An alternative story of Uganda
Schoolchildren visit the Ghandi monument, built where his ashes were scattered in a Hindu temple at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria
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In August 1992 the people of Mbale in Eastern Uganda watched in horror as stones fell from the sky through their roofs. This meteor shower, though, was nothing compared with the terror that rained down under Idi Amin’s rule. He was a dictator who grabbed power in 1971 and murdered 300,000 political opponents. Long-settled Indian communities were given 90 days to leave.
Manchester United fans in the northern village of Patongo, where a camp houses 35-40,000 people displaced by war
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Amin’s rule ended in 1979 and he died in obscurity, while a bust of Ghandi still graces a Hindu temple by the Ugandan source of the Nile. After years in exile, Indians are now returning to Uganda, where curry and chapattis have remained part of the national diet.
East Africa is recognised as the cradle of human civilisation and experts date the human presence in Uganda from 500,000 years ago. Agricultural practices began there from 5000 BC, and an ironwork industry between 600-300BC.
A painted campaign ad on a wall in Kisoro, western Uganda
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Uganda has earned a reputation as the “friendliest country in Africa” but it harbours tribal conflicts – a legacy from the past.
When Arab traders and European missionaries and colonialists descended on Uganda, they manipulated the population by privileging certain tribes. So the Bugandans dominated commerce while the Acholi and Langi dominated the military. Post-independence conflict was almost inevitable.
A supporter of President Musaveni holds a campaign poster in Kampala
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These days Ugandans fight over allegiance to Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea. On weekends, sports bars heave with Ugandan men, obsessed with English football. President Museveni has brought stability for most Ugandans by promoting human rights and development, though he only recently accepted a multi-party system. His parliament boasts an impressive 29.8% representation of women MPs – the 18th highest in the world, while Britain stands 50th with 19.7%!
The protracted civil war in the north is now receding and the phrase “peace talk” has become the new Ugandan slang for chatting up someone.
