Ugandapanda

Some days at St. Philip, it’s all colds, arthritis and high blood pressure. On those days I wonder why I bothered coming to Uganda, when I could have managed the same conditions in suburban Christchurch. Today was not one of those days. Some nasty old diseases have come back to haunt us, while new ones catch us unawares.

It should be a thing of the past “Two anyongo”

 It didn’t take long to figure out what was making Rubangakene miserable. Sore red eyes, a whole body rash, dry lips, a sore mouth…. A bad case of the measles. His mum is fantastic, understanding that he needs to make sure he keeps taking fluids, and to keep him away from other kids for the time being. She says it’s the third case in their village, and she’s going to get the local chief to hold a meeting to discuss it. The outbreak in Northern Uganda though, is rivaled by the one in New Zealand. I could have seen a case of measles in suburban Christchurch.

Strange times…

The old Itch – “Two gwenyo”

Poor Ochola was vigorously scratching his arms. I knew the problem before he even sat down. Ocola was the 20^th poor soul we saw at St. Philips to be infected with scabies this month. Some people in Gulu have never seen Scabies, and the pesky mite hasn’t shown it’s ugly face in Gulu for at least 5 years. We don’t’ know how it got here. Some say it came from the refugee camps, but who knows? The only anti-scabies cream has been out of stock in Gulu pharmacies for a week, as the town adjusts to this new, yet old disease. Luckily we snaffled up some of the last drug delivery last ewek, so we can still treat Ochola. He’ll be all better soon.

A new stroke of bad luck

Aged 60, Bongomin had never checked his blood pressure or blood sugar. They were both sky high this morning, and probably had been for years. This isn’t uncommon here, as the idea of a ‘check up’, coming to the doctor when you are not sick is a new paradigm. It seems unfair that a land struggling with malaria and HIV now also has our western diseases to deal as office jobs, fried food and sugary treats clog up arteries.

Bongomin’s family were terrified when last night he suddenly became weak and started slurring his words

This morning Bongomin struggles to slur a few words together, but thankfully there’s no body weakness and I tell his family there’s a good chance he’ll recover. In New Zealand, we’d do a CT scan to see if the stroke was caused by a blood clot, or bleeding. In Uganda though there’s no scan north of the Nile, an incredible anomaly that thankfully may be rectified soon. This means I can’t even start him on aspirin yet, as it would be too risky in case his brain is bleeding and I make it worse. Luckily he lives close by and has a little money, so he can come back every couple of days to monitor his blood pressure and sugar, and we can even test his lipids. Small mercies.

I arrived in Kampala at 9:00pm, ready to crash in some cheap dive. Little did I know that New Comrades horel was ready to surprise me with so much more. I hope you enjoy the hotel room tour!

I forgot to mention the towel, functional lightbulbs and power socket…

When we landed in Cambridge I looked forward to eating plenty of apples, that classic British fruit. Isaac Newton even figured out gravity in this hallowed town when one dropped on his head. I expected apples to be cheap as chips but was in for a rude shock. One apple cost a whopping 20p! A Banana on the other hand cost only 8p. In the land of apples we ended up eating a lot of imported bananas, our consciences massaged by the glowing fair-trade stickers.

Fast forward to the Gulu market. Today I bought 3 smallish bananas for 1000 shillings, about 7p a banana. Wait a minute. That’s basically the same prices as a banana in England!  What is this madness? How can be? Uganda is banana land. The tourist shop in the capital is literally called ‘banana boat’. I tried thinking hard about it but it just made me go bananas given that this Banana republic…

1. Has tiny margins on food and retail goods
2. Has farmers who earn only $2 a day
3. Grows shedloads of bananas. They are everywhere

Credit Charles Akena

So what’s going on? How can prices in England and Gulu be the same?

Bananas are imported to England in enormous quantities mainly from South America, from efficient banana plantations which where they are grown at lower cost than in Uganda. Growers are paid peanuts. Bananas are then sold in England at tiny margins or even as a ‘loss leader’, to bring customers to buy other things in the supermarket. I may have bought my 8p banana for less than it cost to grow, ship it 20,000 miles and sell it in Tesco. As a side note, the carbon produced by transporting bananas this huge distance wasn’t paid for by anyone. Except the planet. And our grandchildren.

