All quiet today ...

The walk to work protests now seem to be gaining a little more attention in the UK press - like today's article here . Or if it is not making headlines everywhere, then at least in The Guardian, which is about as close as I ever get to keeping up to date with current affairs, and let's face it, I waste more of my time reading the frivolous stuff like Charlie Brooker's weekly rants (couldn't find one today and was forced instead to read the whole article about Bin Laden) than the actual news.

Today seemed peaceful enough - maybe some people walked to work, but I didn't hear of any violence. No  texts came from the British High Commission reminding me to stay vigilant! We had a normal day, thank goodness. Discussions at work today reminded me that it is not yet time to worry because:

a) So far all of the protests have taken place on sunny days. We will know they are really serious when people start protesting in the rain
b) All protests have taken place during the working week. Nobody wants to ruin their weekend by holding a protest. Don't forget, Kampala has a reputation as Africa's party capital to uphold remember when death by waragi was Kampala's biggest threat?

I started to think about what else may prevent people from protesting. Perhaps if there was a giant, non-stop footballathon between Manchester United and Arsenal, then the potential trouble-makers would be distracted. Nobody wants to miss out on their favourite Premiership action, do they?

Really, I do support the cause. Current price rises are totally unacceptable, but so is the fact that over the past 3 weeks, eight people have been killed (including the tragic death of a baby in Masaka) and more than 250 injured, with innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. I'm sorry if I sound a little flippant over what is really a very serious matter, but I have had enough and just wish that some peaceful resolution could be found - and quickly.

A day for wearing hats and bullet proof vests

Today crowds gathered in London to watch the Royal Wedding. I hadn't planned to watch it as I had booked a couple of nights away in Jinja and was unsure whether I would be able to find somewhere with DSTV showing it. Nothing seemed to go to plan this morning; I spent an hour trying to locate my bank card from a safe place and then there was a flat tyre. Just as we were about to set off, we heard that there was trouble again in town. We hummed and haaed as to whether we should risk it, and in the end decided to play safe. Instead we decided to pop to the supermarket to stock up on food, just in case. As always in Kampala, we bumped into a few familiar faces in the shops and by the time we left we had heard about the (incorrect) Twitter rumours that Besigye was dead, that the clock tower had been burnt down and that there was fighting in areas all over town.

As we drove home from the shops in Lugogo, the roads were almost deserted. I am sure we did not imagine the sound of gunfire as we approached our street ...

Today's riots were sparked by the fourth arrest of opposition leader Besigye, this time in his car. He was attacked so seriously with tear gas and pepper spray that he has gone blind. The latest report is that he has been blocked from trying to get on a plane to Nairobi, where he was planning to go to obtain medical treatment. I have to say I was quite disconcerted to read this passage in The Guardian:

In Ntinda, angry youths shouted and hurled stones and chunks of concrete at passing cars. On one corner, a man ran up to a council vehicle as it drove by and smashed the driver's window with a rock, raising cheers from onlookers.

Ntinda is the next district to where I live, just about 5 minutes drive away. It is one thing to read about riots in the down town areas or by the university and quite another to think of it happening on your doorstep.

So back to the wedding ... which we watched with the sound of gunfire in the background. We waved our Union Jacks and gave the happy couple royal waves. The dress was amazing, she looked beautiful and he looked ... well quite bald actually - he's lucky she didn't change her mind and marry Harry!

A happier image of the 29th April

Keep Calm and Carry On

Today Kampala once again experienced riots. They haven't been widely reported in the international press as they were on quite a small scale compared to what has happened in North Africa and the Middle East recently, but they were riots nonetheless.
This has been building all week. The main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, called for 'walk to work' protests over the recent rises in the cost of fuel and the increased cost of basic food stuffs (a rise of 12% in March alone according to the Guardian). He was arrested on Monday and today he was shot. Protests took place in areas all over town and we were advised to stay well away.
Just after lunch, one of my colleagues spotted big army tanks driving up the Northern By-pass. Large crowds were seen gathering on corners. Apparently tear gas was used in various areas. Today the children were allowed to go home early as some parents were concerned about getting stuck in the middle of trouble. As with most protests, most of the people are there to support a cause, while there are always a few trouble makers around.
This afternoon my class dwindled down one by one. By the end of the day I was left with only four children. One of the kids commented that it was like taking part in a reality show where contestants get evicted one by one!
Things are calming down in most areas now, and I have just heard that the main ring-leaders have been arrested. So it will be business as usual tomorrow!

What a load of c-rap!

No I do not want another rap. There is nothing I want to see less than a late middle-aged politician dripping with sweat from shaking his booty. It just makes me cringe.
What is wrong with these people? At the end of the 90s Tony Blair jumped on the 'Cool Britannia' bandwagon, inviting the likes of Oasis and Kate Moss round for tea and cake at Number Ten ... just before he completely alienated the 'yoof' demographic he was so desperate to recruit by cutting student grants and introducing university tuition fees.
Just before the UK election last May, I read an article in a magazine for young women in which David Cameron waxed lyrical about 'Florence and the Machine'. It made me want to delete the album from my i-tunes. I am not about to think that the Con-Dem government is actually OK just because I like the same band.
So please - just stop. It is embarrassing.