Dr. Myers: A First Impression of Uganda

3-20-2014  

The Watkinson group of nine will be getting in our green van—our method of travel that has become akin to a minivan belonging to the block’s favorite “soccer parent”—to catch a flight back to the United States. It’s been one amazing trip with eight amazing other Americans and a handful of exceptional Ugandans. Junior and Tony—our drivers from Mamaland Safaris—have navigated us through a country almost 100% free of traffic lights. There is no way we could have driven ourselves around this country and the personalities of these two men only added to the delight and insight of our trek through its cities, muddy and rocky roads, savannahs, rainforests, and game drives. For me, these men represent the growing entrepreneurship and tourism of Uganda.

Then there were three exceptional women: Grace, Allan, and Glorious. You can find each of these women in the southwestern part of the country, not far from the Rwandan border. Grace is the head teacher of Kiyabumba Primary School (you’ve probably read about her in previous posts from other Wat travelers), while Allan and Glorious teach at Katarara Primary School. Each of these women strive to improve the education of Ugandan children, as well as themselves. These are my sisters, my fellow teachers that seek not to just impart knowledge upon children, but to help students think about the world globally and question practices and systems of education. For me, these women represent a hope for Ugandan education.

More than anything, I come back from my first trip to Uganda—with my first impression—wanting to let people know that this is a country in positive transition. Uganda is a country that is recovering from a period of atrocity and dictatorship and it’s moving in the right direction. The tourists are here, despite the God-awful, homophobic law that was recently passed by its current President (a law that realistically, will be tremendously hard to enforce). Yes, you will find some people begging on the streets in the crowded city of Kampala (remember we’ve got that in America too!), but you’ll also find many twenty-somethings taking advantage of refurbished and expanding universities to study tourism, computer programming, and other academic disciplines. Children in schools here understand that getting educated is a privilege. And many other kids will take over the family business of farming beautifully fertile plots of lands across vast hills and mountains. While this means those children are missing out on the standard western education, they are encompassing a sort of Booker T. Washington style of education through working with their hands (something that should be seen as equally of value in Uganda and Africa as a whole). The tradition and culture that is inherent to every country on the African continent is not lost within Uganda. And the traditions and cultures change with each region—and at times each town—you visit.

And the animals...their value really speaks for itself. Conserving such marvelous creatures and ecosystems is a must!

This trip is the start of something big for all of us: teachers, students, the Watkinson community, and perhaps even Hartford. Seeds have been planted and strong connections have been made to make a long-lasting impact on the people of Uganda and Watkinson. As we prepare to improve our second trip to the country, cheer us on, consider joining us, and please contribute our efforts in any way you can!