Goodbye Muhanga!

This post is a bit delayed because since I have left Muhanga I have been a bit lazy in writing. I don't really know the reseaon... it's not like that I don't experience anything in Kampala... but the experiences differ a lot. However, I will take up my responsibility again to write down my what is happening here!

Let's go back... about two months ago:

Today I am going to leave Muhanga for a while. I will miss this place and the people!

I have spent seven weeks here. The first time has been a bit strange for me because I was not used to get so much attention. People greet you everywhere, asking,“Muzungu, how are you?, children waving to you, coming up to you, want to know where you come from and what are you doing here, even some, especially children touch you to see how this skin from a Mzungu feels like or it even loose its white colour, some are really staring at you, not really knowing what this is… sometimes I felt like a creature or an alien not coming from this earth. However, I appreciated these contacts, conversations and interactions with the people from Muhanga very much!!! Even people invited me to their homes… children wanted me to get to know their parents… to have tea or something to eat. Many families and organizations have a visitors book, where you can write your contacts and a comment that you have been here.
But over time people got used to me and I got used to them :)

For the interviews we walked from house to house… we also tried to get interviewees from the upper and isolated parts of the village… and some of these people could not believe that a Mzungu is visiting them and wants to talk with them. One woman felt so appreciated and said “If I die now, I will be in heaven because a Muzungu came to my place!”
Some people just came up to me, shaking the hands and saying thank you for all.

It feels really very strange when you get such a special treatment even though you have not done anything. It is just because of your different colour. For what does a white person deserve this? When you think about what happened in the past and what is happening in present time… I am thinking about slavery and slave trade, colonialism, exploitation of natural and human resources and now what you can call new-colonialism… the dependence from western states that is still tried to keep in form, for example, through the private sector and development cooperation…
Sometimes I had conflicts with my self also because of the reason that people don’t appreciate me because of my personality, but because of my skin colour… that feels a bit strange!

I tried to deal with it and also tried to make clear that I am not a special person or that I am different… of course there are differences because of culture, language… but we are all human beings and have the right for a good life.

However, the openness, hospitality, friendliness, expressiveness… of the people in Uganda is amazing! I wish that some people in western societies would be a bit like them!

Especially at the first time it was really hard to get information for my research. However, I never gave up inquiring and finally I got many answers.
Mary has been very sceptical and at the beginning she did not know how to treat me, me a Mzungu. At the end of my stay she told me the troubles she had as she had been informed that I would like to stay with a family. She asked herself “Where should we put this Mzungu?”
She thought her place is too dirty and she was also worried about nutrition. What does she eat?
Mary also told me that her friends and relatives are always ask her what I eat. They are wondering that I eat the same food as they eat and that I like it. During conversations with other people I also remarked that they are wondering that I eat the same things. Many could not believe it... I don't understand this?!

One of my most memorable experiences has been two weeks ago. I think this experience brought me a bit closer to them.
Sometimes Habas (her worker) asked me if I want to go with him harvesting sweet potatoes, or matoke. I enjoyed it very much learning from him. And one day we have been harvesting matoke and then he told me that he is going to fetch water. I told him that I will come with him and I would also like to fetch one jerrycan. Mary heard this and she said NO, I cannot carry it, 25 litres are too heavy for me. I could carry a small one with 10 litres. I said no, I want to take a “normal” jerrycan, I took it and went to the tap. I filled it with water it was the first time that I raised the filled jerrycan. It is quiet heavy. But I thought, there is no way not to carry this jerrycan. I followed Habas up the hill along the small path up to the house. It was really heavy and quiet exhausting. But I reached the house within the same time as Habas and with a full jerrycan. Mary saw me arriving and she could not believe it and said “Now you are an African!”
I felt very appreciated and proud!

These experiences in Muhanga have been very valuable and worthwhile and I will never forget this time in Muhanga!