Letter from Jinja

I am at Rumours At The Source of The Nile in Jinja, Uganda. I am watching the quiet flowing Nile River as it leaves Lake Victoria. This body of water has just began a long journey of 6400km from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. By the end of April this year, some of these waters that i am currently looking at will reach the sea. A three months journey through the world longest river – the only major river on earth flowing from south to north.

In the mid 1800, greatest explorers who have ever lived went out on a chase to solve the mystrey of where this great river began. Six men and one woman – It was Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, Florence & Samuel Baker, James Grant, Henry Morton Stanley and my favourite, David Livingstone. The prize went to John Hanning Speke who identified this spot where water spills out of Africa’s largest Lake Victoria as the main source of Nile River. Okay enough with history.

It is so good to be back in a tourists hotspot. Jinja is the adventure capital of East Africa, it is like Livingstone in Zambia, southern Africa. So it is buzzing with travellers, backpackers – a lot of mzungus; rafting, jetboating, cruising, bungee jumping, quadbiking, horse riding or just watching the sun set over Nile River and drinking beer or smoothies made from tropical fruits.

On Saturday night we hit the club and i managed to teach some of them how to dance properly. Eish… it is pathetic sometimes watching these poor mzungus trying to dance. They dance like they are trying to catch some flying mosquitos with their hands swinging and jabbing, and legs kicking in all directions and out of rhythm. “Listen to the beat”, i told them, “you hear it? Now move with it. Keep that beat’s pace. You got it? And that is dancing! You’re now dancing. Simple!” And just like that, i liberated them on the dancefloor and was beautifully rewarded for it.

I met Ugandans who were free to talk about their views on this contentious Anti-Gay bill that was passed by Ugandan parliament but still awaiting stamp of approval from the president M7 to make it into law. According to the bill, gays will get a life jail sentence for being gay. Most Ugandans (obviously not all) opins that “gay culture is unUgandan and unAfrican and has to stopped”. Eish… very interesting line of thinking i tell you. Of course it is a Ugandan issue and i have no business poking my Tswana noise in it. The last thing i need is to be jailed for gays, well unless i get sent to a female prison. Im here for the Source of the Nile and it feels good to be here.