Second day of work! I got up a little bit early, had breakfast (I tried matoke -- steamed green bananas, and a very popular dish in Uganda. It was yummy!), and took a boda boda to work. My boss had given me a bunch of different reports to read yesterday, so the first thing I did was finish the one I had started yesterday on Rwandan refugees living in Uganda. Apparently, the Rwandan government really wants all the refugees to come back, so it can say that everything is back to normal -- but a lot of the refugees are Hutus (the ethnic group who did most of the killing in the genocide), and they are scared to go back because the Hutus are collectively blamed for the genocide, even if a particular Hutu individual wasn't involved at all. The report was really interesting, and is apparently really controversial with the Rwandan government.
The Darfurians all met again in the office today, but I didn't join them like I did yesterday. However, after they finished, the two researchers who will be in Kampala came to talk to me, and apparently I am going with them tomorrow to interview Darfurians in Kampala. The goal is to interview as many people as possible, so if any of the refugees (likely the younger ones) speak English, I get to actually conduct the interview. Otherwise, I'll be taking notes based on the translation from Arabic. However, my boss didn't want to send me out to do interviews without me knowing details about what's going on in Darfur. And it's sort of embarrassing to admit, but until today I really didn't know all the details. I was sort of like "genocide is bad, janjaweed are bad guys." And okay, janjaweed are bad guys, but it's much more complicated and confusing than that. I'm sure I still only understand a small part of what happened there, but I spent many hours today reading histories and surveys about the conflict. The former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, led an African inquiry into the situation which has a nice summary of the history of the region, and there's an NGO that did a huge survey-based study of Darfurian refugees living in Chad that focused on the refugees' beliefs justice in Darfur and South Sudan.
Reading the reports, I was struck once again (as I often am when I'm in Africa) by how smart these people are. There's this assumption in the developed world that uneducated means unintelligent -- but the refugees who answered this NGO's survey questions had sophisticated ideas about freedom, democracy, justice, and blame. I think 99% of them were farmers before they were displaced, and most of them probably couldn't write their name in any language... but they know what's happening to them, they understand the politics, they know who is to blame (overwhelmingly, they blame Bashir and the Government of Sudan), and they know what punishment those people should get. I was amazed by the large proportion of refugees who firmly believe that Bashir and other war criminals should be tried by the International Criminal Court, and the faith they have in the impartiality and ability of the international community. Really remarkable stuff, and it's good to be reminded every once in a while that all the education in the world at the greatest schools doesn't mean I know or understand this stuff better than the people who have lived through it.
Anyway, I met with my boss in the afternoon about the Darfurian interviews and about a paper that we're going to write together on the emerging East African Community, which is kind of like the EU in its early phases. It's a confederation of east African states moving towards the free flow of goods, services, and (most relevant to my organization's mission) people. My organization is hosting a conference in the first week of July, and my boss is presenting a paper on the ramifications of the EAC on refugees and refugee law, and she wants me to do most of the research and write a first draft. So that will be my big project for the next month, along with working with the senior researcher in Cape Town on writing up a report based on the Darfurian interviews. Since I type so fast, all the interviews in Arabic will be orally translated for me to transcribe, so I'll really be the only one who has heard all the interviews. That puts me in a good position to pick up on repeated themes and topics that pop out in the different conversations.
After work, one of the Ugandan lawyers walked me to Wandegeya, which is a neighborhood in Kampala, and also a major hub for the minibus taxis. I decided it was time to learn how to take a taxi to and from the office. The walk took about 15 (maybe 20?) minutes, but we were walking slowly -- I think it would probably only take me about 10 minutes on my own. She put me into a taxi heading to Ntinda, which was the right direction for me, and off we went. The taxi was so low on gas that the motor kept dying every time we slowed down or stopped... I thought it was a more serious problem, but we stopped to get gas, and then it was fine after that. It was nice to be surrounded by metal, instead of flying down the street on the back of a motorcycle. The taxis are significantly cheaper (1,000 UGX vs. 4,000 UGX for a one-way ride between the motel and my office), but they are also significantly slower. None of the vehicles, which are all Toyota Hiaces from the 1980s, are in very good condition, and the one today was no different. I could feel the heat of the overburdened engine through my sandals on the floor, and when I pitched forward at one point as the driver stopped sharply, my knee hit the engine cover and I thought it was going to leave a burn mark, it was so hot. With all the stops and sitting in traffic, it took me about an hour to get home -- instead of the 15 minutes it would have taken on a boda boda -- and when I got home, I was sweaty and tired. But I think it's still probably a better idea to take them as much as possible instead of the bodas, if only for the cost difference. If I take a taxi both ways, that's 2,000 UGX per day instead of 8,000 UGX per day -- $0.80 cents versus $3.35 every day. It doesn't sound like much, but I think it will make a difference in the long-run. And this way, I don't need to buy a helmet or fear for my life twice a day.
