International Day of Peace

Thirty years ago, the United Nations declared September 21 each year as International Day of Peace or World Peace Day.  It is celebrated by many nations and for this year Uganda's national celebration was held in Gulu.  Some Members of

MP returning to her seat

Parliament (MPs) took time to travel from the capital city to attend the celebrations held at the main grounds.  What I noticed -

On-stage with bodyguard

MPs are escorted by bodyguards from their seats up to the stage.  I wondered if they do the same everywhere else in Uganda, or was it just in Gulu.  I remember attending a funeral in Gulu where the Chief Mourner was the President.  I was not allowed to attend the services held in open air unless I leave my camera behind.  I complied, of course.
The cultural performances are always worth a picture.Despite the sweltering midday equatorial sun, performers like to wear jackets on stage.
And like in the Philippines, the crowd didn't pay much interest in speeches.
They'd rather go for showbiz personalities.

Baptism of fire, July 2010

Compound where I work at the Gulu District Local Government

 My desk is in the foreground, with the bell.  I share the room with two others.We don't need to switch on the lights as natural sunlight permeates the room.  This set-up was to change soon though.

The desk top computer that was assigned to me.  My two colleagues have brand new laptops,

UPS

so I bring my Mac to work everyday. I was proud to see that the uninterrupted power supply was made in the Philippines.  Its days were numbered though because the computers connected to it were being phased-out.

Do with empty pockets

The toilet that I was using.   It was literally walking to the bushes to find the structure.  There were separate cubicles for Mon (Women) and Coo (Men).

A short stroll to the loo

I was beginning to have gall stones until someone tipped me off where to find the western style toilet - to my relief.