe their supervisors to get patrol vehicles, and in order to pay up they stop more civilians n hope of soliciting bribes from in tern. Not only does the culture of corruption hinder political effectiveness and accountability, but is also provides a barrier for business. As Uganda’s population balloons, and greater pressure lies on the labor market, the barriers for business and government operation will hinder employment and cause greater social instability, an instability which will likely erupt upon Museveni, a president who, for most Ugandans, is the only president they’ve ever known. Uganda will have a rough road ahead, but I hope it can emerge from its morass of corruption.

Annie:
When reflecting on our experiences in Uganda, I am struck by the vast differences between the rural and urban settings. In Uganda, a large majority of our time has been spent in rural areas, which was interesting considering that eighty percent of the population lives in rural areas. Rural life here is extremely challenging and I am amazed that many people live in different ways. Many rural villages have no electricity, limited access to the outside, and rely heavily on subsistence farming. The great contrast between Kampala and the rural villages is incredible. It is crazy to think that many people living in the rural areas will never make it to Kampala. Considering that Kampala is about the same size as Oregon, it is crazy to think about. In Kampala, many people are able to make a descent living as boda boda (motorcycle taxis) drivers. In rural areas, there are fewer job options, meaning that many people live with a lot less. It was a huge culture shock coming to Kampala after spending time in Bududa (an extremely rural village). Overall, I have learned a lot from my experiences in Rural and Urban Uganda and I hope to continue to learn about this in the future. 

Shantih: 
On Tuesday, the group “visited” the Serena Hotel in the heart of Kampala. Under Idi Amin’s regime, it was a site of torture for Amin’s opposition. Today, it is a renovated luxury hotel. While we were not planning to go inside, we walked around to the front of the building, taking pictures as we went. As soon as a police officer saw us, he crossed the street, and with no explanation, told us, “no pictures”. The concept of not being able to take a picture while standing on public property was shocking to me. Later, we visited Amin’s one remaining torture chamber, at the King’s Palace. The juxtaposition between the grandeur of the palace and 100 yards away, the disturbingly orderly cement caves was striking. Inside, our tour guide explained the guards’ methods of torture, which felt like detail thrown in for tourists’ ears. Dave asked about how other torture sites have been preserved, and mentioned the Serena Hotel. Our tour guide looked pained, “We’re not supposed to talk about that”. After a pause, he added, “You already know. So yes, it was one of the sites. But I can’t talk about it” This response informed the police officer’s remarks—the last thing the government wants is to have the hotel become a “dark tourism” destination.

President Museveni has worked hard to cover up Amin’s regime. While many Ugandans we’ve talked to will quietly lament the country’s history of dictatorship and violence, the country has very few public memorials. On the other hand, we saw how Rwanda has worked hard to forgive but not forget their own violent history. They believe that through learning about the genocide, they can prevent similar violence in the future. While some critique Rwanda’s use of dramatic memorials as tourist destinations, from my outside perspective, the memorials felt genuine. The sites weren’t glorified—one stored skulls, bones, and coffins stacked one on top of another in a tin shed. Furthermore, Rwanda is clearly making more progress on reconciliation. By being upfront about what’s happened in the past, citizens know where the country has been, and that they don’t want to return to this state. Disturbingly, Museveni’s regime feels distinctly similar to his predecessors’, but by covering up their time in power, he has consciously made it difficult for citizens to recognize this.


Clarissa:
To go from a country looking at so much economic success in near future like Rwanda to a developing nation like Uganda was quite the shock. Though we experienced poverty in Rwanda, it was nothing compared to Uganda. 80% of Uganda is rural area, and to experience this up close in this environment was shocking. Hundreds of children fell in love with us and followed and admired us for just our white skin and western outfits. But to see children in such poverty and trying to justify our $6,000 trip to experience the town. There were children with bloated bellies begging for money. And it’s incredibly difficult to say no. But something that I learned on this trip is that throwing money at poverty doesn’t work. Organizations like Engeye and BVA actually help the community and can manage the money to help Uganda. Instead of not knowing how the charity we throw to people on the street can be spent into the wrong ailments, like alcohol and drugs. But not all goes to that, but if there’s a chance that it goes to something good but there’s also a chance that it will go to something bad, we should choose the organization. Uganda is an interesting change. The people are more out there and out spoken, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. The thing Uganda needs to find is educational reform to encourage critical thinking but also diverging from the norm of homophobia and sexism. 

Luca:
Perhaps one of the most memorable stories I heard while on this trip came from Greg’s interaction with a local man during Easter dinner. The man, fairly old, was questioning Greg about our reasons for our visit to Africa and once Greg started explaining how we are attempting to analyze where Uganda falls in the trajectory of developing countries the man was quickly intrigued. When the man asked what Greg had learned from the trip he dove into the evident corrupt politics impeding advanced throughout most sectors of development. And oddly enough, the man was not angry, he was not bored, he was shocked, mind blown. As Greg described it, it was like a light bulb going off in this 60/70 year old man’s mind. It struck him that Museveni has been in power for close to thirty years and the state has been stagnant. He realized that while Museveni keeps claiming to create jobs, build the economy and infrastructure, he has not done so in the past thirty years so why would he starts change now?