There are two major factors which (I think) drive up banana prices  here in Northern Uganda

1. We import our bananas from other parts of Uganda. The climate isn’t great for bananas, with a 3 month dry season causing great stress to the plants. Bananas traditionally weren’t grown here. NGOs have tried to help locals set up banana growing businesses, but I haven’t yet heard of a successful project.
2. The supply chain is inefficient, as the bananas run through a lot of hands who all take a cut before I pick them up at Lacor market. This diagram shows all the potential hands bananas could go through before arriving in Lacor market. Incredibly across the Nile just 90 minutes drive away bananas can be less than half the price of in Gulu! Lot’s of locals buy them on the bus on the way up.

Even after all this rationalisation, I feel I haven’t really solved it. Bananas shouldn’t be the same price in England. In the land of apples, we ate bananas. In the land of bananas what then shall we eat?

Who am I kidding? In this wonderful place where I can buy an avocado for 8p, a passionfruit for 5p or a watermelon for 20p, what am I doing worrying about the price of a banana?

There’s a popular anti-government Facebook provocateur/s who aptly nicknamed themselves Tom ‘Voltaire’ Okwalinga (TVO)

They comes up with all kinds of conspiracies and rumours many times a day and have over 150,000 followers. Most of these conspiracies turn out to be to be false, but that hasn’t seemed to halt their notoriety or popularity. The 2 most recent reviews sum up well the range of opinions about TVO.

Anyway… a few days ago TVO displayed a US embassy condemnation of the horrendous crackdown on a rising star opposition politician Bobi Wine, who was recently tortured by the government. Ugandans’ responses to the US statement are a fantastic insight both into the sad reality of the situation, and the mood of the people towards foreign powers like the US which love to make statements with no teeth to back them up. I’ve displayed a series of comments after TVO posted the statement, many of which echo two sentiments. First, the US have their own issues and are hypocrytical, and second frustration at the lack of US action over the years.

1 – The US is hypocritical

Lema Mike: “Still waiting for USA to condemn police brutality in America eri abadugavu”

Leny Jaspher: “There is nothing much that I expect the administration of Deborah Malach (US Ugandan ambassador) to do apart from only making that statement… After all she dines and wine with the sycophants and tyrants together

Muwonge Marvine: “But they killed LutherKing while preaching for freedom”

Rahman Bin Issa: “Double standards”

Luryama moy: “The US is in bed with Museveni lol”

2 –  Frustration at the lack of action – Do something!

Hon Aogon Silas Cyril: “Just barking , come-on bite bite and bite”

Fauza Mutera Omukaka: And it ends there. What can the western do when M7 is helping them kill Muslims in Somalia?

Mbabazi Joan:“WE ARE TIRED OF USA BOGUS WARNINGS WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY RELUCTANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.WE PREFER THEIR SILENCE.JUST DECADES OF WARNINGS MINUS DOING ANYTHING”

Patrick Othieno: “There’s nothing any outsider can do to help Ugandans. Those guys are in bed with M7. It’s a waste of time to say that USA has spoken against human rights mistreatment in Uganda”

Michael-west Obin: “What help will that statement do to Ugandans”

Samuel Muriisanganda: “Who cares about what the US says, that’s a mere barking dog”

I tend to agree with them!

On a self-fashioned holiday, I spent half of today listening to music, and thought there might be something useful there for someone else. These are some of my favourite ‘faith laced’ songs, that met both of these somewhat cheesy criteria.

1. Force me to reflect
2. Inspire me to change, either internal or external

I’ve called them ‘faith laced’ and not ‘Christian’ songs because…

“It is possible for music to be labeled Christian and be terrible music. It could lack creativity and inspiration. The lyrics could be recycled clichés. That “Christian” band could actually be giving Jesus a bad name… Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective” – Rob Bell

These are definitely not the best songs ever written, but they do hit the spot.  They’re all catchy, easy listening and range from from indy-folk to rock. Most are pretty mainstream and often some of the biggest hits of the respective artists. Four were top 10 hits in at least one country. I’m also a product of my time and place, so there’s nothing from the last 5 years. Music enthusiasts feel free to roll your eyes. Click the title to hear the song!

