Finally here

I am so hungry right now.  Focus, Sibo, focus! You are supposed to be telling you about your travels.

One of the bus companies in Uganda operates the Kampala – Kigali – Bujumbura route. It departs at 22h00 daily. At this time, most of the people are still awake, until when the bus hits Masaka at about 00h00 and sleep starts to overpower. Unfortunately, that is also the end of the good road. For the next 4 hours,  the road is in bits and pieces. So many potholes and yet so many humps. You are completely shaken. So you sleep in instalments waiting……just waiting for the next hump when your head hits the ceiling!

Arrival at the Katuna border is between 05h00 and 06h00 and the border opens at 06h00. We arrived at 05h30 and the border did not open until 06h45. Mbu it is a weekend!

The Rwanda side (Gatuna) is slower than the Ugandan side! Kudos my Ugandan people! We rock! These guys take their time. The official will look at your passport, check your face, a glance at the passport and then calls you just to confirm that it is really you!

To enforce the ban on kaveera, the Banyarwanda check every passenger’s luggage for kaveera. That is waht I noticed. If they find one, they empty the contents in your bag and take away the kaveera.

The road from Gatuna to Kigali is quite smooth compared to the rough ride in Uganda. The only problem is that it is in never-ending curves.

Arriving in Kigali on a Saturday morning at 08h00 is good and bad. Good because you have a full day to rest. Bad because this is slumber city every thing comes alive in the faternoon and by 20h00 it is asleep again! We Kampalans like to partry!!!!

This post will now take a break for breaking the night fast!

Welcome back, dear readers!

So I spent a weekend in Kigali. Monday was Eid so a public holiday. If you do not have a car, the best way to move around the city is by bodaboda.

No helmet No ride! Police is very strict on this. Thatman who lives on The Edge can tell you all about it. He has been there.

I returned home with the bus at 13h00 after a very sumptuous lunch!

While in Rwanda, visit the Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi. You will learn alot about how the 1994 Rwanda Genocide was planned, executed and aftermath.

Visit the National Museum in Butare. This is the best ethnographic museum in Africa (Not my words). See the history, witness perfomance of the Intore. Visit the university town!

Have a great weekend.

PS: My sincere apologies for missing at BHH.

Soon…..very soon!

This is a along overdue post.

This is a strory of late night travels on Uganda’s potholed highways.

A story of agony on the road.

A story yet to be told.

I wish you all a fruitful weekend!

What a week!

Calm has returned to our city. The number of victims of the 3-day madness keeps rising. Will sanity ever return here? Let us pray for our motherland.

Last weekend was the most quiet ever. No loud music. No parties. No unncessary movements. It was so quiet and very tense. You could feel it in the air.

This week has progressed quite well. I am actually happy to say that it has been a busy one for me. I had the Stamp Exhibition at the Sheraton – Rwenzori Ballroom, the PRO-AUDIO exhibito at Lugogo Show grounds – Main Exhibition Hall, The NABOTU Book week at Independence Park. This evening I lookf forward to the Public reading at the National Theatre.

In other news, we need to pray for Edwin Lubega. He walked into my office on Tuesday. He has cancer. The cancer has eaten away his vocal chords. And now at his tender age of about 10 years, he has a croaking voice. Speaking is such a burden to him that he doubles over in pain once he says anything. It is sad that our sick children have to walk the streets looking for hospital bills instead of lying in hospital beds receiving free treatment. With our resources, we can pull it off, if only some people were not too greedy.

One of those temporary churches has pitched camp in my neighbourhood and they are hosting overnight prayers. It has been 2 days now and I have not slept properly.

Pour mes amis francophones, comme toi Nevender je sais que tu parles bien le français. On continue à prier. C’est le seul chose qu’ on peut faire sans problème. Je te souhaite une très belle weekend pour toi et ta famille. Que Dieu te bénisse.

Let us call to God to come and reside in our country:

Come Lord Jesus!

Overheard…

I overheard this conversation between a potential customer (PC) and a sales lady (LD) on the streets of Kampala.

PC (Picks a pocket Bible and scrutinizes it, turning over and over and opening ages randomly. Finally….): Nyabo, bayibuli ya meka?

SL (Without looking at the PC): Mutwalo!

PC (Quite shocked): Eh?!? Nyabo naweeee! Sala ko!

SL: Munange, bayibuli za linnya!

Please excuse my poor luganda, I tried….I really tried….

It is Friday……

Interesting…

And…..

See you on the other side……