Uganda #2- Most important part of your heritage?

Let me continue sharing about Uganda, although I’m getting long winded, the trip unexpectedly gave me so much to think about and redefined my view of Rwanda, East Africa, wealth, aspirations, and education.  Pretty impressive for a four day excursion!

The day after we went to visit Robert’s family, we went to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center, a zoo, and I was very impressed.  The prices were very reasonable, especially with my East Africa resident discount.  Because of the low prices, the park was filled with Ugandan families and students more than foreign tourists.  The zoo itself was nicer than I expected, with roomy enclosures, information about each animal and a playground for children.  

However, there was a sign addressed to Ugandans saying “This is the most important part of your heritage”.  I really did not like that because it is kind of ridiculous to value animals more than.  I see that tourism is very important to the economy and their ecosystem appeals to NGOs.  Still, it struck me as a very paternalistic and demeaning view of the culture. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the number of Africans there since most Ugandans cannot afford a traditional safari experience 

These nasty birds are everywhere and go through the trash. They are huge.

These are beautiful birds that are on the Ugandan flag! They are wild, not part of the zoo.

The next day in Kampala, we went to the museum.  The museum was very nice and I was again impressed by the inexpensive fees and the number of Ugandans visiting. The museum was set up by the English colonists in the early twentieth century and the information was a bit dated but I loved the science and culture section.  The Rwandan National Museum, in contrast, is somewhat pricey and the attendant had to turn on the generators when I walked in because we were the only ones in the building. It is exciting that Uganda puts so much effort into making the information accessible to all and had such an expansive building with many exhibits.

That evening we went to Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and spent our time watching the monkeys swing around in the trees, the fishermen, and a peaceful sunset, which was a great contrast to the hectic day in Kampala.

The next morning we headed home and by the time I was in Kigali I was feeling very confident and in love with Rwanda and its structure.  I loved that I could get around independently, knew where I was and what to expect, and that there weren’t several people trying to sell me things at every moment.  But right when we got home one of the sisters shared a sobering story from one of the memorial events. A woman had shared her horrifying account as a child from the genocide while listeners were carried off screaming as they internally relived their own memories.  Yes, we are back in Rwanda and it is comfortable and orderly.  But I need to make sure not to forget the painful history that helped build this order.  This is Rwanda, complete with both charm and heartache.