Winston Churchill called Uganda the pearl of Africa. That's what they call the former English colony, the country crossed by the Equator. Its capital is Kampala, the city they say never sleeps. Aleksandar Dedović and Miloš Perović from Nikšić had the opportunity to see for themselves whether this is so.
"The first meeting with this African country happened just before dawn, at Entebbe Airport, which is located about an hour's drive from the capital, Kampala. "After exactly 24 hours of travel from Nikšić, where we left the frozen March morning, we were greeted by hot air and high humidity that practically made it impossible to breathe," said Dedović and Perović.
But it wasn't just hot air and high humidity that greeted the Mzunga (white people). There is also a high frequency of traffic and the unusual "boda boda" motorcycle taxi.
"It is a spectacularly elaborate business of providing taxi and transport services. The prices are adapted to the standard of the population, the service is fast and unreliable, but if it is an attraction - it is. There are 'ordinary', or as we would call them 'wild', and registered ones operating in two subcategories - safe and uber. The first recognized for having protective helmets for themselves and the passenger. Traffic is regulated by only three strangely and irregularly placed traffic lights in the entire city".
Although they are used to meeting policemen at every turn in Montenegro, they were surprised by the extremely large number of armed men in Kampala.
"All of them belong to different agencies for the security of persons and facilities. Thousands of different uniforms and types of weapons give the impression that it is more about a potential threat than a contribution to maintaining public order and peace. Of course, the streets are regularly patrolled by police vehicles with people armed with long barrels".
What also surprised them and Alexander had a hard time, but not Miloš, was the law banning smoking in public places. True, such a law also exists in Montenegro, but only on paper. With Uganda, the situation is completely different - the law also works in practice.
"Completely unexpected for that culture, no one, but absolutely no one, smokes in a public place. This includes not only catering facilities, open terraces, streets and sidewalks, but also parks and places far away from passers-by. Inquiring about the character of this, for us, phenomenon, we concluded that there were two things at stake: high mortality from hunger and various infectious diseases and a strict religious view of life. About a dozen times it happened that a passer-by approached a smoker from our society and sternly warned them about the harmfulness of smoking, and then also about the prohibition of smoking", the two say, but they do not reveal whether Aleksandar was one of those to whom the passers-by "read the beech tree" about harmful effects of tobacco.
But that's why they admit that they were not delighted with the cuisine, which represents an unusual combination of English, Arabic and Asian gastronomy. Especially Miloš.
"We didn't like the traditional home cooking. We tried to try everything, but dishes reminiscent of our tuber were the most pleasing to our stomachs. To this we add samozas, a small pie most similar to our burek. Banana puree, antelope roe and other dishes with exotic names did not particularly impress us".
That is why they are the source of the Nile, the safari, the natural beauty of the national park "Murchison Falls", which is about seven hours' drive from Kampala.
"Two days of driving through beautiful areas and African animals just a few meters away, calm, used to being photographed, but by no means giving off a reliable and friendly appearance. In the middle of the park is Lake Albert, where hippos are 'frolicking'. The next day, during the Nile cruise, the local representatives of this species were unusually lively and in the mood to push and capsize our boat, which they say is not a rare occurrence. Crocodiles are not rare either, who are happily stalking this moment and whose snapping teeth we could easily recognize in the silence and beauty of the longest river in the world."
The two of them would talk for hours about the beauty of the source of the Nile, about Lake Victoria, about a country full of beauty and contrast, about a world completely different from the one they were used to.
“We also visited Sezibwa Falls, a hidden place half of which belongs to the Bugandu Monarchy and half to the Anglican Church. Among the local people, it is known as a health resort, a place where peace of mind and solutions to many problems can be found. We also visited Lake Victoria with its rich flora and fauna, especially brightly colored birds whose names we did not remember. There are two special places that must be seen in Uganda, the source of the Nile and the equator. It is particularly interesting to stand with one foot in the northern and the other in the southern hemisphere of the earth".
There is enough, say the two, that must be seen. But, as they said, to feel life in a city where "in addition to dilapidated houses, there are exclusive villas with the most modern security systems and five-star hotels that would be the envy of the most famous tourist destinations."
"You should definitely see the large mosque that dominates the eastern part of the city, which Colonel Gaddafi gave to the Ugandans. The Bahai temple, the largest in Africa, is also interesting and very beautiful. It is open to believers of all denominations, and they say that there are 80 million followers in the world. Our attention was also drawn to the royal residence across the street from the Parliament. The history of the royal family is interesting, its overthrow by the dictator Idi Amin, and the period of gaining independence... Wherever you look, you see something that you are meeting for the first time, something unusual, interesting. Kampala, like Uganda, is full of beauty and contrasts".
And what must be mentioned, when, as they said in the case of Uganda, a country where the official languages are English and Swahili, is the people. After all, the people are always the heart of a country.
"It really is a wonderful people, very hospitable, with a broad smile and a rich and complicated past", our interlocutors conclude.
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