For me that largely sums up a lot of the experiences we have been able to have while within Uganda. The corruption of the government has dug itself into so many aspects of life from policeman who now set personal quotas in order to gain enough bribe money to bribe theirs superiors, to the tens of companies that evade taxes, to the relationships you have to foster with government officials to accomplish anything, to the fact that development is only visibly occurring in order to make the people feel as if the country is advancing. At this point it is almost impossible to find large comparisons between Rwanda and Uganda. When we left Rwanda I was still skeptical of their past and how it could potentially alter the future. However, there was hope, and quite a lot of it. Unfortunately I rarely had such a feeling in Uganda. Perhaps it was because we spent so much time in rural areas. Perhaps it was because we were not able to gain meetings with government officials. But from historical evidence of the East Africa region and the stages the surrounding countries, except for Rwanda, are still stuck at leaves me worried for the future of the country. While Rwanda took advantage of the torn up state of the country after the genocide, to fully rebuild ground up in a fashion that replicated modern, developed states, Uganda’s history has had a completely distinct effect on its future. When we visited Idi Amin’s torture chambers it was staggering to have learned that within a small tunnel with five rooms he had killed close to 20,000 people within six years. While this does not even come close to the death tolls of the genocide there is a significant difference in how it is remembered. Within Rwanda we heard of the homegrown solutions to reconciliation that are having tremendously positive effects on the stability and national unity of the state. In Uganda the message has been forget. Apart from Amin’s torture chambers at the site of the King’s Palace, all other remains of torture centers have been destroyed, forgotten, and rebuilt as hotels or other institutions (the number of centers is completely unknown and it could range from tens to hundreds of different sites across the city which have all been covered up now). The notion of simply erasing history is not one that works well and spells disaster for Uganda’s future.

Lastly, I was once again shocked by the disconnectedness of the rural areas (where 80% of the population resides) with the urban centers such as Kampala. For some factual data, the rural area rate of electrification is lower than 5% while Kampala is in the range of +40%. Kampala like Kigali is expanding at an absurdly fast rate due to the attraction of wealth to the rural population. However, if the process of ‘leapfrogging’ (basically the notion of skipping large stages of development, specifically the Industrial Revolution, to get on the same level as western states) continues as it is, the wealth inequality is going to jump massively. With that comes an increase in crime rate like Nairobi, Kenya, which is already evident at its earliest stages around the country. If the cities modernize, yet the rural areas continue on with traditional life such as subsistence farming, there will be such a large disconnect, that instability within the country will continue to grow as the poor aim to protest and factions get created. At this point in time the only path I can envision for Uganda’s success is a complete restructuring of the political system and replacement of Museveni. However, as the elections just took place, and thanks to the mass corruptions and millions of dollars Museveni was able to spend on his campaign he will remain in power for quite a long time. Perhaps local businesses will continue to grow and the nature of corruption will decline over the years. Perhaps with a push for the advancement of roads and electricity in rural areas the state will grow steadily. Yet unlike Rwanda, there is little to no evidence to suggest such action might take place, and due to that there appears to be slim expectations for Uganda’s immediate and distant future.

Dash:
When describing Uganda, untenable is the first word to come to mind, and unchangeable is the second. The political conflicts in Western Uganda (reported as “tribal conflicts”, but no one can say which ‘tribe’ the police are) show that there are some who are ready to take change into their own hands, convinced that their ballots were faulty weapons. Museveni has been in power for thirty years, and little has changed other than his increasing age. Perhaps nothing needs to, because soon, he’ll be too old to ‘run’ the country. In the past two decades, election turnout has been markedly larger in elections likely to oust Museveni. Violence has followed the failures closely.

The façade will not hold if a new leader is ushered in from Museveni’s party and with Museveni’s rhetoric; as a young man in my host’s house explained, Museveni’s platform is based on maintaining stability, but the majority of the country wasn’t alive until ten years after the instability ended. Stability, at the cost of growth and democracy, can no longer appeal to the new generation. It seems clear to me that the election Museveni will not run for will be the most important one yet, and I think disillusioned Ugandan youth will take it into their hands, with pen or with sword, to see that it is not the next generation’s job to create democracy. What happens then is out of my reach; the most the world, and Uganda, can do is to prepare. At some point, tomorrow must be a new day, and we must meet Uganda when it gets there.


Ben:
I am of the belief that systemic problems stem from the top down. As I learned about the numerous issues within different sectors of Ugandan life like education, health, economy ect., it became clear to me that those issue either stemmed directly from or as a result of the current Government’s leadership. It is no secret, to the international community or many of the Ugandans that we spoke with, that corruption runs rampant in most all areas Ugandan life. I acknowledge that corruption takes many forms, so I point to the corruption I was informed about in Uganda: the damaging system of bribing. At every level, from average Ugandan to multinational corporations, people are paying bribes up either to avoid a tick or taxes.  I can only assume that as you get higher on the hierarchy you find that it is government officials that are benefiting the most economically from this system. As they condone this behavior work to protect personal interest as opposed to the peoples’ need who they represent, they build a culture that is destructive. A culture only government can change. I acknowledge that there must be many factors that add to corruption and systemic problems in Uganda, but I believe on a basic level the government in power holds the most power to change the destructive system for a new one that benefits all Ugandans. As I think of the future of Uganda I don’t see any change unless current power chose to change their approach of governance or a new government is introduced. I think Uganda has the potential to become a modernized thriving country, but I don’t see that happening unless the current government changes its ways or is replaced.