Ugan-dependence Day

On October 9, 1962, the Ugandan people threw off the yokes of tyranny and declared their independence from their British overlords.  This was probably due to the fact that, though they'd come to terms with it, the Ugandans were very angry with the British for teaching them how to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Fifty-two years later and I think still upset that they have to shift with their left hands and make right-hand turns across traffic, Ugandans perform their independence rituals of dancing, parades, and of course, elaborate programs at all of the local preschools. Some of you may remember my lovely wife's off-off-off-off- Broadway debut a few years ago. Now our eldest daughter recently took to the stage in Kissyfur's latest production celebrating Ugandan independence and the United Nations.

The program began with the children filing into the performance area grouped by country, not unlike the grand opening of the Olympic Games. Due to the mass of parents and children, it actually took some time for me to recognize what was going on and that, unfortunately,  I arrived after Tepper and her two fellow Americans 'paraded' into the coliseum.  Rest assured, I'm certain she did a great job and didn't trip.   By the time I did locate her, I had to contend with other parents to get a good camera angle, and it was not too different from this.

Despite the mania, I was able to get a few shots of Tepper's performance for her grandparents and the rest of her fan club. However, before I get to her videos and photos, I would like to apologize for the poor video quality.  I had only a semi-operating iPhone camera to work with. Furthermore, the program was cut short by a torrential downpour (we are in the rainy season for another 2 months or so), so I didn't have a lot of material to work with. To my chagrin, Laura informed me that when she dropped off Tepper at school this morning,  that there was an enterprising parent selling videos of the performance. But I'll wait until I can buy the pirated version at the local video store.

Opening Ceremonies

Proudly waving the American colors and obviously not trying to focus on the kid with the 'binky'

 

Tepper finally sees me in the crowd, twenty minutes after the start of the program

Unfortunately, shortly after this last video, the sky opened up with one of the heaviest rain storms I've seen since we've been here. The program was cut short, the kids were ushered inside, and the parents were left to soak, unless they wanted to stay and eat some wet cake. Of course, despite already being soaked, I passed. The cake wasn't chocolate and I needed to go backstage to congratulate the star of the show.

In another highlight from Ugandan National Day, during his annual address to the nation, President Yoweri Museveni asked Ugandans to cease shaking hands due to Ebola and now Marburg.  It's a good thing we taught Tepper to fist bump from an early age.  We're actually heartened that we're living in Uganda during this outbreak, because Uganda has been successful dealing with past Ebola and Marburg events.  Most Ugandans also seem to have a better sense of geography than most Americans, and realize that the distance between West Africa to East Africa is greater than the distance between the West and East Coasts of the United States.  We hear that folks in Maine are asking people who've ever been to Dallas, ever in their lives, to self-quarantine.  Common sense prevails, here, fortunately - at least in this instance.