The Darfurians all met again in the office today, but I didn't join them like I did yesterday. However, after they finished, the two researchers who will be in Kampala came to talk to me, and apparently I am going with them tomorrow to interview Darfurians in Kampala. The goal is to interview as many people as possible, so if any of the refugees (likely the younger ones) speak English, I get to actually conduct the interview. Otherwise, I'll be taking notes based on the translation from Arabic. However, my boss didn't want to send me out to do interviews without me knowing details about what's going on in Darfur. And it's sort of embarrassing to admit, but until today I really didn't know all the details. I was sort of like "genocide is bad, janjaweed are bad guys." And okay, janjaweed are bad guys, but it's much more complicated and confusing than that. I'm sure I still only understand a small part of what happened there, but I spent many hours today reading histories and surveys about the conflict. The former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, led an African inquiry into the situation which has a nice summary of the history of the region, and there's an NGO that did a huge survey-based study of Darfurian refugees living in Chad that focused on the refugees' beliefs justice in Darfur and South Sudan.
Reading the reports, I was struck once again (as I often am when I'm in Africa) by how smart these people are. There's this assumption in the developed world that uneducated means unintelligent -- but the refugees who answered this NGO's survey questions had sophisticated ideas about freedom, democracy, justice, and blame. I think 99% of them were farmers before they were displaced, and most of them probably couldn't write their name in any language... but they know what's happening to them, they understand the politics, they know who is to blame (overwhelmingly, they blame Bashir and the Government of Sudan), and they know what punishment those people should get. I was amazed by the large proportion of refugees who firmly believe that Bashir and other war criminals should be tried by the International Criminal Court, and the faith they have in the impartiality and ability of the international community. Really remarkable stuff, and it's good to be reminded every once in a while that all the education in the world at the greatest schools doesn't mean I know or understand this stuff better than the people who have lived through it.
Anyway, I met with my boss in the afternoon about the Darfurian interviews and about a paper that we're going to write together on the emerging East African Community, which is kind of like the EU in its early phases. It's a confederation of east African states moving towards the free flow of goods, services, and (most relevant to my organization's mission) people. My organization is hosting a conference in the first week of July, and my boss is presenting a paper on the ramifications of the EAC on refugees and refugee law, and she wants me to do most of the research and write a first draft. So that will be my big project for the next month, along with working with the senior researcher in Cape Town on writing up a report based on the Darfurian interviews. Since I type so fast, all the interviews in Arabic will be orally translated for me to transcribe, so I'll really be the only one who has heard all the interviews. That puts me in a good position to pick up on repeated themes and topics that pop out in the different conversations.
After work, one of the Ugandan lawyers walked me to Wandegeya, which is a neighborhood in Kampala, and also a major hub for the minibus taxis. I decided it was time to learn how to take a taxi to and from the office. The walk took about 15 (maybe 20?) minutes, but we were walking slowly -- I think it would probably only take me about 10 minutes on my own. She put me into a taxi heading to Ntinda, which was the right direction for me, and off we went. The taxi was so low on gas that the motor kept dying every time we slowed down or stopped... I thought it was a more serious problem, but we stopped to get gas, and then it was fine after that. It was nice to be surrounded by metal, instead of flying down the street on the back of a motorcycle. The taxis are significantly cheaper (1,000 UGX vs. 4,000 UGX for a one-way ride between the motel and my office), but they are also significantly slower. None of the vehicles, which are all Toyota Hiaces from the 1980s, are in very good condition, and the one today was no different. I could feel the heat of the overburdened engine through my sandals on the floor, and when I pitched forward at one point as the driver stopped sharply, my knee hit the engine cover and I thought it was going to leave a burn mark, it was so hot. With all the stops and sitting in traffic, it took me about an hour to get home -- instead of the 15 minutes it would have taken on a boda boda -- and when I got home, I was sweaty and tired. But I think it's still probably a better idea to take them as much as possible instead of the bodas, if only for the cost difference. If I take a taxi both ways, that's 2,000 UGX per day instead of 8,000 UGX per day -- $0.80 cents versus $3.35 every day. It doesn't sound like much, but I think it will make a difference in the long-run. And this way, I don't need to buy a helmet or fear for my life twice a day.
Katie, you are learning a lot (duh!) and teaching me so much through your well-written blogs. I think of you daily and tell The Universe to keep you safe. Love, Gma
ReplyDelete