Where is AAA when you need it??

09/25/06
Where is AAA when you need it??

Well, I can tell you that AAA isn’t out here in developing nations. Not that I was expecting it, but this past weekend we certainly could have used some professional roadside assistance. I drove to the very western part of Uganda, past the town of bushenyi to a small village called Kabira. While only about 300 kms away, because of the state of the roads it took a whole day to get there. On our way there, our vehicle, which was not fit for such a long journey, actually broke down. This was just after we went into a service station because the car wasn’t going fast uphills. Much of our crew thought that it was sabotage from the service men who might have done it to get more money. Regardless of the cause of this torn tube, it took near 3 hrs to get it repaired.

On our journey back yesterday, because of the previous condition of the car and the state of the roads about 5 hrs into our journey the bearing from the tire broke off. Now, can you imagine trying to find a spare part at 10:30 am? We were fortunately able to eventually find some men who pounded away at the tire for about 3 hrs until they could get the old bearing off and replace it with a new one. Well, we were back on the road at 3am and I arrived back at the sisters place at about 4 in the morning. I have never had so much car troubles in my life! It was overall an exhausting journey, but the destination was great….


So what was I doing?
I was invited by a Pentecostal pastor here to join him for a seminar/crusade that he was leading in western Uganda. This is no typical African Pentecostal and he does a lot of interdenominational work and a lot of work with community development. The topic of the conference was Christian social values and with us came a woman doctor speaking on family values and marriage and a politician who works in security in the presidents office speaking on Christian values.

Arriving in western Uganda, I felt like I was visiting the promised land. Now those of you who know me well, know that I generally refrain from biblicising (if I can create a new word) my experiences, but this place was just beautiful. Bannana fields spread throughout the land covering hills and valleys. You indeed felt like you were in the land of milk and honey. It was lush and green and just beautiful.

I certainly had some adjustments as I came out to these rural areas. I really had an African experience as I god rid of some of my western conveniences and dug into the common plate with my right hand (never the left since that is used to clean your backside) and ate with my hands. I have been thoroughly schooled in African foods since I live with the sisters here, so much of the food was familiar to me. One particular dish was new to me. Carro is a breadlike substance (more like a dried non sticky dough) made of millet. I had a chance to use and practice my Swahili out there since people there often understand it. There native language is Acholi. I also loved their chai (Swahili for tea) which was made with mostly milk and the local tea leaves. It actually tasted very similar to the Oregon chai you might find at one of the coffee houses in downtown Portland.

Mzungus (white people) are even rarer out there. This may sound odd, but I felt very much like jesus at times, walking around with flocks of children at my heels. The majority of the people didn’t speak English, so it was a struggle at first, but there are many ways of bridging the language gap. On Saturday night after all of the preachers spoke the people got in line for food. They started singing some songs. One of my goals was to learn some of the songs, so that I could participate more in the services and in the culture. It took about 5 minutes of gesturing to try and explain to a boy that I wanted to learn the music the crowd was singing. Soon after, however, I was surrounded by 30 faces all eager to sing with me and teach me their music. They got a great kick out of it everytime I tried to sing their songs. I was very happy though to have at least a few strands of their culture that I could hang on to.

Here is an example of one:

Asimwe asimwe
Ruhanga weitu
Izina rjawe
Ninkira agandi

Nomubashaija tihi
Ne oryine
Izina Rjawa
ninkira
agandi

The theme for the weekend was Christian social values. Unfortunatley, the whole thing was in acholi, which I don’t understand, so I honestly didn’t get much out of it. That which I did understand, I actually didn’t agree with typically. When preaching on family values, the woman seemed to glorify when a woman sticks it out in a marriage. While I think there is times that is to be values, I worry when someone merely preaches on women submit to your husbands, men love your wives, because for so long such phrases were used to oppress women. If a woman doesn’t have an adequate “exit option”. If she is not confirmed in having the power to leave abusive relationships, then Christianity itself could be spreading oppression. Now, I don’t think that the woman preaching intended this, but I think it is a possible effect, that one has to be aware of and address.

In my study so far, I really appreciate how certain authors say that you can never have inculturation without liberation as well. John Waliggo in particular emphasizes this point. Inculturating Christianity does not mean inculutration and spreading oppressive attitudes and systems of thought.


Some thoughts about food here.
I have been very fortunate to be living in a place where I can have African food every day. It actually has been quite a shock to anyone from here when I tell them I eat matoke every day.
Matoke is a type of banana. Rather than being considered a fruit though, it is a vegetable. You generally have to cook it. We have it often with tomatoes and onions.
I am amazed at how many different types of bananas there are. I have counted at least 6 already.
I also have posho on a regular basis, which is a maize flour that looks like mashed potatoes but has a much stiffer consistency.
Cassava was what we ate for breakfast in the village. It is a very hearty vegetable.
We also ate African potatoes, which are sweet potatoes.
At almost every meal we have pinto beans (at least they look and taste like pinto beans) rice and often irish potatoes.