Culture Shock!!!

It's been a while since I've written a post, I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to readjust to being back in Uganda. Who knew that two weeks back home could cause such a culture shock - in the U.S. and in Uganda. It seems that I walk to slow in the U.S. and walk too fast in Uganda. Differences like that seem to really standout. But! Since I've been back, I've been getting more involved that just Rotary/Rotaract events. I'm beginning to volunteer outside of Rotary with other organizations to promote Rotary/Rotaract as well as just to meet new people and see different parts of Uganda. There is one way that I have volunteered that promotes cultural understanding back in the states.

A year ago, at my scholar orientation, a woman from the World View - UNC at Chapel Hill offered the scholars an opportunity to be pen-pals with middle school and high school students in North Carolina. I was a bit reluctant at first, but decided that it would further my mission. So, after some months of coordinating with the teacher at a high school, the students had finally send me there first set of questions. Below, I've posted some of my responses. Now, for those that are in Uganda, keep in mind that I'm responding based on my own experiences and knowledge (which makes it even more interesting in my opinion). If you have anything to add, please feel free to contact me. :)

Here are some of the student's questions and my responses (I couldn't include the pictures):

3. What type of clothing do most people wear in Uganda?

Great question! People wear very similar clothes to what we wear in the States. Most of the clothes here are second hand from donations from countries like the U.S. and U.K. or even Europe.

There are traditional clothes for each tribe/kingdom. In the Buganda Kingdom, the traditional wear for women is the Gomez (pronounced “go-mezz-ee”). The men where a long tunic with a suit jacket, forgive me, I can’t actually spell the name of the outfit. It was inspired by the Arabs in the Northern part of Africa.

You would normally see these traditional outfits at weddings. Older women will wear the Gomez on a regular basis more so than younger women. The men will only wear their traditional clothes during a wedding or when going to the king (in Buganda, he is called the Kabaka – “Kaa-baa-kaa”).

5. What is the dominant religion in Uganda?

Another interesting question! Many people would assume that Uganda is a Muslim country because of Tanzania and Kenya (and even Somalia) having a large Muslim population; however, Uganda is predominately Catholic Christian – taking up 85% of the population.

However, Uganda tends to be quite a tolerant country to other religions. There is a big mosque in Kampala, as well as a Baha’i Temple (there are only 7 in the world), and many cathedrals. You will also find that there are many Hindu’s and Sikh’s in Uganda as well. There was a big migration of Indians to Uganda a while back. Even though Christianity is the dominate religion in Uganda, many of the public holidays are Christian and Islamic. Religion doesn’t seem to be a topic to cause people tension here, it is rather accepted that people have different beliefs.

 

6. What are you studying and why did you choose Uganda?

I have gotten this question for over a year now. Uganda is not a traditional place for anyone to further their education, I will admit that. However, my interest in international politics has lead me to a career in International Human Rights Law in Africa. So while here in Kampala, Uganda, I am conducting research in the fields of Law, Culture, and Human Rights with Makerere University, the oldest and biggest university in Uganda (established in 1922 during colonization for the elite Africans). For my research, I ask Ugandans (in rural areas as well as in the cities) questions about human rights, gender equality, and the effects of colonization within Uganda. I am using my research as a way to better understand the relationship between the state/nation, the people, and culture.

I selected Uganda while studying the political and civil liberties of each country in the Comparative Politics class at George Mason University. I realized that Uganda had little to no political and civil liberties, and I was curious as in why I had barely heard about Uganda in the news with the exception of the movie “The Last King of Scotland” and the Joseph Kony conflict in Northern Uganda. There were no terrorist alerts from the State Department, and there was no war in Uganda, but it was ranked as an unliberated country, much like Syria or Afghanistan. Oftentimes, the media does not focus on African nations unless there is a major war going on or major human rights violation, so I decided to spend a year in Uganda to discover why there weren’t any political and civil liberties. As well as create some solutions to some major issues that plague the country.

*Political rights are the rights to free speech, the right to assemble in a political group, and the right to vote.

 *Civil liberties are the right to a free trail, equality under the law, and the right to privacy.