Switchfoot – Dare you to move
This pick-me-up softrock anthem hit top 10 in the USA. If you fancy it, Switchfoot have a lot more where this came from.

“The tension is here, between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be”

Vertigo – U2
One of the few songs that describes what it’s like to touch darkness, and hint the way out. It even quotes the Devil. And all in a 3 minute chart-topping banger.

“It’s that woozy, sick feeling of realizing that here we are, drinking, eating, polluting, robbing ourselves to death. And in the middle of the club, there’s this girl. She has crimson nails. I don’t even know if she’s beautiful, it doesn’t matter but she has a cross around her neck, and the character in this stares at the cross just to steady himself.” –
Bono, about Vertigo

Babylon and Zion – Josh Garrels
A clever song of 2 halves. First, the world as it too often is. Second, the world as it should be.

“Misappropriation of funds. Protect my ninety percent with my guns.
Whose side am I on? Well who’s winning?”

“First will be last when the true world comes. Livin’ like a humble fool to overcome”

Albertine – Brooke Fraser
An incredible reflection on her experience meeting ‘Albertine’, a girl orphaned in the Rwandan Genocide.

“Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead”

My life be like – Gritz
Made famous (surprisingly) by the Fast and the Furious Tokyo drift, this silky smooth rap track hits the spot. The first 20 seconds might be one of the catchiest intros ever.

“The joy of new birth, and the pain of growing up
The bliss between giving my all, and giving up”

After the storm – Mumford and Sons
This addresses our fragility, evokes eternity, and helps us look to a better future.

“And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair”

Oceans – Hillsong
Although it pains me a bit to include a somewhat cliche church song, it’s a gorgeous, evocative song and now a standard at church services across the world. This acoustic version is a gem.

“You call me out upon the waters. The great unknown, where feet may fail.
And there I find You in the mystery”

As-salaam Alaikum 

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims of this horrendous terrorist attack. We are only a week on, and the soul searching will continue. I share these thoughts only to deepen a conversation, and perhaps help us to realise that some of us are more together than we might think.

Jacinda’s “This is not us” slogan has polarized my left wing bubble at least. Everyone agrees it is well intended, but my facebook feed has been smothered with friends voicing both support and criticism.

A number of people have criticised the slogan, including Maori leaders and many journalists. I think that whether the phrase rings true or not, depends on how we define two words. The “this” and the “us”. How we feel and think about “this is not us” perhaps reflects our thoughts, beliefs and agendas, more than than whether the statement itself is ‘true’ or ‘false’. I’m not sure it really can be true or false. Many people who have different interpretations of the statement, may actually agree on the same core truths. I’ve suggested two ways ‘this is not us’, and two ways ‘this is us’, which might take us a bit deeper into the issues that confront us as a people and a country in the wake of this tragedy.

This IS NOT us: 

This: White supremacist Violence
Is not Us: Who we are as a country or a people

“These are people who I would describe as having extremist views that have absolutely no place in New Zealand… You may have chosen us, but we utterly reject and condemn you”
 – Jacinda Ardern

This is perhaps the most straightforward interpretation, and a large part of what Jacinda meant. She condemns extremism and violence in the strongest possible way, and disconnects our current and future national identity from this terrible act. People across the generational spectrum need to hear that this kind of attack is abhorrent, and in no way part of what we want our identity to be as a people.   

This: Extreme evil
Is not Us: The core of our humanity

“I don’t think I’m displaying leadership,” Ardern replied. “I just think I’m displaying humanity.” 

Perhaps this isn’t a big part of what Jacinda meant, but I think it is a positive and helpful way to look at ourselves and humanity in the face of extreme evil. The idea that love, kindness and acceptance is at the core of what makes us human, not evil, hate and violence. I believe that humans are inherently good, made in the image of God, and when we do bad things it is a corruption of our core selves. We are often however often pulled away from this goodness. This is an everyday struggle, but let us become who we really are, and reject the evil that we have seen can corrupt and distort in unimaginable ways.

