You have seen it on YouTube. Invisible Children‘s campaign video “Kony 2012.” The sensation that took over social media then disappeared. In the video, the children being abducted were from Nothern Uganda mostly from a city called Gulu which is about 110km from the Southern Sudanese border. I heard of Gulu ever since I was a little child, the horrifying stories limited my vision a bit but it didn’t stop me I always wanted to see Gulu. I had no idea how beautiful it actual was.
We started the journey from Kampala at around 9am. When the drive started I fell asleep then woke up in a town called Migyera there we had the chance to stretch our legs and get breakfast, chai, sambusa and chapatti, the best Chapattis ever! As I was waiting outside the car for everyone, I spotted a mango tree. Quickly I recalled how in the States whenever you went to the store, a single mango can cost anywhere from $.99 up to like $2. When I shared this with people in Uganda some were shocked and others were surprised.
Gulu, the road seems to get longer and longer. On the map Uganda doesn’t look this big. Green, green and more green, so beautiful. Stephen Marley’s “Made in Africa” a perfect theme song for the drive as we cross miles and miles of beautiful landscapes and walking faces, the song reminds us that theres more to learn about Africa.
The speed bumps on these roads are so huge that if you had a dropped-down street racing car, you might end up suspended on the speed bump, no wonder ‘The Fast and Furious‘ franchise hasn’t come to Uganda yet. Uganda fans are waiting lol. Uganda is well known for agricultural production of matooke (green bananas), corn (maize), sugarcane, tea, wheat, sweet potatoes and peanuts,
We reached Gulu around 12:45pm. The city is on the rise. Gas stations, skyscrapers, shopping centers, you would think you never left Kampala. We went to a certain village in Gulu where my friend’s family originated from, and it was there that I saw how beautiful Gulu is, yes the roads are still under construction and there’s still development happening, but the raw beauty, the people, the language, the mangoes and just how beautifully green it was. I felt it, I was really home, Africa.
Follow my journey on Kujielezablog.com and Instagram @Adhimamusic
Kujieleza 