Stop, Look and Listen

I, like most children in the Western world, was taught from a young age about the dos and don’ts concerning safety. Mantras like don’t talk to strangers, don’t play with matches, stop look and listen are drilled into our skulls until following the rules became second nature. In my childhood there were cartoons and adverts targeted specifically at kids to help keep them safe. Frances the firefly was a personal favourite of mine but the ‘King of the Road’ hedgehogs certainly captured their audience. There was a time during primary school that the whole of my class would have been able to sing the advert to you word perfect, maybe even in four part harmony if you’d asked really nicely. 

Courtesy of the 'Staying Alive' road safety campaign

Here, however, there isn’t the same level of diligence about being careful. In truth there seems to be a bit of a disregard for being cautious. It is not uncommon to see young children, 5 or 6 years of age walking around with pangas (machetes) that are a big as my forearm. They are not carrying them in a threatening way but instead are carrying them so that they can cut wood or bamboo. In fact the biggest danger they pose is to themselves. Martin, a friend, once showed me an enormous scar on his back that he got from a panga accident as a child – he had forgotten that he had placed the knife through a length of bamboo and as he threw the bamboo over his shoulder to carry it home the panga had driven into his back.

But it’s not just knives, children tend to charcoal stoves, light paraffin lamps and play right next to, and even sometimes in the middle of, busy roads. I’ve stopped wondering where the parents of the unaccompanied children you see wandering about the town are and people are much more willing to pass their young children around to complete strangers. For example on a recent matatu ride my mother offered to hold a newborn baby while her mother got on and ended up holding it for most of the journey whilst the mother chatted away to fellow passengers.

Children in Stone Town, Zanzibar observing road safety beautifully

 Frankly, in Britain I think we’ve gone too far with our fear of strangers and general mistrust of the adult population. It’s ridiculous that friends can no longer look after each other’s children unless they are vetted and that in some play areas adults are not allowed, even the parents whose children are playing inside. We need to have more trust in the general population and allow children vital freedom and independence. However, letting them play on main roads and allowing children as young as 4 or 5 to be unaccompanied in town is going a little too far, especially in a country where child abduction and subsequent sacrifice is not unheard of. There must be a middle ground somewhere, I just hope when I come to have kids of my own, whether here or in Britain, I’ll have gone someway to finding it.

We are sorry to announce that the 10.37 to Kalangala will be delayed by indefinite minutes

Have you ever complained about a bus that didn’t turn up or failing to get a seat on a long distance train during peak hours? I know I have, but since living in Uganda all my quibbles regarding British public transport are forgotten. Not until you have been crammed with another 22 people in a minibus made for 14 or spent 48 hours travelling on a bus with no toilet or refreshment facilities can you truly appreciate just how good you’ve got it back home.

The first rule to public transport in East Africa is to forget about personal space. Even on the buses where you have your own seat it’s not uncommon for someone to be perched on your arm rest, another sat near (on) your feet and for a roll of mattresses/shopping bags/chickens to be jammed in the aisle next to you… and that’s luxury. In the public minibuses (matatus) more people are squished inside than you ever thought possible: legs go dead, arms are draped out of windows or around strangers’ shoulders, bodies are contorted in weird and wonderful ways and it’s not uncommon to have some chickens and even sometimes a goat share your journey with you. On a recent journey from the Ssesse Islands we fitted 12 people into an Ipsum, (including 3 people and the driver in the front) which according to its manufacturers should hold just 7. 

There's always room for one more package/person/chicken

 In Rwanda the situation is slightly better as their regulations are tighter and so they tend not to overcrowd their public taxis. However, this comes at a price. I recently got into a minibus at Katuna heading to Kigali, about 2 hours away. As soon as I got in I realised why the row I went to sit in was empty. The seats in front were so close to mine that in order to have been able to fit my legs in comfortably I would have had to have had them amputated around mid thigh. So whilst I think it’s great that in Rwanda they are more strict about how many people are allowed to sit in a minibus taxi, after all no-one enjoys being crammed in like sardines, if the price of having less people means that I only have enough leg room for a short child, I’m not sure which I’d prefer.

