Acholi cuisine

Writers say that Ugandan food has very little variety but this blog will not be complete without talking about what Acholi people eat.  Once I mentioned to a local that many Acholis are tall and stocky and she said that it is because of what they eat..... so I figure that those in the other regions of Uganda may have different food preparations.  But certainly, there had been no Chinese or Spanish influence yet in their local cooking.

The ubiquitous hand wash

No kaldereta or pinapaitan

In Gulu, eating places serve meat, chicken, goat meat, and fish - all cooked in the same way - fried.  Frying is done by mixing cooking oil with a lot of water and adding tomatoes and onions and sometimes potatoes. I'd not call it fried but stewed.   Pork is not common because butchers are halal observers.  The main dish is served with either steamed rice, or mashed corn (posho), millet (kalo), banana (matoke) or cassava.  For sauce, it is paste made of g-nuts (ground nuts or peanuts) or sim-sim (sesame seeds) or peas. Diners will also ask for a side dish which is either a dodo or boo (green leafy vegetables) or beans.  But the typical meal is really paste or beans over those carbs. The average meal costs under USD2.

Goat's meat, beans, rice

Some chicken dish

Popular light meals are somoza or mandaz (a triangular dumpling with meat or veggies), chipati (a bland pancake), rolex (chipati rolled with fillings such as avocado or some veggies - just like the fresh lumpia back home). Ugandans are not fond of sweets. The locals could not believe that I was sprinkling sugar on chipati. But Africans love sodas (mostly Coca-Cola products).  

Matoke and Kalo; their version of puto

An Acholi dining

Eating places would usually have a wash basin outside as it is still common to eat with bare hands especially when one orders posho or kalo. In one  eatery that I frequent,  a Filipino soap opera about a fish market vendor played by Christine Hermosa (she's a beauty) is regularly shown.   I understand that this soap is very popular among the locals so the owner plays it for the patrons.  A few Ugandans now know some Tagalog words picked up from the show such as maganda (beautiful), salamat (thank you).

Bottle opener said to have originated in England

Once  I get used to their food, I hope to acquire the attractive physical attributes that Acholi women are endowed with.  It is not too late, I guess.

A tale of two maps

Most people in Gulu have neither seen nor touched real horses because they say there are no horses in Uganda.  When it was announced over the radio that 2 horses were in Gulu, they flocked to the place where the horses were. They fondled them and had their pictures taken with them.An admiring teacher told me that she had only seen horses in textbooks and never imagined that she was actually looking at them now.  But what is really fascinating is the story behind those horses.  Crystal and Willie (not their real names) own those horses. From 2005, they have traveled from Tunisia where they bought 3 horses then rode to Libya and Egypt.  Tunisia to Egypt is 2,132 miles and one of the horses died in the desert.  For economic reasons, they stayed in Sudan for 2 years then continued to Uganda.  Their final destination is South Africa and they have no idea when they will reach there as they let the horses gallop at 25 kph only.  For now they are in Gulu because one of the horses need veterinary attention.  Gulu had been very hospitable to them.  The vet was summoned from faraway to look at the horses, Crystal and Willie were allowed to pitch their tent in government grounds, and their horses were permitted to graze around the area.  It is a coincidence that the road taken by Crystal and Willie - Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Sudan are presently in turmoil.  Alexandria in Egypt provided a safe harbor for many foreigners (including thousands of Filipinos) now fleeing Libya.  I won't be surprised if someday another Crystal and Willie will make a similar journey but this time from Egypt to Asia following the ancient Incense Route.  I am certain that they will not miss a stop-over in Petra, Jordan (see bottom photos) just like what the traders did more than 2,000 years ago and marvel (as I did) at how the Nabatean people lived (in structures carved from rose-colored rocks) and controlled the trade of spices, myrrh and frankincense between India and Europe.  And should they decide to continue their journey to the Philippines and make a detour to  Ortigas Center to do some shopping in the malls, I will be too glad to offer their beasts our parking space nearby.  Hopefully they use camels so it will be our turn to fondle them, ride on them and take photos.

The Treasury of Petra; their central bank 2,000 years ago

Egypt before the "revolt on the Nile"

With the events still unfurling in Egypt, I thought I should mention our recent visit there. She is after all, a part of my African adventure, and she could never be the same again.

