After a day of fun and games the night slowly unveils over the African sky. The jubilant myriads of children's voices give in to silence and meditation. Myself, a Polish volunteer by the name of Przemek (read: Siemek), a missionary and about a hundred former street boys are taking an evening prayer stroll across the Don Bosco oratory compound, stopping every few minutes to reflect on the Glorious Mysteries, the mysteries of faith. As we proceed step-by-step along a rocky path I cannot but be struck by the stillness and contemplation of the youngsters around me. A vivid contrast to the rowdy crowd from roughly half an hour ago.
As we near a gate revealing a metal plaque illustrating an effigy of the founder of the Salesian order, Saint John Bosco, we come to a halt. I turn to watch the boys' fingers move along the beads as prayers are recited, mentally trying to keep count of each decade (as I do not have a rosary of my own). The night is quiet, but for the usual cicada gig and a few whispers.
All of a sudden, I feel a light tapping and pulling down my lower left arm. As I turn my head, in the surrounding darkness, I can barely make out the shape of a 7-year old Karimojong boy, Topos, staring up at me resolutely while holding out a white rosary - Uncle Alex, look, you take mine and...you pray. Stunned and moved I receive the rosary with a smile. This little orphan boy, referred to by his Bagandan pals as uncivilized, untamed and wild, shares with me his most cherished possession, his rosary. His faith and his love. I could not have asked for more.
After all, it is testimony to the sense of the tireless sacrifice and daily arduous work of the missionaries and volunteers of Don Bosco scattered worldwide across all continents.
C.A.L.M., Don Bosco, Namugongo.
There are moments in life filled with utter joy and happiness. And those when your heart is bursting from downright emptiness. Finally there are those that are a bit of both, and make you wonder.
Today, as much as I am proud (and cheerful) of the choice my country has made by electing Senator Obama as America's new President, I can not help but feel somewhat gloomy deep down inside. For there are things in life over which we have no direct influence - I say direct, just so that I do not have to explain myself later on in front of all those who believe that we can shape our destiny indirectly, for example through prayer. No matter how much we yearn for the object of our affection it just does not come our way.
No one knows for certain why we fall for a particular person. Everything from ancient Greek manuscripts, through classic and modern day literature, to college psychology handbooks is full of theories which outwit one another with elucidations on the mysteries of agape. To no avail. It comes when you least expect it. And it goes when you least anticipate it. As it leaves, it alters your life in countless ways. Until the day when you find your inner emptiness gradually giving in to hope, resembling a chewy leafy narcotic qat that kills all hunger.
Just hours before we go to the polls, most of us American expats in Africa, find ourselves pinned against the baobab by Africans wanting to know our voting preferences. It is not solely the questions, but the overall excitement, which makes you wonder about why just about every African is getting a thrill out of the name 'Obama'.
Only last week, a major Ugandan (pro-government) daily The Vision ran an article entitled Uganda Tops Obama's Agenda citing U.S. Ambassador Howard Wolpe saying the Great Lakes region to be one of Senator Obama's top priorities shall he win today's vote. According to Wolpe, the democratic nominee would likely maintain the current course of U.S. foreign policy in Africa by continuing to actively engage in a diplomatic way. A diplomatic way. Sounds familiar? Well, at least to me it does. Can't help thinking about the diplomatic duet of Thabo Mbeki and Robert Mugabe, to some also known as the Honorable Uncle Bob. The hero of Zimbabwe's struggle for "true liberty and democracy", read: vote rigging, human rights violations, hyperinflation.
Is the in a diplomatic way foreign policy approach towards Africa (or as a matter of fact all authoritarian governments) a driving factor behind the African's excitement about Obama as the next President of the United States? I surely hope not.
So why the thrill?
If you don't know what it's about, it's most certainly about money. Next to the European Union, the U.S. is a major donor of humanitarian and development aid to Africa. Many Africans assume that given Obama's African descent, his future administration would be more generous than those of his predecessor's on aid spending. Once he wins the presidency, some of us Africans will be expecting Obama to spoon-feed us, says Alice a employee of one of the numerous development organizations operating in Kampala. But we're much mistaken. We Africans are too expectant - the most he'll do is pave the way for African economies to develop and that is it, she quickly adds.
The looming financial crisis over Washington will surly affect U.S. funding across the world. Given the enormous pressure on the budget, it will be very difficult to maintain current levels of aid flows to Africa, warns Wolpe. During the first few years we can expect the new administration to concentrate its efforts on bringing the U.S. economy back on track and improving America's image in the world.
So, just how likely is it that Africa will top President Obama's agenda?
First of all, Africa first needs to change from within, from top down. Corruption infiltrates Africa's politics, poisons the economy and the African society, halting the positive changes mainstream Africans want to see happen, adds Alice.
to be continued...
Alex Slowinski
Kampala, Uganda
Words have wooed yet failed to win her;
persuasion has stretched to her its eager arms in vain.
I have roamed from country to country keeping her in the core
of my heart. [...]
I would ask for still more, if I had the sky with all its stars,
and the world with its endless riches; but I would be content with
the smallest corner of this earth if only she were mine.
Rabindranath Tagore