In addition to buses and minibuses there are the ridiculously useful boda-bodas (motorbike taxis). Need to get up a steep hill, travel at night, have a lot of shopping, travelling a relatively short distance? Then bodas are a god send. Seriously, I wish we had them in Britain. No more worrying about how you are going to get back from the pub/ that house party, just head to your nearest boda stage (they’re never far away) and voila! problem solved.

Luckily in Kabale bodas are pretty safe, there isn’t a lot of traffic and as long as you have your regular drivers you eliminate the chances of taking one at night who has also been enjoying a beer or two. Kampala bodas are a whole other experience though, they tear through the traffic jams narrowly dodging cars, trucks, pedestrians and each other. They attempted to enforce a rule whereby all boda drivers must wear a helmet and have one available for passengers, but this fell short.

Holding the strap to keep the helmet on... not ideal

 Unlike Kampala, Kigali has successfully enforced this rule. Of course one part of me knows that it’s logical to have a helmet and a lot safer too. However, I can’t help but think of all those other people who have worn them before me, sweating in to them, maybe with nits, lice or skin infections. Then there’s the fact that many of the helmets don’t really fit, in fact half the time you have to hold the chin strap to stop it from flying backwards off your head. In reality what good is that going to do in a crash?

So the next time you’re cursing the 7.47 train for being 15 minutes delayed or the 58a for failing to show up again, just think. You could be waiting for an indefinite period for the bus to fill up before even leaving or be sharing your commute with double the people and half a farmyard.

Monkey business

A cute little golden monkey kind of critter

 For many, the south west of Uganda means one thing: mountain gorillas. The majestic mountain gorilla is certainly an impressive beast and as an endangered species it is thought that only around 1000 now remain. They have never been successfully bred in captivity and they cannot be found on zoos. Therefore if you want to see these impressive creatures you’re going to have to take a trip to Bwindi National Park or the  Virungas, a set of 3 adjoining national parks found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The upside is that you get the chance to see these incredible animals playing, eating and interacting right in front of you. The downside? A trek that can take between 1 and 8 hours before you even find the gorilla group and the cost, a whopping $500.

Recently rumours have once more resurfaced that the cost of trekking the mountain gorillas is going to be increased to an eye watering $750. Yes ok, these are extremely rare creatures and this is the only way you are going to get to see them, but $500 is just extortionate, particularly considering the fact that it currently costs East Africans just $100. I certainly do not begrudge this discounted rate, in fact I think measures taken to encourage locals to visit their national parks and appreciate their natural assets make complete sense and should be supported. However $100 is still very high for someone on an average wage in the south west of Uganda. I just think that the cost of permits should be lowered for everyone as I can’t see how the price can be justified.

Just munchin' some luncheon

At this moment in time you may well be thinking that the answer is obvious (and that I’m a bit dim-witted). That it’s a simple matter of supply and demand. As I’ve mentioned above the mountain gorillas are extremely rare and therefore you are paying for their scarcity. But this is where a little anomaly occurs, in addition to the mountain gorilla, the Virungas are also home to the golden monkey. The golden monkey is a sub-species of the blue monkey and they are only found in the dormant volcano range that straddles Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Whilst they are not quite as rare as the mountain gorilla, it is thought there are approximately 3000-4000 living in the Albertine Rift Valley, they are also classified as an endangered species.

So why is it that to track the golden monkeys costs only $50 whilst to track the gorillas costs 10 times more?  Having seen the golden monkeys I can verify that it also includes a hike up steep mountainside (although thankfully not for 8 hours) and you get to spend an hour with them just as you do the gorillas. All I can assume is that the price hike for gorilla trekking was implemented and people were still willing to pay. The trouble is where will it stop? To me it just seems like monkey business, but apparently, it pays.