Papyrus

There is a great connection between Uganda and Egypt - the River Nile.  It is like a 6,500 kilometers umbilical cord.  In Uganda, I see people cutting the papyrus and stringing them into mats; in Egypt I saw them making   specialty sheets for painting on. 

While we were in Dahab, along the coast of the Red Sea celebrating New Year's eve, a Coptic Church in Alexandria was bombed killing 21 people.  It disturbed the tranquility we saw a few days before as we imagined how Alexander the Great ruled his empire from there.

Midan Tahrir became the center of the mass protests which ended the 30-year rule of their president, Hosni Mubarak.  A few days before the protests, we frequented Midan Tahrir to eat at  McDonald's, KFC, and Hardee's (a local burger house) and cross-over to the Corniche el-Nil for a stroll along the Nile.   We were also impressed by the collection of the Egyptian Museum, which was reportedly looted during the unrest. We felt safe in Egypt with the tourist police making their presence felt everywhere.  We loved our guide,  Ahmed Khedr, an Egyptologist, and our travel agent (deluxe travel) who put their best foot forward to make Egypt a remarkable tourist destination.   Tourism is Egypt's  No. 2 source of revenues, next to the Suez Canal. Cairo's traffic is chaotic and it seems every car has a dent and everywhere is a parking lot.  Donkeys  create traffic jams too.

Of the "12 great places to see in Africa before one dies",  4 of them are in Egypt.

Elections in Uganda

A local candidate campaigning astride a boda-boda

The results of the presidential elections were known within 48 hours.  The incumbent president who has been in office for 25 years was re-elected again, which gives him 30 straight years by the end of his new (6th) term. 

Mobile platform (photo taken from a newspaper)

The announcement of the results was orderly since the media were informed that they should only broadcast what is released by the Electoral Commission.  I learned that after the President  was proclaimed winner many mobile phone subscribers (including some vols) got a recorded call from him thanking them for their support. 

Supporters show their numbers

It's yellow

I also learned that there are 3 more elections coming up - a few days after each other.  There is separate election for officials of the district, city, town, sub-county, parish and village representations.  

Presidential candidate Norbert Mao

Neutral color for peaceful elections

Gulu's district chairman was a presidential candidate - the first local councilor in Uganda to seek the presidency. I was privileged to be asked to take his picture in one event as I was the only one in the group with a camera.  The color of the dominant party is yellow and for me it was reminiscent of the colors of the funeral of Ninoy Aquino (1983), the Philippine People Power Revolution led by Cory Aquino (1986), and the recently concluded campaign of the new Philippine President-elect Noynoy Aquino (2010).  Colors of home indeed.

 

My daughter Mia campaigning for now President Noynoy Aquino

My Ugandan colleagues were proud to show me their thumbs with the indelible ink - proof that they exercised their right to vote.  I asked them that since they have 3 more elections immediately coming up, will a different finger be marked for each election?  They have no idea, and I will try to find out next time.

Volunteers get grounded too

Singing for free and peaceful elections

February 18, 2011 was the national elections in Uganda.  People voted for the President, and ministers of parliament, some of whom will be appointed to cabinet positions.  A few days before the elections, some organizations moved their international volunteers out of the country, while in our case, we were confined to quarters, although volunteers were free to leave the country for the duration at their own expense.

Like other foreign organizations, safety and security of volunteers are taken very seriously regardless of events or locations. Precautionary measures are advised regularly. Stock food for 5 days, don't leave your homes, use your common sense. It was good advice to stock on food because supply was limited as the supermarkets did not replenish their stocks, and they were also closing.  After the elections reality sank in.  There was short supply of many things, including fuel, and what a confinement since after the elections there was power black-out for more than 24 hours.  Election campaign was very colorful.  Each party put up their own show.  The religious also held their prayer rally.  What I noticed remarkable was before the rally began, the inter-faith religious group went to the district hall and met with the local authorities.  There was a  brief ceremony where the church and the state were united in expressing their common desire for credible elections.

This is the town's main landmark - a roundabout with 2 statues.  (I've got to find out who they are once the posters get cleared.)

What to do when you are confined to quarters with no power, no cellphones, no computer?  I don't remember, but one thing for sure..... I was bright and cheerful the morning after.