“Each day we are becoming a creature of splendid glory or one of unthinkable horror.”
– C.S. Lewis

This IS Us:

This: A place with racist systems and ongoing interpersonal racism.
Is Us: New Zealand Society

Although we may do better than many other countries, our systems remain racist.  Maori over-representation in prison and their treatment in the justice system is just one example of this. On an interpersonal level, a prominent study showed that 1 in every 7 people who identified as Asian in 2012, experienced racism in the previous 12 months. That’s about 50,000 people experiencing racism over a 12 month period. That’s not OK.  It pains me to admit that I’m still part of this. Although I’ve left behind my teenage years of cringe racist jokes, I still notice subtle racist tendancies in myself, and I’m still trying to drive them out completely. 

It’s interesting that Taika Waiti, who described New Zealand as “racist as F#%@” has also expressed “this is not us”. He doesn’t seem to ascribe this meaning to the phrase.

This: A country built partly on White Supremacist violence
Is Us: Aotearoa (New Zealand)

“Our colonizers regarded our collectivism as beastly communism, our language as inferior, and our spiritual beliefs as heathen. All had to be destroyed and replaced…”
Ani Mikaere – The ongoing Colonisation of Tikanga Maori

We can’t deny our roots. New Zealand was partly built on white supremacist violence.  We even have a European name! The colonial settlers oppressed Maori, and stole their land. During the New Zealand wars, thousands of Maori were killed to take over land that was rightfully theirs, and this is only one example of violence. Our history has taken positive turns through reinstating Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but the consequences linger, manifest in disconnection, disempowerment and inequality  We need to continue to own this, and continue to rectify it.

There are endless ways to interpret “this is not us”. Ask yourself what you consider the statement to mean? What truths, realities and emotions does it evoke in you? I believe that many of us who have different interpretations of the statement, may  agree with each other more than we realise. Let’s continue the discussion with sensitivity and grace, as we work through this tragedy together.

kia kaha
aroha nui.

Nick.

I recently got off the plane from an epic long haul return flight to England. I had the most amazing time in New Zealand but………..

The carbon I released taking this one 24 hour flight is about 10 times what the average Ugandan releases in an entire year. I’m already feeling the guilt set in. Yep, there it is.

I like to do some amateur research from time to time, to see what we can do make the biggest dent in my carbon emissions. Although there are a million other articles talking about this that are better written I thought I’d write my own. Go figure. This graphic illustrates it pretty well. But if you like words keep reading.

The best things we can do

1) Stop driving a car. Or use it less. Or lime scooter everywhere… This is the MASSIVE one. How do you transport yourself everyday? Could you change that, even if it’s hard? Besides the awkward having less children thing (see below), reducing car usage has the biggest impact on your emissions. Nothing else comes close.

My friend who used to drive everywhere, recently sold their car and gave the money to charity. Amazing true story. They now bike most of the time. I bet you can’t be as awesome as them. (Guilting people into positive change like this doesn’t work, for the record)

2) Eat less animal products. I really struggle with this, because meat and dairy are soooooooo tasty, but we’ve got to get serious right? In New Zealand dairy might be as bad as meat, but I couldn’t find numbers on it. Veganism is the best option and has a huge positive impact. And think of the health benefits too…

3) Fly less. See my hypocrisy above. We may well have not seriously considered flying less, but it’s a real problem. We don’t usually put carbon emissions on a list of pros and cons before going on holiday or to a conference, but maybe we should.

You may wonder why I haven’t listed the biggest impact action from the graph. Unfotunately I’ve still got some intellectual/ethical qualms about it. Having one fewer child than you planned to have, smashes all other lifestyle changes out of the water. It’s over 25 times more effective than never driving a car ever again. If you’re up for it, have a think…

Less useful (but still do them, if you can like, be bothered)

1) Turn off lightbulbs. Obviously we should turn off lightbulbs, but obsessing over this is a waste of time and energy. Replacing all your light bulbs with LEDs will help more than obsessing about every minute they are on.

2) Recycle. Not that effective on the climate change front I’m afraid. As you can see on the graph, hang drying rather than machine drying your clothes has the same impact as recycling everything. Surprising!

3) Have cold showers. Ok, that’s mostly a joke. Great in Uganda, less great in New Zealand. My crazy father has done this every day for the last year. I tried once and nearly died. New Zealand mostly produces power from renewable sources, but 20% of it is still fossil fuels, so it’s not all rosy.

There we have it. The most useful and useless ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. Back yourself this year, and make a change!