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| Waragi (local gin), 40% alcohol proof |
It is quite an experience to have occasional encounters with drunks. I was told that alcoholism has been a problem in Gulu. It is not that it is a new occurrence. It is simply because some of those who lived in the camps had taken on the habit as a past time and continued with it after they left the camps. When I was first exposed to the peculiar smell one bright sunny morning in the office, I thought it was a masculine brand of cologne, until I noticed that those splashing that cologne had the same dreamy gaze, reluctant smile and bloodshot eyes.
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| Even with pineapple, it still burns |
A few come to work in disheveled appearance and their trick is to continuously chew gum to camouflage the stench. One drunk sat beside me in church and he came too close for comfort. Another one accosted me on the road and I ran as fast as an impala. Sometimes there is no distinction between a drunk and an insane person, as the drunk can be temporarily insane.
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| Gin on sachet |
The manufacturers and retailers ride on this addiction by selling the popular gin in sachets (or saket, as the locals pronounce it). At 600 Ugx or USD 25 cents,
the gin becomes very affordable and the addiction thrives.
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